PAINTING

Acrylic Paint: a pigment in a plastic binder medium that is water based and adheres to most surfaces. Acrylic paint is used to mimic the look of oil paint. The advantages of acrylic over oil is that it is less toxic and it dries more quickly.

Avant Garde: A term describing art that departs from the existing norm in an original or experimental way.

Chiaroscuro: The dramatic use of light and shadow to create a mood or a focal point in a painting.

Collage: A grouping of different textured materials or objects that are glued together.

Encaustic: Pigment is mixed with melted wax and resin and then applied to a surface while hot.

Frottage: Textural rubbing on paper done with crayon, oil or pencil.

Gesso: An underpainting medium consisting of glue, plaster of paris, or chalk and water. Gesso is used to size the canvas and prepare the surface for painting.

Gouache: A watercolor medium which is mixed with finely ground white pigment to provide an opaque paint.

Impasto: The thick textured build up of a picture's surface which is created through the repeated applications of paint.

Mural: A continuous painting which is designed to fill a wall or other architectural area.

Oil Paint: A powdered pigment which is held together with oil, usually linseed oil.

Pentimento: An underlying image in a painting, as an earlier painting, a part of a painting, or an original draft, that shows through, usually when the top layer of paint has become transparent with age.

Tempera: Pigment which is mixed with water or egg yolk and usually applied to board or panel.

Watercolor: A pigment mixed with a binder and applied with water to give a transparent effect.