On painting with acrylic > The following story features a leader in the art community who will be joining us on the faculty of Acrylic Live, an online art event, March 25-27, 2026, with an Essential Techniques Day on March 24. (No tech skills? No problem! If you can click a link, you can participate!)
By Joseph Orr
My paintings are represented by Red Piano Gallery in Bluffton, South Carolina. Many of the artists of that area paint beautiful sunsets, white beaches, and Low Country marshes. I like doing those too. There is, of course, another view of the area that I love painting, which is “behind the scenes.”
In this instance (“The Ball Is In Your Court,” above), I walked to the back of a beachfront house, and the scene had a totally different feel from the front. You might see an egret stalking just about anywhere. That and the beach ball were added to finish the “story” of the painting and to help strengthen the composition.
Artists often travel miles looking for subjects. In this case (“Top of the Knoll,” above), I just stepped out my studio door and looked across my driveway.
Since my early years of painting I have loved painting trees. They are a wonderful compositional addition to the scenes I like to do. Trees are expressive, especially in different seasons and can give the viewer clues to the area of the country you are painting.
I’m not trying to do high detail but a realistic rendition with a high sense of lighting.
“At Acrylic Live I want to show some of the versatility of the acrylic medium and how you can use techniques to lend the look of oils in a painting,” said Joseph. Connect with the artist at www.josephorr.com, and click here to register for Acrylic Live.
