There is a myth out there that it's okay to thin acrylic paint with water. Well it's not the best idea. Here's why:

Water is not a binder. Duh, right? Well if you use too much water in your acrylic paint mixture, you will overthin the binder in the paint (polymer) and weaken the paint film, lessening its adhesion to your canvas (or the paint layer beneath it).

If you want to thin the paint, use a polymer medium. This will maintain the adhesive qualities of the paint and the paint film will maintain its integrity.

If you want to thin the paint and retard the drying time, try using Acrylic Glazing Liquid (Golden). This will allow you to make a thin glaze and slow down the drying time.

Party on!

I'm back at the studio again...working hard at having something pop out of my head...but it's really, really cold at the studio. I'm in San Francisco and you'd think it wouldn't be too bad, but I have absolutely no insulation and being near the water must be what's making my studio so cold, I guess? So I'm watching puddles of acrylic paint trying to form a skin....not coming close to getting dry. This is going to take a long time. I am literally watching paint dry.

So, anyone out there, how cold is your studio?

2007 was a hard, hard year. I lost my dad in July and spent the next six months just trying to keep my head above water emotionally. I wasn't able to paint during that time. Just last week I lost a friend to brain cancer. So just about the time I was getting my painting mojo back, I get another thump on the head.

I've decided to just come to the studio and see what happens. Life will undoubtedly go on whether I'm at the studio or not. And who knows, maybe I still have something to say.

Sometimes it just clicks, doesn't it? After stressing for days over a large commission and doing several botched experiments with varnish, I let go of all of that and just went into the studio and painted. Just me, the paint and the brush. No client asking for a deep rosy hue, no big commission hanging over my head. Sigh of deep satisfaction. It was good, really good, to just paint for myself. The Rolling Stones on the jukebox and a large coffee and some paint. Life is good, isn't it?

Does life interfere with art? Or the other way around. How do the two intersect or interact? When my personal life is topsy turvy I find I can't concentrate on my work. I'm not one of those painters who can channel their frustration or rage or despair into the work. I used to be (in my twenties and thirties) but now I'm a more formal painter. I need a quiet space in my head in which to move circles and squares around. Compose. Quiet composition. It's actually all I think about when I'm working, composition and of course color. So what to do when life intrudes? Take a break I guess and deal with the life issue. Wish there was a bigger answer, something that sounded more profound. But that's all I have. Any ideas?