MICHAEL ARNOLD ART

2007 Acrylic on canvas 48 x 12 inches

“Art Shelf” is an original, signed acrylic painting on a gallery-wrapped canvas by artist Michael Arnold. This painting was an exercise in creating works with unusual size and shape. The subject was the art materials shelf in my college’s painting studio. The realistic details of the painting , mixed with the unique canvas size give it the illusion of being and actual shelf hanging on a wall. I have had several people mistake it for a shelf before I pointed out that it was in fact a painting. This artwork was painted using acrylic paint on a high quality wrapped canvas. Acrylic paint was developed in the 1940s for exterior use but quickly made its way into the art world because of its versatility and durability. Acrylic paint works very well on stretched canvas. When purchasing artwork many people aren't sure what the difference is between acrylic and oil paintings. The main difference between acrylics and oil paints is the inherent drying time. Oils allow for more time to blend colors and apply even glazes over underpaintings. This slow drying aspect of oil can be seen as an advantage for certain techniques, but in other regards it impedes the artist trying to work quickly. The fast evaporation of water from the acrylic paint film can be slowed with the use of acrylic retarders. Retarders are generally glycol or glycerin-based additives. Oil paints tend to require the addition of a toxic solvent, such as mineral spirits or turpentine to thin the paints and clean up tools, though relatively recently water soluble oil paints have been developed for artist use. Secondly, oil paint films become increasing yellow and brittle, and will lose their flexibility in a few decades. Oil paint is able to absorb more pigment than acrylic because linseed oil has a smaller molecule than does acrylic. Oil has a different refractive index than do acrylic dispersions. This changes how light interacts with the paint films. Due to acrylic's more flexible nature and more consistent drying time between colors, the painter does not have to follow the "fat over lean" rule of oil painting, where more medium must be applied to each layer to avoid cracking. Many artists prefer the sharper and more dominant effect of acrylic colors. Acrylics can be used on many surfaces without a medium- layer. They allow sharp brush-strokes but also a more delicate shading, although it is more difficult to create a smooth change between different shades. They are usually very bright. Although the permanency of acrylics is sometimes debated by conservators, they appear more stable than oil paints. Whereas oil paints normally turn yellow as they age/dry(oxidize)—and require a removable protective layer of varnish—acrylic paints, at least in the 50 years since their invention, have not yellowed, cracked, or altered. Purchase Price $400