10 Acrylic Works of Art — See What the Medium Can Do!

I Only Want to Be With You by Hanna MacNaughtan 

I Only Want To Be With You was inspired by the most beautiful little meadow that grows along the river not far from my home. On certain days when the light is just right, there’s a beautiful golden glow that rises up all around it. Perhaps it’s caused by the light reflections from the river that runs along the far edge.  

In Retrospect by Cher Pruys 

I absolutely love working in acrylics. The fast-drying characteristic of this medium is, at times, a bit challenging when it comes to blending, so I find it crucial to water down my acrylic paints. The 300-lb. hot-pressed surface aids in the successful portrayal of fine detail that’s such an integral part of my work.  

Nest Foraging by Reenie Kennedy 

Birds often inspire my work, as they add a punch to most settings. Just looking at them sets my mind on a storytelling path. Because it dries fast, acrylic is an excellent medium for layering colors, as I did here, to add depth and shadows to the work. My goal for this piece was to form a balance between warm and cool tones among the intricate weave of reeds, guiding the eye from shade to bright sunlight and around the composition.  

Flow—Hold the Key to Open the Door of Memory by Haoran Chang 

When a ray of light shines, the opposition between reality and emptiness will affect us. When the key between your fingers opens the door of memory, you must decide whether to move forward toward the light or retreat into the endless darkness. 

Winter Sunset by Margaret Roseman 

Working with acrylic paints on Yupo paper allows me to create works that push toward abstraction while still capturing the atmosphere inherent in a landscape. Applying layers of unexpected color in both a transparent and opaque form produces a unique textural quality that captures the sparkle of light. In all of my works, the tendency for near-abstraction and dramatic contrast allows me to manipulate form and color to capture the essence of a scene.  

Creek Song by Nancy Roberts 

I started Creek Song along a quiet creek near my home in Northern California, then continued it in my studio, working from memory and imagination. Using both heavy body and Golden OPEN acrylics on an Ampersand Gessobord panel, it was a joy to explore and sculpt the design—building with sheer layers of color, impasto passages, linear marks, and scraped patterns as this shimmering new landscape emerged. My paintings tell me what they want. My job is to listen. 

After the Rain by Shu-Chih Murray 

Painted from life in my studio, these yellow irises came from my garden. I started the work by laying the irises on my canvas to arrange the composition. I applied water to the canvas before using acrylic ink, creating natural waves and curves. Then I switched painting techniques and used acrylic ink before adding water, allowing gravity to do its job. Once dry, I used water-soluble oil for details.  

Sunlit Green Apples by Tai Meng Lim 

I captured the various colors of the apples in reference photos before I started painting. I chose natural sunlight as the illuminating source and experimented with different exposures and settings. Once I had the reference, I prepped the ground with gesso and then carefully mapped out the drawing on illustration board. Next, I created the underpainting with a raw umber color to define the value. I followed that with more applications of color in multiple layers, working from thick to thin to build up a realistic image. To build the transparency and reflective effects, similar colors were then painted next to one another in a sequence of shapes and lines, creating a flow that provides the composition with a sense of dynamism. 

Twilight by Linda Heath Clark 

Twilight was created using subtractive scratchboard techniques with acrylic on a white clayboard surface. I achieved the final three-dimensional effect by alternating painted layers of high-flow acrylics with the selective removal of the dried acrylic by scratching through to the white clay below using knives, scalpels, tattoo needles, fiberglass brushes, and steel wool. I then reapplied thin washes of acrylic and scratched again. Scratching creates highlights and details. Washes of acrylic tint the scratches, suggesting contours and shadows. The scratches are fully visible when viewed up close, yet from a distance, the piece blends into a harmonious whole. 

Out to Pasture by Carol Loeb 

Rusty objects, from old factories to abandoned vehicles to ancient metal containers, are favorite subjects of mine. I’m intrigued and captivated by the variations of colors and textures on the metal as time and neglect claim another victim. In Out to Pasture, I limited my color palette to warm orange-browns and soft blue-grays, eliminating everything else around the tractor to keep the focus on it. I applied layers of opaque acrylic paint for the lichen, and used translucent acrylic paint to build up depth within the metal surfaces. The subject is the tractor, but the story is about time.