Nothing is for Nothing

This month I started a new painting on flexible plastic. I began this painting with a base coat of red latex paint as I do all my paintings of this type. When the latex paint dried I started the color layers with acrylic paint. After about four hours of painting I realized the colors I was using were not what I wanted which would cause other complications with the rest of the painting as I continue. After much contemplation I determined that the best thing for me to do at this point was to wash off all the acrylic paint I just spent hours applying. I knew I wouldn’t be able to paint over the problem colors because they would be too dark. At this point I am pretty bummed out and annoyed with myself for not catching this issue earlier.

As I am washing of the acrylic paint with a bucket of warm water and a rag I notice that the extremely wet paint is mixing into a dark orange color that is filling the grooves and brush-marks of the dried latex base layer of the painting. I actually enjoy the weathered look it is giving to the painting so after I washed all the paint off I decided to use the dirty paint water to create a wash over the latex paint, giving the paint a textured look. This wash dries over the latex paint and will be seen through the top layer of semi-transparent paint that will go on top.

This textured look under the top layer of paint gives the entire painting a weathered and cohesive look that I never would have thought to do if I hadn’t messed up the paint color and felt it necessary to wash it off and start all over again. This proves that even when it feels like what you have done was a waste of time there is still something to be gained from it whether it be knowledge, experience, or a new outlook on a situation. I was feel a bit defeated when I first started to wash off the paint but now I am thankful for the mistake because I made a more affective and cohesive final product in the end.