Oil Paintings – Consider Mixed Media

Oil paintings have been around for hundreds of years. The paint began as a simple combination of pigment and oil. The formulation has changed little throughout the centuries. Collectors of oil canvases are usually on the lookout for more and more artworks that inspire them and a piece that incorporates oil and other media is a great choice.

Since the beginning of time artists have always had the desire to broaden their creative horizons. This instinct can be seen in oil canvases throughout the eras. However, back then artists were constrained by the types of materials they had immediately at hand. Experimentation and invention have always been a part of human creativity.

Today, modern manufacturing has created an almost limitless array of products for the artist to use in their work. Many artists integrate the materials produced to create art that has a modern type of finish. Many will include plastic products, metals, wood pieces, and paper products in their art. There are even new kinds of glue and transfer mediums to use.

As well, there is a much greater awareness of art than ever before in human history. The internet has allowed people to see art from around the world that they would otherwise never view. Artists are exposed to techniques and materials they could never otherwise know about. As well, this freedom has also created greater and more diverse opinion about what art is and whether it is “good” or not.

An important aspect to art techniques and art product development is the concern for the environment. Many people are concerned with the level of waste that is now being created daily and how it is affecting the Earth we live on. Any chance to recycle and reuse is seen as a great thing. Artists and painters can incorporate what otherwise would be trash into their art for a mixed media creation.

Many of the old masters and famous artist from centuries gone by used mixed media in their art canvases. Pablo Picasso and George Braque are together credited for having started the Cubist Movement that took off during the beginning of the 20th century. They were both, quite independently, experimenting with angles and deconstruction in their art.

Long before artists discovered how to create oil paint, there was tempera. Tempera is a type of paint that uses egg, water and pigment in its creation. It’s fast drying and forms a lovely muted yet, still bold palette for painters to create from. Leonardo Da Vinci could be considered a mixed media artist, as well as, a great painter. He used tempera on wet plaster and eventually incorporated the oil paint into his work.

This was the source of paint artists used up until the year 1500. After that point oils were implemented. Artists found that mixing the pigment with oil created a thicker paint that took longer to dry but, allowed for greater durability and texture. Da Vinci used both of these paints in his works and often within the same piece.

To find out everything about Oil painting, visit Arold Augustin’s website at http://www.great-artworks.com.

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