Are Golden Open Acrylics Suitable for Landscapes?

Jed Dorsey • December 20, 2019

In a recent Q&A one of our members asked:


"Have you used Golden Open Acrylics? I use them for portrait work because they blend so readily, but I'm not sure if they're suitable for landscape painting."


Golden Open Acrylics are acrylic paints that stay wet longer than traditional acrylic paints. The word "open" means you have a longer open time to mix the paints and blend them.


I know they can be really good for landscape painting because I personally know a couple of people that use them well.


A friend of ours in Indiana named Rick Wilson was the first person that I ever saw using them, and he does a great job with them. When I painted with him a couple years ago, that was all I saw him use, although I know he switches back and forth with oils. 

acrylic painting of a sunset in a white field

Jeremy Sams - A New Day Dawning



And another painter I've really admired is Jeremy Sams from North Carolina. He uses Golden Open Acrylics and does these really luminous beautiful paintings. You can tell that he's taking advantage of the longer "open" time and blending his paints a lot to get some really soft, subtle effects. So, if "the proof is in the pudding", these paintings prove Golden Open paints can be used very effectively in studio and out for landscape painting.

acrylic painting of pink smokey mountain blooms

Jeremy Sams - Smokey Mountain Blooms - Plein Air

So, Why Haven't I Used Them?



I've never personally used Golden Open Acrylics because I'm so accustomed to the fast drying quality of regular acrylics I don't really think I would do well with the longer dry time. I've read that if you put the paint on thick, it will stay wet for a really long time, like a month. Now, there's a part of me that would love to try it, but I also feel like I would probably be frustrated in some ways because they would work differently, and I would want them to dry so I could put another layer over the top.


 So that's why I haven't used them. It doesn't mean I won't, but I just haven't yet. But as I observe these other artists and how they are using them, I heartily recommend Golden Open Acrylics to anyone who is looking for some slower dry times.


Jed Dorsey


See more of Jeremy Sams' work HERE

See Rick Wilson's work HERE

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