Painting with Oils

When people are first learning to paint, many start out with acrylics. They’re cheap, and easy to clean up, and they come in a huge variety of colors. Eventually, though, many artists switch over to oils. The reason, for non-painters, is counterintuitive: oils take longer to dry.

At first, that seems like more of a bug than a feature. Who wants to wait around for a painting to dry, worrying that someone will brush against it or knock it off its easel and ruin everything? But the advantages far outweigh the inconvenience. With oils, you can take your time. You can adjust your line and color as you go. You can mix different hues right on the canvas. The result is greater flexibility and freedom, and a much more nuanced portrait of the world.

Often, as we make our way through life, we form a picture of the world around us and we let it dry too soon. We meet someone and pass judgment on them before we really know them or understand their intent. We hear an idea and dismiss it before we’ve considered all the evidence. We feel a passing emotion and blame it on whatever or whoever is right in front of us, instead of exploring the dark underlayer that gives it its weight and depth. 

When we slap together a picture of the world from our first impressions, we paint with acrylics. When we use our curiosity to apply all the layers of color at our disposal, we paint with oils.