"Heart Walls I" (draft 3)

(draft 3)

The title and direction of this series has changed to quotes from Proverbs having to do with what is written on the heart. The title is not referring to walls as a barrier, but what is being written on our heart and mind.

I decided to wait an extra day....maybe two...to practice my lettering. Today it looks like it will be versals, but that can change. And that's what the art process is all about. To stay locked into a preconceived mold throws the baby out with the bath water (so to speak).

So after viewing this piece most of yesterday, I realized that my darks were not dark enough. This is not just a standard faux finishing technique with an overall texture. The idea is to create a texture revealing all of the erratic shapes and crumbling nature of paint and plaster on an old wall. As usual... the problem was with the values. The darks were not dark enough, so I prepared the surface for a new layer with dilute gel matte medium and then added some soft pastels to darken the edges and some of the central shapes. The range of values from 1 - 10 on the gray scale helps build the foundation for the shapes and consequently the piece.

I am now satisfied and what will bring it all together is the proper placement of the lettering. And this is a lot of staging for the star of the show, but will be worth it in the end. Another option (especially if you're not a lettering artist) is to incorporate a drawing or do some deconstruction with a piece or two of collage so it looks as though it were peeling off.

And that's the process of my first "Wall" series piece. There will be two more to form this "Heart Wall" series and then in the future I could have another type of "Wall" series. Sequels are always good. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.