This is a mixed media piece using Acrylic and Oilbar.

I started on this piece following a very frustrating time trying a new technique – using water to make the paint run – and failing abysmally!

I have a number of 25 X 25cm boards which have had hessian glued to them. This provides a very rough textured surface. The board I worked this piece on had already been primed by painting it with 2-3 coats of Black Acrylic paint.

The 1st stage consisted of painting blocks of colour to cover most, but not all of the board.

Once dried, the second coat was applied – a mixture of magenta and yellow to create a variety of reds. What may not be obvious from this picture is that the base colours, including the original black, continue to show through in places – creating both texture and dimension to the painting.

The final part was to add the detail and colour using Oilbar applied with a palette knife.

I really love the creamy, thick texture that the Oilbar provides and prefer it to the more traditional oil paint.

I am pleased with the overall effect and it has given me lots more ideas to play with using the same technique.