Celia is a professional artist working from her studio at home in Cheltenham, England. She regularly exhibits at various venues in Cheltenham and Bath and works on commissions for portraits, abstract work and her free flowing ‘Impressionistic’ landscapes.
W&N: Describe your work & style
CA: That's an interesting question, because people are often surprised at the different styles of my landscapes and portraits. When I am painting my loose 'impressionistic' style landscapes, I love to apply colour straight onto the canvas, mixing other colours into the paint on the surface of the picture.
With every painting I feel as though it's a great adventure, as the acrylic paint is mixing and moving all the time, very exciting! I could never create the same picture twice as I am totally free with applying the different colours and textures and totally 'lose myself' in the painting. This helps to create finished pieces with lots of atmosphere and movement.
However, when I am painting portraits in acrylic, I tend to apply the paint using a brush in a more controlled manner, whilst still keeping the brushstrokes loose. Acrylic paint is also perfect for achieving the tiniest detail.
You can view Celia's gallery here.
W&N: Why do you use acrylics?
CA: I love working with acrylic because it is such a versatile medium. It is absolutely brilliant when you use it thickly, straight from the tube like oil paint, to create texture, but I also apply it just as you would a watercolour, it produces wonderful effects using the wet in wet technique. For me, acrylics do everything.
W&N: What artists do you find inspiring?
CA: I love Turner and the Impressionists, including Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh and Degas. I like anyone that paints in a ‘painterly’ way – anything that shows the paint.
W&N: What are your first impressions of Artists’ Acrylic?
CA: I really like the vibrancy of the colours, they are really strong and the colour seems much more pure. I really like the creamy, buttery handling
W&N: What else have you noticed with Artists’ Acrylic?
CA: The fact that there is virtually no colour shift. It’s very disappointing when you are creating a free-flowing landscape and very happy with the colour and then it dulls when it’s dry - so it is great that Artists’ Acrylic retains its vibrancy.
