"Fiber Preparation" (draft 2)

(image 1)

(image 2)

Deconstructing fiber is a process of painting and then sanding. Even though this is simply a "process piece" for my journal, the word deconstruction is very descriptive of some of life's processes. It generally involves deconstruction followed by building on the newly deconstructed surface. The artist has the image of the finished piece. God has the image of our finished life as the deconstruction takes place.

If you think a sander is just for deconstructing fiber...think again. It is possible to do the same thing with quality water receptive papers. I have actually sanded paper until the edge was razor thin. It is a beautiful look and I do have plans to teach that this coming year. There are many possibilities.

So yes, you can go ahead and ask Santa for an electric and variable speed palm sander for Christmas. And should you have any reluctance at all about how aggressive to be with your new tool, just come to my studio and I can show you how to have some real fun!

As you can see, there are two images today so that you can see the applied paint before the sanding. I did paint the entire piece with Titan Buff Fluid Acrylic; allowed it to dry; followed by sanding before applying the colors you see. Notice that the chevron pattern always comes back to some degree during the sanding process. So whatever texture is imprinted into that Super Heavy Gesso during the first layer remains throughout the process.

The last thing I did was practice laying in lettering with enamel paint and a mop brush. What I wanted to notice was the comparison between how this type of fiber receives this paint as opposed to the looser weave of the other fiber I've been using. This one definitely receives it better because of the tight weave and that's without preparing the surface with Gel Matte Medium. Although, I did paint the back side with black gesso in the beginning.

And these kind of details are important to notate when placing the "process piece" in your journal. Why start at square one every time you do something? I guarantee you will not remember what you did six months from now. So it makes sense to have this notated for easy reference.

So now I will be ready to select my colors for the 16" x 20" or they may remain the same as what you see today. It does help to see how they work together in this piece. One thing that will make a difference is allowing the red/purple or blue/green dominate the piece by taking up more space. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.