The Process

The process appears deceptively simple at first glance: Mix paints with a “pouring medium”, apply these paints to a horizontal canvas, and then tilt, drag objects through, or use air pressure to move the paint into the composition you desire. Turns out, there are many subtle factors at work and even if you think you had everything perfect, the chaos factor can come around to bite you.

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Physics:

Hydrodynamics or Fluid Dynamics are at work with this method of painting. Specifically, the Rayleigh-Taylor Instability, and the Hydrophobic effect.

“The Rayleigh–Taylor instability, or RT instability (after Lord Rayleigh and G. I. Taylor), is an instability of an interface between two fluids of different densities which occurs when the lighter fluid is pushing the heavier fluid.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rayleigh%E2%80%93Taylor_instability

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“The Hydrophobic effect is the observed tendency of nonpolar substances to aggregate in an aqueous solution and to be excluded by water.[1][2] The word hydrophobic literally means "water-fearing", and it describes the segregation of water and nonpolar substances, which maximizes the entropy of water and minimizes the area of contact between water and nonpolar molecules.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrophobic_effect

 

I also had to learn about how colors interact with each other in acrylic paints, how different brands of paints behave (All paints are definitely not created equal), and even how temperature and viscosity impact my designs. I consider myself a continuing student of this art, and I’m always excited to learn something new about this process. I’ve learned that at any point the piece can fail, even in the final drying phase. Often, it’s not because I made a mistake, it’s just chaos at work in the form of changes in temperature, or humidity.