JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – With intricate and mesmerizing designs, this artistic collection is a celebration of vibrant colors.
The Fluid Works Exhibit is on display through July 21 at Bottle Works, 411 Third Ave. in the Cambria City section of Johnstown.
The show features more than 50 acrylic paint-pouring pieces from local artists Sandy Vigna, Cheryl Hill, Carol Rhodes and Caitlin Vinner. The artists use the technique to create work with natural flowing patterns.
Vigna, who curated the exhibition, said she saw fluid acrylic painting on the social media site Pinterest a few years ago, and found it intriguing. After watching YouTube videos on the process, she decided to try it.
“It’s very satisfying as you really don’t need any kind of background in art, and you can produce a stunning piece,” she said. “A person who isn’t artistic can come out with this really cool-looking piece of art that they did themselves. They always turn out different, and it’s so neat.”
She said more artists have embraced the technique, and she thought an exhibition would be a good way to introduce the public to the art form.
“If you say ‘fluid acrylics’ to people, they don’t know what you’re talking about,” Vigna said, “so I thought it would be nice to have a show to tell people about it. I didn’t have enough pieces to do a show, so I reached out to the other artists and told them to bring what they had. They were excited, and I was really happy with all the pieces they brought.”
She said the process involves diluting the paint to the consistency of heavy cream.
“The end result you want are those little round cells, and that happens from how heavy the paint is,” Vigna said. “You mix up all your paint, and then you pour it in different ways depending on what you’re going for. You can pour puddles and layer it, or you can put it in a glass and layer the paint in there and pour it on. You can pick up the canvas and move it around to get the paint flowing. The most recent thing that people are doing is using a hair dryer to blow the paint out.”
She said fluid acrylic painting is therapy for her.
“I like to try different colors and see how they react,” Vigna said. “The more you do it, the better you get at it with understating how the paint flows. Sometimes you ruin it and it’s just muddy and ugly, but you just scrape it all off and start over.”
Hill said the first time she was introduced to the medium, she was hooked.
“I have studied the work of many innovative artists, hungry for each new technique that was introduced,” she said. “This art form, part art and part science, involves combining acrylic paints with various mediums so that they flow smoothly. Paint is poured or dripped onto a surface without using brushes. Techniques to achieve the final piece vary, and each work is marvelously unique.”
She said her art is inspired by nature – plants, flowers and cosmic themes.
“Other times, I simply allow colors to speak to me and guide the palette for a given work,” Hill said.
She said the acrylic style of painting forces her to let go of rigidity and logic and to allow creativity to triumph, often with vibrant and unique color combinations.
“My hope is that the convergence of your imagination and mine takes you on a gratifying journey of emotion as you contemplate these pieces,” Hill said.
Rhodes said life during the COVID-19 pandemic led to her introduction to fluid art.
“Basically homebound, I picked up my brushes and paint to amuse myself,” she said. “One day, I saw a tutorial on fluid art and said, ‘Why not?’ I put down my brushes and started pouring and pouring.”
Vinner’s interest in the medium began during the pandemic lockdown, and it has turned into a passion that brings her happiness and delight.
She said she watched a video on YouTube and found the technique intriguing.
“It was something I had never seen or heard of before,” she said.
“To watch her make these beautiful, vibrant designs so effortlessly, I was hooked.”
Vinner said over the past four years, she’s been working on her own technique and making artwork of all shapes, sizes and colors.
“What I love most about this style of painting is that there is no right or wrong,” she said. “Anyone can do it. All you need is a canvas, acrylic paints, a medium of your choosing, and you, too, can be an artist.”
Matt Lamb, executive director of Bottle Works, said acrylic pour painting has become a popular art form across the country.
“I think it’s interesting because it’s not something that requires traditional training in the arts; just about anybody can do it,” he said. “Even in our exhibit, you see a real progression, from the amateur who’s doing it, to someone who’s really perfecting their craft. As much as it doesn’t require traditional training, per se, there’s definitely a skill level that can grow with it. It’s kind of unique in that sense.”
He said the pieces offer cool imagery that don’t necessarily have a subject matter.
“As far as art goes, it fits anywhere,” Lamb said. “As long as you like the colors in it, it fits anywhere.”
In conjunction with the exhibition, acrylic paint-pouring demonstrations will be presented during Bottle Works’ 3rd Avenue Folk & Arts Fest that will be held July 20 and 21.
There is no fee to attend the exhibition.
Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.
For more information, call 814-535-2020 or visit www.bottleworks.org.
