Watermedia is "In"

Watermedia includes Acrylics

Have you noticed? “Watermedia” is in.

Or at least that’s the way it seems to me. In many of the prospectuses (prospecti?) these days, it seems they have changed from the term watercolor to watermedia or at least added the term watermedia.

I have been blogging about the apparent lack of respect for acrylic paint for several seasons now. As if they were the step-children of painting, acrylics seemed to have been relegated to the different, the unusual , the experimental edge of painting.

Really!? As I have stated before, acrylics have been around in earnest since 1955 (that’s 56 years in case you’re counting) when Liquitex “invented” the medium.

Of course, watermedia includes more than just watercolor and acrylic. I am well aware of that. There’s  gouache, tempera, watercolor pencils, Cretacolor ™ to name a few others.

Why have the watercolor art societies, juried exhibitions, shows, and galleries “suddenly” embraced watermedia? Well, for the same reason they hold the exhibitions in the first place—funds, capital, cash flow, call it what you like. Nothing wrong with that. Someone has to pay the light bill. Adding watermedia opens up the exhibitions to a broader group of artists.

Anyway, I am very happy to see this happening. My favorite medium of late has been acrylic on (watercolor) paper. I use it just as if it were watercolor. But it’s more forgiving and way more easy to add washes and other effects.

So I say, “bravo, it’s about time.”

Happy Painting!