Five Years Ago

Five years ago I painted this painting before I went to seminary. It's a 15 by 20 inch painting in oil of some trees and the paint is laid on thickly. I remember when I painted it. I was using the carport at my dad's house as my studio and I was painting during the Summer. I painted at night, when the air cooled down. An owl screeched overhead and tree frogs made a steady pulse of sound. I've thought that this painting isn't quite finished, but so many people react positively to it, I think it would be a shame to do anything to it. Someday I'll get back to oils. Acrylics offer immediate results, but oils offer an elasticity of approach. I can lay my brushes down and come back hours later and the paint's still alive. Sometimes I feel that oil paint is more real. Acrylic is plastic and no matter how good a painting is, the surface doesn't feel hard enough. Still acrylic is great for using in poorly ventilated spaces - which is what I've had for some time. Acrylic is also portable in a way that oil isn't.