"A Rich Patina"

($40.00......mounted on a 1/8" depth clayboard panel)

"The birth of Christ was like fresh water creating a rich patina in time." Anywhere there is a fountain or water running over a surface, patina will gradually appear creating a rich texture. This image says that loud and clear and drives home the core concept of the quote. Christ indeed created a hugh paradigm shift with His birth. That is something to really think about.

There is no pouring medium on this photographic image. However, I did switch to a 90lb. hot press watercolor paper. Before printing the image, I wrote a couple of words with pencil and then bent the paper to allow only a small strip of the paper to touch my puddle of Walnut Ink. You can see it starting at the top left hand corner and going to the bottom. The image was then printed on my printer and sprayed 3x with Spray Acrylic Coating. Most inks and gouache will definitely bleed if you don't spray it well and dry in between coats.

The next step was to prepare the surface for writing. I've explained that process before so if you check the labels at the bottom of the post and look for "surface preparation", you will find those details.

It is rare to have a photographic image with this much patina and texture already there, but this was a glorious fountain I saw in Sedona, Az. When you want to print a photo like this and keep all of the details as sharp as possible...hot press paper will do that for you better than Arches Text Wove because there is literally no texture on this paper. It is as smooth as glass. It is not quite as forgiving as Text Wove, but if you're surface is prepared with gel matte medium, you will be able to remove any lettering mistakes. For instance, I started writing my first line of text on the second line and removed the first line completely. You would not know that if I hadn't told you.

The last thing you might want to notice is the excellent division of space that was in the image naturally and the placement of the lettering that provides a connection between the faucet and fountain bowl. All of these considerations are what bring a piece of art together. These are just a few more things to try or think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.