How to keep acrylics wet longer on the palette

I use Golden Open Acrylics which take longer to dry than regular acrylics, but they do dry significantly faster than oil paints. Working on a glass palette, I don’t want my paint to dry after my studio time, so I have devised a method of keeping my paint wet  My palette is shown (above left). In the top corner I have a spray-can capful of water. This fits under a large plastic container—the kind that contains spinach or lettuce. At the end of a painting session, I cover the palette and the capful of water with the plastic box and put a weight on top (above right). I have kept acrylic paint wet using this method for over a week. It also works with traditional quick drying acrylics.

By the way, the weight I use is an old coffee can with a heavy floral cage for arranging plants glued to the bottom with years of oil paint. I treasure this can. I’ve had it since undergraduate school. For years I worked in oil, but I started working in acrylics when I was asked to teach them at the New England Institute of Art, and I got hooked. The cleanup is easy, acrylics don’t clog drains, and that old plant cage works well in the bottom of the can for cleaning brushes be they in turpentine or water.