Thursday, Nov. 21:

Demo by Rick Mittelstadt – Artistic Journey into Acrylic

Rick Mittelstadt presented his work and methods via a slideshow format. He began by showing us how artwork throughout his life, even back to 5th grade, has been influential in the acrylic paintings he creates today. Interspersed in his presentation were many of his favorite quotes including- “Painting is very easy when you don’t know how, but very difficult when you do.” -Edgar Degas “Failure is not the opposite of success; it’s a stepping stone to success,” -Arianna Huffington Mittelstadt could not demonstrate his abstract work because it evolves. He may start by taking an image, distorting it, changing the orientation, exaggerating the colors or adding to the composition. Most of his paintings go through “incubation “ for hours or days with additional tinkering. He shared some of the unlimited tools he uses with acrylics including squeegees, rollers, spatulas, joint compound, floetrol and silicone resist to name just a few. Several examples of Mittelstadt’s work impressed on us the need to know and use the basic rules of composition and design including the rule of thirds. He concluded his discussion by encouraging us to enter our work in shows and pointing out what jurors are looking for: Visual Impact Personal Voice Originality Technical skills Presentation And finally, he warned, “Paint is only wasted when it stays in the tube!”