Golden Open

Yesterday I decided to play with my small test tubes of the new(ish?) Golden Open acrylics. Yes, play šŸ˜‰ and picking some new to me colours as well, india yellow and sap green, with white and ultramarine. I’ve been feeling that I sometimes want to get away from the very bright carnival colours without going brown and grey, you know?

The Open series are supposed to dry slower than regular acrylic paint, but without the smell of the oil and turpentine. As well as staying wet on the palette even overnight.

And they do take their time drying. But it seems that they get sticky with the brush just as fast as the others, or nearly so, and then just stay that way – forever. In fact one canvas done with medium is still slightly sticky this morning. What I was looking to get was a fairly long blending time on the canvas with no brush tracks. Copious amounts of medium helped a bit, but also worked as a glaze. I did a couple of washes with and one “abstract” background without. Just randonly picking up paint, apply, pick up more and try to blend the two areas.

rubbish

So I wondered if anyone out there had another or the same experience? I don’t mind the longer waiting time as long as I get the longer working time, but one without the other seems pointless. Or is it the no skinning and palette useability that is the actual deal? The pamphlet says “can be reconstituted for a period of time (an hour) once set, using water, fresh paint or mediums.”

I’m looking for something to replace my W&N Galeria when they run out or get to sluggish and it seems Golden is all the rage these days. I already have a hard time squeezing them out of the bottles compared to the couple of newer tubes I have, and thought perhaps that’s why I was experiencing stickyness. The sample Golden Fluids I have do the same though.

Maybe I’m just working too big a surface. (50×50 cm in this case) Doodling away in one small corner works very well if you have your painting all planned, but not if you’re just going to wave your arms a bit and see what happens. Remember, I’m trying to learn to be intuitive about it. Absolutely almost non-thinking. Sometimes I think you have to visit all the extremes to find your middle ground?

So today I’ll try fewer colours in the first round wave, when it begins to get sticky I’ll go at it with fresh paint and water (I thought I was doing that yesterday, but….) Maybe I use too thin layers. Will have to test a thick coat in one corner. (having only those very small tubes)

6 thoughts on “Golden Open

  1. I’ve not tried these, but I do use Chroma atelier paints amongst others, which are the less famous but original non skinning ‘open’ acrylics. I just se them as normal paint though, I rarely bother rewetting them. On the rare occasions i have done this it has worked fine, but I’ve never tried it over a large area – The main reason I use them is for the pigment load and colours I particularly like, plus they have a nicer finish than many, but I mix them freely with other brands. I’m not a brand painter, as it were, I just use whatever!

    1. So what is your experience of worktime on the canvas? I seem to be getting stripes and a sticky feeling very soon, so that the new brush strokes begin to cover the old instead of blending smoothly, often with an unattractive rough edge, I don’t know if that makes any sense. As I’m painting, not after a break, like, minutes into the process. Makes me think that summer will be hopeless, because our house isn’t particularly warm.

      1. As I say, I don’t really use it, but I have rewet paint after an hour or so, plus chroma advise regular ,siting to keep paint workable. I don’t like the sound of the golden paints from your account. You could try golden customer services

    2. I’m probably remembering working mostly with oils. My first flat was tiny but I managed to negotiate a storage room in the loft of the building where my paintings could be smelly between sessions, carting them up and down 5 flights of narrow kitchen stairs.

  2. I don’t have much advice regarding the materials, but I love the outcome. The movement, the color– beautifully blended (though it sounds frustrating) and you’ve done it without getting muddy. I really love it!

    1. šŸ™‚ I wasn’t feeling up to anything yesterday, but I think what I’ll do next is turn the canvas and see if I can get something out of those shapes. Or just do a whole new layer, it’s becoming a habit with this particular piece (there’s a couple of attempted sunsets underneath)

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