Introduction
Beautiful art has always inspired me. Being infinitely curious, great paintings draw me closer to investigate brush strokes and colors and make me wonder about methods and techniques used. Well yes, I admit that I'm one of those inquisitive people who actually reads labels, instruction manuals and encyclopedias — because I want to know everything!
Starting out as an oil painter when I was in my teens, I switched to using acrylics in 2004 and haven't looked back since. Of course, building a successful relationship with acrylics took time and energy, but just as with true friendship, my interest and devotion harvested fruits. I came to know and accept its little idiosyncrasies and weaknesses, as well as its strengths and pleasures. Acrylic paint has become a trusted and dearly beloved friend that still surprises me regularly.
I believe that each artist grows and develops along a very personal path, learning through observation, practice and especially by making mistakes. Looking at other artists' paintings and work methods is always useful in order to learn, gain insights and sometimes find solutions for our own artwork.
The suggestions and demonstrations in this book merely present a few possibilities of expression among numerous equally valid approaches. It is impossible to touch upon all artistic subject matter in these pages, let alone show all conceivable forms and methods of expressing them.
This book offers you practical guidelines and useful facts, but the tools and methods shown are mere suggestions — certainly not rigid instructions. Apart from a few technical dos and dont's, as far as I'm concerned there are no rules in making art. I believe we all need to follow our hearts and intuition and dance to our own tune. Use whatever method you like to achieve the best end result; don't ever let any dogma dictate you!
Sometimes a simple sentence or image sparks an "aha" moment that stimulates you to create new artwork that suddenly propels you to reach a new level. I sincerely hope this book will inspire you to experiment, practice and find your own artistic voice, to ultimately become the very best artist that's inside of you.
Lorena Kloosterboer
