"Untitled" (draft 1)

(draft 1)

Today's new beginning was created with fluid acrylic and gesso. This piece and several others will dramatically change and be reassembled to create a very different kind of color block. So the actual title may not be known for a few postings.

As I have shared so many times, it is always easier to create the visual first before coming up with quotes, titles, or both. This is especially true of abstract work because these types of works are often created through an intuitive and evolving process.

One thing I am also noticing with a great number of pieces under my belt is that the innermost thoughts of my being cannot help but show up in my art. Therefore, it becomes a very spiritual process for those of us who are praying for guidance from the Holy Spirit as we work. It doesn't mean that all work is mature if there is little experience, but the spiritual characteristics we embrace will come shining through.

And that's all the more reason to think and feel deeply about what we create. Passion then becomes the primary ingredient in creating work as well as a mastery of technique and materials. Abstraction has the power to be extremely sloppy and trite, but it also has the power to be filled with spiritual attributes that are quite moving and speak to the inner spirit.

Gesso is one way to create veiled effects that possess spiritual qualities when used in various states of dilution. In this beginning piece today, the color was poured onto glass...a brayer rolled into the paint and applied to dry paper. Several passes of the color were made for more saturation and then it was dried. Full strength gesso was applied over the entire piece with a credit card held close to the surface. A broad edged shaper tool or piece of matboard can also be used. After the gesso was applied, I used a brayer to spread it more thinly, followed by spraying with alcohol, and doing this alternately with the brayer in key areas to create the "veiled" effect. Gestural writing was also done with a pencil before paint or gesso was applied.

So, in essence, the technique involves laying down color and gesso and then removing part of it. There will be more layers of the same technique until there is mystery and depth to the surface texture. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.