A Word on Acrylics from Patti Mollica

by Patti Mollica

Acrylics are my go-to paint. I didn’t exactly plan it that way. As a student, the painting classes I took were traditional and oils only. Back then, we had plenty of time to paint the model, who kept the same pose over the course of three solid weeks. That’s student life. Life changes though, and that situation no longer suited mine. I moved to New York City in 1992 and was thrust into the fast-paced energy of city life and work in advertising design. Frantic, insane deadlines, never enough time—rush rush rush.

I had to squeeze in my artwork wherever I could eke out a few minutes—sketching people while riding the subway, capturing the hustle and bustle of commuters at Grand Central Station, creating paintings from a concrete sidewalk “seat” or standing in the middle of Fifth Avenue at rush hour, obstructing the stampede of harried pedestrians. Expressing the city’s dynamic energy became the focus of my artistic ambition.

For this, acrylic was the perfect medium—to get it down quickly—and move on. I fell in love with the fast drying time, which allows for creative spontaneity, crisp mark-making, changing direction midstream, quick overpainting, endless impatient layering, bold patches of color and gestural brushwork—in essence, speed-induced painting techniques.

Although I left an advertising career to create and teach art, my preference for acrylics is still intact. I enjoy and experiment in all media—oils, pastels, gouache and watercolor. Each has it’s own unique personality, but—for the reasons already mentioned—acrylics bring out the playful, expressive, impatient child in me in a way that none of the others do. When I open my box of paints, it’s like a kid opening a chest full of toys. Which colors will beckon me? What part of my imagination will come out to play? Which rules can I break? What pearls of wisdom will be revealed through experimentation? What new games can I create?

Acrylics are infinitely versatile. In 2009 I became a certified Golden Paints Educator and an expert in the plethora of acrylic gels, pastes, mediums and textured grounds. Any artistic creation one’s imagination can concoct can be carried out in acrylics. Best thing is—all these acrylic characters play so nicely together. The playground is perfectly forgiving and nearly devoid of “rules.” Anything goes. If you can think it, you can do in acrylics.

Really, what’s not to love?

Patti Mollica (pattimollica.com) delights in painting the world around her in a bold, confident style, with hues that are vibrant, energetic and contemporary. Her work is known for its fearless use of color and expressive brushwork, while still blending a delicate balance between impressionism, abstraction and realism. She has been commissioned by and is included in the private collections of American Express, Sheraton Hotels, CBS & RCA Records and Penguin Press, among others. She’s also a Certified Paints Educator for Golden Artist Colors and conducts workshops throughout the U.S. Her work is represented in several galleries across the country. Mollica is the author of four books: How to Paint Fast, Loose & Bold; Modern Acrylics; Color Theory; and Acrylics—Getting Started. She is also featured in three instructional painting DVDs: Value Techniques; Brushwork Techniques; and Color Techniques, which are available for purchase or free to view with membership at artistsnetwork.com.