Fluid Painting #1: Colorful Feather

Dirty, multicolor feather set diagonally across a canvas. The background is mostly negative white space with hints of colors mixed in and dots of various colors sprinkled atop.

Yesterday, I decided to dive back into more abstract work with my first “acrylic pour.” This is a type of fluid art where the artist does not have 100% control. It uses acrylic paints mixed with a pouring medium to create a runny consistency. There are various ways to lay down the paint that range from cups to sticks to chains and everything in between.

Over the past month, I have stepped into this wide world of art. Much of it was a mystery to me, but I was soaking it all in. I just wanted to try everything that I saw others doing, so this is not the first experiment with paint that I will be doing in the coming days, weeks, and much longer.

For this piece, I attempted to create a feather with negative space in the background. I mucked up the background and ended up having to blend some colors into it, leaving brush marks. I could have corrected that, but I kind of liked the rough look. However, the white around the feather ended up being smooth and not matching the rest of the background. Creating the feather itself did not quite go as planned, but it turned out OK enough for this first try.

I have a ton of ideas that I would like to explore with fluid art. It is a lot of fun. Plus, it does not take nearly as long to complete a piece.

For those who follow me on social media, you might be thinking this is my second pour painting. A few days ago, I showcased a test run on a small canvas board, but that was merely for practice before I took on a larger work. I also learned a valuable lesson in that test: do not do acrylic pours on cheap, cardboard-backed panels. The cardboard warps.