Austin Charles McDonald is primarily a painter in oils; he enjoys the richness and endurance of the available colors, as well as how the required technique helps him temper his impulsiveness, resulting in greater satisfaction for expresser and partaker alike. Additionally, he enjoys the longer drying times of oils compared with acrylic paints, since he typically employs a “wet-on-wet” technique as opposed to bothering with much layering (eventually having narrowed down his vehicle of choice to poppy or sometimes safflower oil due to their longer drying times, not to mention tending to yellow less over time).

However, pastels hold a special place in his heart due to their having been the medium through which he discovered this particular mode of deep fire, a means of expression previously dormant and perhaps even discounted, daresay disdained? Their tactility allowed him to bypass the weight of expectation that comes with attempting to express oneself, and simply feel the medium on the surface, and enjoy the results.