"Joy Follows Tears"

($200.00...6" x 12".....mounted on a 2.0" depth clayboard)


"His death is our life. His loss is our gain; the joy for the tear, the peace for the pain." This quote has come before my eyes on several occasions. I do not know the author, but I do know the power of the quote. This is a piece created for the upcoming "New Beginnings" exhibit at Hill Country Bible Church NW. (Refer to the Sunday, March 18th, posting for links to the invitation for the Opening Reception.)

This is a very richly colored pouring medium piece created on 300 lb HP watercolor paper. The Iridescent Bronze Acrylic forms a beautiful ribbon of rich color through the Raw Umber. There is also some Green Gold and Dioxazine Violet. (Golden Acrylics) As I've said in past postings, it is much easier to have the colors blend properly if you begin with a pour of just one color over most of the design space. The paper must be very wet (under the faucet wet). Once you pour the medium on the paper, be sure to hold it over a tray and spray with more water to keep it moving and rotate the paper to get as even a coverage as possible. In this case, my base color was a pale blue.

I have been comparing the effects of pouring medium on different papers and I do believe that 300 lb. HP yields the very best results with 140 lb. HP coming in as a strong second. Mounting the heavier paper is very tricky because it doesn't want to lay flat. After wrestling with it for a bit, I finally placed gel matte medium on the support as well as the paper and laid it down as best I could until it set up enough to lay wax paper on top, followed by a couple of books, followed by heavy rocks. It must lay that way overnight to completely become bonded to the clayboard. Just a few more tips to try or think about.


Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Paradigm Shift" (sold)

(sold)

"Prayer creates a paradigm shift called thanksgiving." This quote is a springboard off of my favorite author on prayer....E. M. Bounds. I have also included his quote underneath mine. With thanksgiving just around the corner, it is good to ponder these things.


To my script students, this is an example of Copperplate and Spencerian used together to differentiate the two quotes. They are quite different alphabets but they are also very complementary to each other. I have often suggested to those of you who address envelopes that you might be well served to use Copperplate for the name and switch to Spencerian for the address. It would be much faster for you.

Writing on this surface presented a few challenges because it is very dense acrylic paint plus medium. And even though I prepared the paper with several coats of dilute gel matte medium (2 parts water to 1 part medium) it still posed a few problems. I think it was the paper, but I also think it is best to prepare the paper the night before and let the gel matte medium dry overnight. Even with a hair dryer, it doesn't get "bone dry" if it doesn't dry overnight. So I was pulling my hair out trying to get a thin hairline, but that's what I get for waiting till this morning to do the lettering. Just a few things to try or think about.

"Listen to Your Heart" ($60.00)

(adjusted price....$60.00.....mounted on a 1.50" depth clayboard)

"Listen to your heart and guard it with prayer." This quote expresses the meaning of a verse from Proverbs 4:23...."Guard your heart above all else for out of it flow the wellsprings of life." To put it in even simpler language, for me, it means that I need to pay attention to my internal dialog. Negative thoughts about myself or others will lead down the wrong path.

You might say about this piece...where are the hearts and why did she include a pot and bowl? One reason is that a still life that includes simple and beautiful forms is very meditative and leads me into a prayerful spirit. There is something quite peaceful and settling about a still life arrangement.

So if you already have a somewhat successful division of space and soft colors, you might want to think about creating one or more very simple still life arrangements by carefully selecting some collage elements. Gel matte medium (undiluted) is the adhesive of choice for most artists doing this type of work. And if you have as many old magazines lying around as I do, then you might enjoy spending an afternoon on this type of project. Adding some black gesso plus metallic leaf is also an option. I used GAC 200 to adhere the leaf. Scoring the leaf adds a bit more drama and texture as well. Just something to try or think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.