First let’s start width media. While i focus on either acrylic paints, with spray paints or oils instead, I’ve spent years exploring most media including, guash, watercolor, pens, penciles, pastels and of course acrylic oil and spray paint which are at the heart of my practice depending on the time of year and situation surrounding each experience.

I’d say, acrylic is the most accessible, chepeset and best media to translate to oils or other media. One must consider storage, weather conditions, humidity\ moisture is a big one that impacts paint drying time. There are media you can mix in to alter consistwncy or drying time, but in general acrylic will dry within minutes depending on the amount of sun on it, and thickness you work in. What’s nice about acrylic paint, is that water is your mixing agent to thin it out or mix other colors. I’d encourage using golden acrylic paints as they are the best brand you can buy pretty much anywhere in the United States.

Oil paints, more vivid color, easier to blend, but can take weeks to dry depending on your mixing agent. I accidentally used galkyd over 10 years sgo and it changed my practice. Thickening paint, making it allot more similar to acrylic, and Increased dry time to an our or two in some sunny situations. The biggest downside of oil, is cost can be a bit more upfront, storage of art when it’s wet can be troubles on allong with needing to transport art to and from locations. Mixed media is certainly possible with oil, but not the best decision due to the chemicals involved. Oils are also incredibly messy, especially as they don’t dry quickly and p3rminantly stains cloths.

My choice of acrylic and spray paint is due to allot of reasons, and was first attempted over almost 15 years ago my fiat years in college. Street art culture and Imagrey was very impactful, although I felt disconnected to the culture, the media of spray paint immedatly appealed to me. Using it to masks and layer in ways not possible with other media. It wasent till of 10 years later, I re attempted using this media with acrylics but in the context of large scale pleinair work, which was transformative and immedatly evident of its potential.

I’ll try to explain the way I use it in relation to my entire process. I start almost all paintings with a 1 or 2 inch brush, laying out the composition, making notes of where I want certain horizon lines or items in the comp. This is a very quick, immediate process to start, as I’m both trying to retain energy with my brushstrokes, while also leaving reminantw of movements that will be either enhanced or dulled down as I continue to layer ontop. As far as color choices, it can be lead by how I see or how I feel, sometimes starting with bright energetic colors, or using a favorite color like ultrwmwrine blue simply becuse I want to.

As a general rule, I don’t judge the painting before the entire first layer is on. I tend to feel strongly when laying down painting layers and find that if I don’t have the entire surface covered that I am pre judging something that i don’t know how it’ll turn out. Good life lessons and art lesson, sometimes w3 get too focused in the details and fail to see the bigger picture.

The pleinair process is incredibly situational, much of what im saying could change and should change, that is the magic behind this processs is that you will be pushed outside your comfort zone at some point, art is ment to evolve and not remain consistent.

Depending on the ambient lighting I may start adding subtle spray paint layers in certain areas, more as a quick accent to highlight or contrast colors. Highlights, direct sun, ambient sun rays are all great applications for spray paint use, and allow you a way of laying light that you can do even in a studio setting just with normal paint media. The spray paint creates a slight textured surface especially if it’s not spraying ultra smooth and isn’t something you can replicate. Furthermore, being able to layer light and hard shapes quickly is incredibly exciting to the process, I find it energizing to layer splashes of color and then add detail ontop to accentuate the shapes and colors I layer down beforehand.

There is a balance to th3 spray paint tho, there’s no general rule when I use it vs when I don’t, it’s based on feelings and the pattern I’m visually creating