Oil Painting

I started painting in acrylics back in the 1990s. Only last year did I begin to seriously work with oil paints. There is something almost magical about this centuries-old medium, and yet I feared it as well. I thought it was too complex with its variety of thinners and mediums and its slow drying characteristics.

Nevertheless, I decided to give them a try. Last summer I was staying in Puerto Rico, and I went by a local art supply store near the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez. They had some Van Gogh H2Oils on sale, so I picked up a basic set of colors from their bargain bin. These are water mixable oil paints. I figured I could start out using water to thin the paints and, of course, clean them up as well.

It wasn't too long before I went ahead and got some thinner and linseed oil. I quickly discovered that I simply preferred working with these paints just as if they were regular oils, and I started to acquire colors that were not water mixable. I found out that I really love working with oils. Their slow drying time was actually a blessing in many ways. I think I would have a hard time going back to acrylics now.