{"id":1327465,"date":"2023-10-19T13:08:31","date_gmt":"2023-10-19T19:08:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artistsnetwork.com\/?p=1327465"},"modified":"2023-10-19T13:17:11","modified_gmt":"2023-10-19T19:17:11","slug":"when-the-ordinary-becomes-extraordinary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artistsnetwork.com\/product-recommendation\/when-the-ordinary-becomes-extraordinary\/","title":{"rendered":"When the Ordinary Becomes Extraordinary"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Wayne Jiang combines acrylic paint and careful observation to create beautiful, meaningful art that displays a reverence for common objects and everyday life.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Much of the subject matter and compositional choices in Wayne Jiang\u2019s paintings draw inspiration from beloved 20th century realist painters. \u201cAndrew Wyeth, Edward Hopper and the Ashcan School painters like Robert Henri and George Bellows, along with documentary photographers like Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange taught me how to observe everyday life carefully and respectfully,\u201d Jiang says. This philosophy is on full display in many of the artist\u2019s restaurant and condiment paintings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nSummer Afternoon at the Noodle House (acrylic on board)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Q:<\/strong> What are the qualities you most appreciate about the acrylic medium?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A:<\/strong> I started out as a watercolor and oil painter but switched to acrylic in the early nineties for health and practical reasons. The qualities of acrylic helped me develop my unique multiple layering technique, which gave my acrylic works the same look and feel as some of my favorite Old Master oil paintings. I love the fast drying time. On a good day, I can put down 20 to 30 layers on a painting. I also love that some acrylic colors are transparent while others are opaque, which allows me to create works that use that contrast. And I appreciate the range of acrylic mediums that are available, such as gloss medium, matte medium and slow-drying retarder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\nAfter Closing (acrylic on board)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\nSoy Sauce Bottle, Persimmon, Grapes and Measuring Tape (acrylic on board)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Q:<\/strong> What acrylic materials and techniques do you recommend for watermedia artists?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A:<\/strong> Continue using techniques for transparent paints rather than an opaque technique like alla prima. Choosing the appropriate paint and painting surface is also important. I recommend Liquitex Professional Soft Body Acrylics because the consistency will seem familiar to watermedia artists. I also advise working on heavier paper such as watercolor paper or illustration board and avoid using pre-primed canvases and boards. The slow liquid absorption time of pre-primed surfaces is something many watermedia artists struggle with. To create similar, more absorbable painting surfaces like watercolor paper on board, I recommend applying Utrecht Artists\u2019 Acrylic Gesso (white) onto unprimed canvas or wood panel to control this aspect. Less gessoing (1-2 thin layers) for more absorption, more gessoing (2-3 thick layers) for less absorption. If gessoing your own panel, I recommend the Blick wood panels. This surface is nice and smooth, and they hang nicely with or without a frame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Q:<\/strong> What acrylic materials and techniques do you recommend for oil painters?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A:<\/strong> I recommend using Liquitex Professional Heavy Body Acrylics. The thicker consistency is similar to the feel and texture of oil paint. Some acrylic paints include a choice of a transparent and an opaque option. If you\u2019re an alla prima or impressionistic painter, choose the more opaque colors instead of transparent colors. For those who feel the fast-drying time of acrylic isn\u2019t helping them achieve smooth blending, I recommend adding a retarder like Liquitex Slow-Dri Fluid Additive to your paint at the end of the painting process instead of open acrylic. This way, you get the benefit of the fast drying time at the beginning, and you can enjoy the slower drying time for detail and blending at the end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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