Acrylics: A Quick and Efficient Medium for Painting On Location

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Why I paint with acrylic en plein air:

By Marcia Burtt

I was first introduced to acrylic paints in graduate school at age 30. They handled like oils, but had a better range of colors and were quicker to set up and clean up. When I started painting the landscape outdoors, I’d drop my son at preschool at 9 a.m., drive 20 minutes to the beach, pull out my fishing tackle box full of pre-squeezed paints, whip out a 30 x 40-inch painting with a big brush, fold up my French easel, pack my supplies, then speed back to the preschool for the 11:45 pickup time.

The more I painted en plein air, the more important the opacity and quick-drying qualities of acrylic became to me. In fact, the medium has become an integral part of how I compose — plunging right in, using my big brush like a saber, bringing to life large, bold subjects with absolutely no need for the careful planning that can turn a painting session into a bore. And when the piece is done, it’s dry. There’s no need to worry about staining my car’s interior or accidentally smearing the painting surface.

Acrylic Plein Air Painting - Marcia Burtt, "Chaparral Cascade," 2012, acrylic, 20 x 20 in., private collection, plein air — Marcia Burtt, “Chaparral Cascade,” 2012, acrylic, 20 x 20 in., private collection, plein air

If I’m going to paint in snow or very cold weather, however, I’ll take out my oils. Because acrylic depends on evaporation to cure, if there’s snow on the ground I’ll just wind up standing in front of my easel and weeping as the paint drips off my canvas. I face the reverse problem in very hot or windy situations. In those instances, I either use my oils again or add an acrylic glazing medium instead of water to my acrylics to slow down the drying time. In general, though, I don’t like retardants, as they have to be mixed into each patch of color, which takes extra time and sometimes results in differing drying times.

Acrylic plein air - Marcia Burtt, "Barn at Walking R Ranch," 2011, acrylic, 20 x 30 in., private collection, plein air — Marcia Burtt, “Barn at Walking R Ranch,” 2011, acrylic, 20 x 30 in., private collection, plein air

Another advantage of acrylic is that it can be varnished the week it’s finished, unlike oil. Also, it’s easy to roll a large acrylic commission and ship it out in a sturdy tube, whereas oil paint can crack under those circumstances.

Today, the colors in acrylics, as in oil paints, are lightfast for hundreds of years. Neither art galleries nor art collectors appear to worry much about which medium I use. If a painting is completed competently and solidly, and suitably framed, they don’t fuss.