"Smudged Lines" (unavailable)

(unavailable.......in the permanent collection of dee day)


Another word for "smudged" is "blurred". The overlapping of color and texture creates blurred lines which create textural beauty. In real life, smudged or blurred lines are the equivalent of making decisions that don't get you where you want to go. In truth, every decision is a "make or break" decision.

This is another gesso piece with a different application. The process began with a blank sheet of paper. In this case I began with a paper at least 2.50x the size of the cropped version. (Cropping is still the most satisfying way of achieving division of space that looks spontaneous.) Subtle divisions of space were created with pencil lines from edge to edge and a few bits of unreadable text. I then applied gesso quite randomly, making sure to leave some of the paper untouched. The gesso was allowed to dry overnight. Two Golden Acrylic colors, (Green Gold and Transparent Red Oxide) were greatly diluted with water and mixed with a palette knife on a disposable plate. With a 2" brush, the bands of color were applied and crisscrossed from edge to edge. The way the unprimed paper and gessoed areas received the paint created the transparent and ethereal look.

The color for the bowl and brown sections was created with Caran d'Ache Ink (Grand Canyon) and blotted with a kleenex. Inks are a great addition to this process because most of them are transparent and have great staining power. Very great for smudging. (The ink was purchased from Paper and Ink Arts.)

Of course, the ink is not permanent and the surface will need to be sprayed with acrylic coating, followed by dilute matte medium to prepare for writing. These are exciting techniques and worth some experimentation. Just something to think about!