My Day Ahead – Dec 30, 2019 : A Word About My New Absorbent Ground Acrylic Paintings In-Progress 😊

Today

I’ve struggled to find a way to adequately let folks know how I’m progressing with my newest experimental forays painting, lol! Wasn’t too hard when I had one, even two projects at once going.

But now, working on mostly 6x6s and coating a 6×12, I’ve been unable to figure out how to do more than just show snippets without much context, so I’m going to try this —

Once a new absorbent ground painting is done, I’ll show much as I can how it evolved.

Generally, this isn’t necessary each time I’ve finished a new painting. But I had a fairly set pattern technique wise, with variations. Now, nearly each 6×6 I work on is either a different foray into where I can create more art in the future, or, a kinda dead end – yuk! 😊

For example, my first two 6x6s, began totally differently in terms of the absorbent ground application, and resulted very different in terms of texture and transparency effects. A third, which I don’t believe I’ve even shown yet, had the same two initial absorbent ground coats as the 2nd 6×6, plus a 3rd diagonal coat. A 4th 6×6, I applied black gesso and attempted to replicate results I was getting on absorbent grounds and failed miserably (and am now working to make that image work via the traditional glazing method).

Each variation has significant implications for what I can and cannot reasonably expect to generate creatively.

And I realized, the only way I’m gonna be able to get what I’m getting – intuitively and empirically – on paper, and hopefully, to a reader, is by waiting til a work is done, then visually and verbally, explain the sequence of what I realized via my process with that particular work, start to finish!

Working on absorbent grounds with acrylics in watercolor fashion has been astounding for me in terms of what effects I am getting compared to either oils or acrylics. And I can’t say yet this work will be better than what I’ve done over nearly half a century of work, not counting goofing around Dali clocks in my early 20s and goofy cloud scapes in my late teens, lol!

But I can say, I am liking what I am seeing both in terms of potential (yes, I hope to get much better at this new mode 😊) and actual results.

My 1st 6×6 now has an isolation coat. That means I can’t go back onto it for more watercolor like work. The absorbent ground is sealed. I can paint more acrylic (even oil) over it, but don’t want, esp not at this point of exploration. And hopefully not in the future if I continue to explore and find this an exciting new avenue for me. So next, once I apply removable varnish, either one or two coats, depends, and I get some decent photos, I’ll do a start to finish post, just on that piece!

The painting has to dry, and I have to see what it’ll take to get an image that represents how it appears to me. The problem I’ve been having is the images are so much more subtle and soft, the photos look garish, too harsh. But I’ve found a few setting in my iPhone that’ve mitigated a lot of that, setting that improve photo vibrancy of landscapes and individually beautifully, but over-does it for these new paintings.

So while I work (and wait) for at least the 1st 6×6 to be finished & ready for it’s own blog post, I plan to —

• Do a post about those camera settings (w/pics) I’ve tried out.
• I‘d also like to post something about how differently Absorbent Ground looks on different quality of canvases and actually creates a kind of leveling effect among them, at least as they appear to me
• And, an interesting look at some Grey Matters Disposable Paper Palette I’ve been using, esp comparing how a the palette looks after working on an absorbent ground painting vs a gesso’d painting, all of which could just be idiosyncratic to me, but oh well, that’s part of why it’s my blog, lol! And believe me, that’s a pro & con even to me! 😂

Meanwhile, in another art arena, I want to write a review on Amazon for season 2 of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan series and once I do I’ll do a quick post posting here in my site also.

Til then, thanks so much everyone! Sheila & I plan to go to my 3rd week in a row of SilverSneakers stability class at Gold’s Gym – that’ll be a biggie for me, my longest continuous class like that in over a year 😊

Hope we all have a great New Year’s! 💥

Adan

Related Amazon Search & Products
https://www.amazon.com/shop/felipeadanlerma

I do like to point out I pick my selections to showcase from my Amazon searches. May not always be the case, or wholly always the case, but for now, I prefer picking titles and book covers and gift items that just really appeal to me. There’s lots more to choose from, but only have so much room, lol! I hope you enjoy —

*

My Related Blog Posts

*

My Latest Blog Posts

• New Painting Series – Island Land Trail Sunset Vermont 2026 – Gaining Perspective About My Experience of Painting Doing Series of SeriesFebruary 9, 2026
  It’s a welcome surprise to realize how rich one’s life experience can be, even within seemingly single short time frames themselves! I feel this new small study, with its misty soft blues and distant vistas is a nice reflection of that.
• Voter ID – ReVisiting John R. Lewis’ 2021 Voting Rights Proposal That Failed – What’s Different Now – And Why Not Debate it With the Current 2026 Voting Rights – Together?February 3, 2026
  This is a short post I seldom write up. A political post. Understandly so. There’s a lot of the usual “they” don’t want this or that now talk from this or that political party.
• Are We at Our Kent State Moment? – One by One the Women Came and Said, It’s Time 2026 9×12 acrylic on canvas panel – by Adan – @SaatchiArt 😊January 31, 2026
  “I still vividly remember the images on TV 1970 of students my age shot and on the ground during a demonstration against the Vietnam War”
• 1st Cabin Light Finished Painting 2026January 28, 2026
  Saturations of sky and earth roll and rest spin like a first slow dance in junior high – middle school the grandkids laugh and tell me they think I make all this up just to be funny 😊
• 1st Cabin Light Study 2 2025January 24, 2026
  Yes. The new day has begun….
• 1st Cabin Light Study 1 2025January 22, 2026
  I wasn’t sure when to stop but my own waves of self, conscious of the need to rest joined the earth before me, an image shaped by pigments from itself.
• I was born at the Dawning of the Age of Aquarius and I’m Very Angry, but….January 19, 2026
  I now see a wonderful opportunity and challenge in creating series of captured memories from my photos, and exploring/mining them for what I both remember, feel, and discover new ❤️

Thanks so much everyone! 😊

Adan

Twitter / Instagram / FB @FelipeAdanLerma
Amazon Author Page – https://amzn.to/2YpgyUf
Fine Art America (FAA) – https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/felipeadan-lerma.html