Recently I picked up my art from a local exhibit (sponsored by an art organization no less) where the title blocks of my work listed “Oil Painting” as the medium. WRONG! I paint with acrylic paint. This is a common misunderstanding with my work due to the high relief texture that I am known for. So, today let’s discuss a few of the differences. My disclaimer here is that I have studied oil paint and talked with oil painters, but have never actually used them.
When I began to paint I chose acrylic for the same reason I prefer latex paint for my home: easy clean up. Therein lies the first point of difference. Oil paints clean up with mineral spirits; Acrylic paints clean with water. That said, acrylic brushes need to be cleaned quickly after use (or during use) because of the quick drying time that acrylics have. In other words, water clean up does not always equal easy.
Second point of difference: Oil paints take much longer (days, weeks, months,) to dry; acrylic paints dry in a matter of minutes or hours. This is perhaps the most significant reason I continue to use acrylic paint. My technique is founded upon applications of layers upon layers, wet (paint) over dry (canvas). In any given inch or so of a painting I work on, I have gone back to the canvas perhaps 10-12 times to create the overall effect of a given hue. Upon closer examination the viewer will see that in fact several layers of different colors have combined to form that effect. Many a student has complained to me that their oil paintings “turn to mud”. This is because of the longer drying period of oils which cause them to blend rather than layer.
Which leads to the third point of difference: Oil paints blend under the brush, on the canvas better than acrylic paints. 
Actually this difference is a result of the drying time. Oil paint blends better; acrylic paint layers better. I often tell students that if they want the perfectly blended flesh toned cheek on a portrait, oil is the paint of choice.
There are questions out there regarding the toxicity of oils vs acrylics. Personally I think it’s a draw. Yes, oil paints have the fumes, etc. However acrylics use titanium, cadmium, iron oxide, etc. So there is care to be taken with each medium in that regard.
Another debate is longevity. There are those that insist that oil paints will stand the test of time better than acrylic paint. I would suggest that we simply don’t know what the future will bring. Artist quality acrylic paints are a relatively new medium. Although they have not been time tested we don’t know how they will hold pigment, shape, etc.
Personally, I paint for today and today’s client. I am less interested in how many hundreds of years my paintings hold up than I am in creating a piece of art that will enhance today’s homes, offices, and lives. Therefore I select the medium that works best for my artistic purposes. For me, I choose acrylic.
Today’s Painting: Natural Beauty, first in progress and then all layered and finished. It is 36×24 and is available at the studio for $950.
Deborah Gall 