"Over and Under" (Mono Printing Demo)

(image one)

(image two)

This is only a demo piece with an interesting title. In many circles, "over and under" is referring to a shotgun! In this case, I am referring to layering techniques with text pages and mono printed rice papers.

The very first thing I created was the black mono print with a simply line drawing of two apples. This is just an extension from yesterday showing another possibility. If I were creating it for a final piece, I might have taken more care and included a bit more detail, but it does show you what you can do while practicing your drawing at the same time.

This type of printing and layering is quite dependent on the amount of paint used and the amount of paint removed before printing. I had on thin latex gloves, so after drawing the apples, I dipped my finger in water and removed more of the paint. (a kleenex was also used) Other lines were created and more paint removed. It was then dried and sprayed with spray acrylic coating.

A piece this size (8" x 10") really illustrates the fine quality of the print compared to the way it would have looked if printed with acrylics. After cropping the print with the apples, I adhered the text and mono printed red papers as seen in image one. This would be the "under" part of "over and under". It is also good to remember that the rice paper does not become translucent until sprayed with acrylic coating.

After the apple print was adhered over the text and red print, I dried it again and sprayed again. I then printed out some text on silk tissue paper and selected three segments of the red printed papers. By echoing the lines and shapes that were already there, I was able to establish some more shapes and have a very interesting division of space. This was the "over" portion of "over and under".

Knowing the next steps to take in this type of layering is informed by what is already happening in the mono print. Hopefully you can see that the red printed papers were placed where they completed and complemented the shapes in the black print with the apples. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"The Source"

($250.00......10" x 10" .......fused glass presented on an easel or glass hardware to mount on the wall)


"Fruit reveals the nature of the source." Just as you would not expect to get oranges from an apple tree, so you would not expect wise words to come out of an unwise person's mouth. Whatever a person says reveals the source of their thoughts.

This is a three layer glass collage fully fused in a kiln. The neat thing about glass is that transparency and opacity can be showcased together as a powerful contrast.

Because I also do so much mixed media, I see many similarities between this type of glass work and mixed media. Design is design regardless of the medium used. In fact, it is a good idea to get out of your comfort zone and work in a different medium. It can spark a new direction of working. This type of glass work has taught me a lot about how a particular color block can change the value of an image painted on top of that block. For instance, the apples were created with the same glass powders and were the same value until yellow glass was placed underneath one of the apples. So the "take away" for mixed media artists is that changing the background color for just a small portion of a piece can create this type of value change and "veiled" effect. It creates mystery and depth in the work.

Also, the texture on the bottom right is black powder on glass with parts of the powder removed. Placing a red piece of glass underneath created the value change and also tied it to the red in the apples.

And so it goes. Every day an experiment and pushing the envelope. Just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.