AcrylicWorks: The Best of Acrylic Painti Series

"The energy is transmitted. If one feels it, the public perceives it in the painting." ~Daniella Sukaczer, p98

The unparalleled competition showcase for outstanding acrylic artists!

Creative energy is the driving force of what it means to be an artist, and how an artist chooses to use that energy is what sets one apart from the others. Some may choose energetic brush strokes creating movement that seems to dance across the canvas. Others may select colors that represent a feeling behind their emotional energy for a particular work. Or creative energy may take a more behind-the-scenes role, where only the artist knows the source of inspiration.

The 6th competition book in the AcrylicWorks series, this volume delivers another show of the best in contemporary acrylic painting, selected from an international call for entries. A rousing blend of instruction and inspiration, these pages feature:

   • 127 stunning acrylic and mixed-media paintings by 120+ accomplished artists
   • Insights from the artists themselves, revealing the hows and whys behind each piece
   • Focus on the power of creative energy, creative solutions, effective approaches and bold techniques
   • A variety of subjects–from still life and abstracts to people, animals and landscapes–portrayed in an equally glorious range of styles

A treat for artists and art lovers alike, AcrylicWorks 6 invites you to study these modern-day masterpieces, analyze them…or simply sit back and wonder at their incredible skill and artistry.

The best acrylic artists competition showcase!

Color has the power to demand attention, quicken the heart and transport us to another place and time. The virtuosos featured in AcrylicWorks 4 have successfully employed acrylic paint to capture and use that power to magnificent effect.

This brilliant collection features 127 paintings from modern-day acrylic artists. The artists themselves reveal acrylic painting ideas, tips and secrets, sharing how they play colors against each other–light and dark, bright and soft, delicate glazes and bold impasto–to make their paintings sing. They share secrets for creating mood, capturing a subject's personality and conveying the spirit of an animal in the wild. And how they approach subjects ranging from a shock of sunset sky, to the liquid ripples of antique glass, to purely abstract color play.

It's the kind of collection that reminds artists why they paint and gives art lovers a real appreciation for the breathtaking possibilities of this most versatile medium.

"Color is the very soul and spirit of a painting." –Diana Lee, p75

Fresh from the studios of 100 leading artists…125+ beautiful lessons on making texture work!

Acrylics are an incredibly versatile medium, perfect for achieving everything from delicate petals to shadows cast across a crumbling brick wall to mesmerizing reflections in the chrome bumper of a '54 Packard. In the hands of today's top artists, there is no limit to the possibilities.

The third volume in the world's premier acrylic art competition book series, AcrylicWorks 3 explores how more than 100 contemporary artists celebrate texture, often through the most humble and unexpected of subjects.

Witness happy accidents and unpredictable textures that result from pouring, marbling, or mixing acrylic with pastel, powders and gels. And see other artists deliberately create textures using a range of traditional and unconventional methods. These pages showcase masterful applications of dry brush, glazing, scraping in, knifing on, collage work, sponging, stamping, a multitude of acrylic mediums, and so much more.

Filled with rampant invention and a whatever-works mindset, AcrylicWorks 3 is a fiercely original showcase of this most adventurous medium.

An artist-to-artist show-and-tell!

   • Features 127 beautifully reproduced paintings
   • Every piece is accompanied by artist commentary on inspiration, techniques and aha moments
   • Showcases a diversity of styles presented in subject-themed chapters, including landscapes, portraits, still lifes, animals and abstract art


"Peeling paint. Weather-beaten woodwork. Rusted ironworks. Crumbling plaster. This is the imagery that fascinates me. Distressed architecture tells so many stories… Acrylics let me paint the layer upon layer needed to 'coax out' the relentless, intractable dynamic of aging." –Misty Martin (p 24)

"As I continued adding texture and paint, the interesting ridges and shapes started to symbolize the layers of life–sometimes smooth, sometimes rough. Each successive layer led me closer to my 'aha' moment." –Terri Duncan (p 123)

“Acrylics allow me to be fearless.” –Rhonda Franks, p88

A showcase of the versatility of the medium and what’s being done with it today, AcrylicWorks 2 features stunning paintings from 100+ of today’s top artists. Filled with radical techniques, happy accidents and endless possibilities, this 2nd volume of The Best of Acrylic Painting focuses on how artists partner with acrylics for breakthrough discoveries and breakout results.

   • More than 125 paintings from 100+ contemporary artists
   • Artist insights on the whys and hows behind the paintings
   • A thrilling variety of styles and techniques, from intentional approaches to wildly improvisational brushstrokes
   • Diverse subjects, including landscapes, people, still lifes, animals and abstracts
Acrylic paint allows the artist to play with textures, splashes, drippings, various tools and brushes…all the while unhindered by drying time. It offers the ability to work a painting wet or dry, fast or slow, in any number of layers without the need pull oneself out of it. It is that sense of freedom that breeds the kind of experimentation featured in these pages. Artist and art lovers alike will find fresh inspiration in these personal and creative breakthroughs.

“Major breakthroughs come from mastering the mundane while striving for the novel.” –Andrew J. Morrison, p25

A tribute to the expressiveness of today’s artists and the incredible versatility of the medium, AcrylicWorks features 126 contemporary masterpieces. This stunning collection covers a wide range of styles and subjects from intimate portraits and ultra-realistic wildlife paintings to sweeping landscapes and bold abstracts. Captions reveal the unique creative story behind each piece and offer tips and techniques from top acrylic artists.

Arguable no other medium offers such a breadth of creative opportunities, from transparent veils of color to juicy impasto strokes. Acrylics allow artists the freedom to move from layer to layer quickly and intuitively, without waiting for paint to dry…or, when used with additives, time to work the paint for wet-into-wet applications. Combined with colored pencil, oil, collage, gels, pastes, and a wealth of other complementary mediums, the opportunities for texture and experimentation are endless. The results–as you’ll see inside–are diverse, original and unabashedly acrylic.