"Tenacity"

($40.00....6" x 6"....mounted on a 1/8" depth clayboard panel)


"The tenacity to make a "comeback" shows up every spring in the form of a flower." You may have noticed that the bluebonnets and other wild flowers have made a great comeback. The beautiful yellow blooms on the prickly pear cactus are soon to follow. Enjoy!

Paintings are made up of shapes. None of us can hear that "four star" tip often enough. It is especially important in mixed media where combinations of different techniques can result in chaos and ill defined shapes.

The small photo was blocked in with gesso and a credit card held like a trowel rather than between two fingers to get closer to the surface. (That may not be the best visual. You almost need to see it done.) After laying down the gesso, it can be texturized by using the corner of the credt card to make erratic lines and gestural marks. At this stage, I left the piece overnight to dry.

This morning I used a brayer to add color with Speedball Printing Ink. Since it's water soluble a sponge brush dipped in water can be used to soften the edges and create a wash in other areas.  All of this must be sprayed with Spray Acrylic Coating. After drying with a hair dryer, sponge on some Liquitex Clear Gesso to give the surface enough "tooth" to add soft pastels and charcoal powder.

While doing all of these layers, keep the main thing the main thing and preserve and further define your shapes. Play the lights against the darks. All of this contributes to a well designed piece of art rather than a scrap booking page gone bad. Just a few more things to think about.


Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.