"The Broken Pieces" (unavailable)

(unavailable)


"Even the broken pieces can form a beautiful pattern." Disparate parts can often be the very best pieces in a mosaic. The pieces in this mosaic image are fairly consistent and uniform, but I have also seen some with rusty metal parts, glass that's been aged by weather, and even wood that a normal person would discard. However, these discarded treasures can come together to make a very compelling statement about what creates beauty. It is wise to think of the dysfunctional parts of life as simply a part of a beautiful life.

This piece began with a photo of the mosaic. I did print it out on a full 8.50" x 11.00" sheet of Arches Text Wove to make sure there was not an exposed  edge around the image. After the gesso was applied with a credit card and texturized with erratic marks and drips...it was left to dry overnight.

This morning I used a brayer to apply black Speedball Printing Ink to the entire piece, excluding the image. It was dried with a hairdryer and then much of it was softened with a brush dipped in water and blotted with a kleenex. I then sprayed with Spray Acrylic Coating before adding the next layer.

White Printing Ink was then applied with a brayer, with a thought to creating an edge to edge shape above and below the image. It was dried, and then the edges softened and unwanted areas of ink removed. Black Charcoal Power was applied over some of the black areas. It was then sprayed with Acrylic Spray Coating.

Liquitex Clear Gesso was applied to all areas except the image. Some soft pastels were applied in brown and pale blue. A kneaded eraser was used to remove the pastel where it was too prominent. It was sprayed again with Spray Acrylic Coating, followed by a preparation of the surface for lettering with (2) parts water and (1) part gel matte medium.

And so that is the process of layering in mixed media. Every step is important as values are adjusted and the main thing is highlighted in a way that it remains the main thing. It is great fun to play with so I would encourage you to do your own experimentation. And these are just a few more things to think about.