"An Experience"

(unavailable.....4" x 6".....watercolor on Rives BFK....mounted on masonite)

"Tasting is an experience of seeing with eyes of the heart." This quote was inspired by a segment from Psalm 34: 8...."O taste and see that the Lord is good!". Obviously "tasting" in this context means something different from the tasting of food. Tasting in this passage is an experience.

The image you see today is a 4" x 6" piece cropped from a larger piece. It was created with watercolors on Rives BFK...beginning with very wet paper and dropping in some very dilute neutral tint. After the glisten was off of the paper, I created some back runs by dropping in more color. This creates the erratic gray shapes and edges in the piece.

After the paper was thoroughly dry, I added some black gestural lettering and erratic lines with FW ink and a pointed pen. The next step was to brush on some bands of color going edge to edge in two directions with very dilute watercolor.

Last came the final quote with Moon Palace Ink and pointed pen. I left the paper unprepared for lettering, so any mistakes would have ruined the piece. It has now been sprayed with Spray Acrylic Coating (3x). It will now be mounted on masonite and spray varnished. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"A Poetic Collection"

(unavailable....4" x 6".....watercolor on Fabriano 140 lb. CP....mounted on masonite)

"A poetic collection fell to the ground." The fall is a perfect time to see all kinds of poetic collections while taking a walk. The very small leaf in this piece had three seed pods sitting on top so I brought it back to the studio. What was so interesting to me is that these three small pods have not moved from that leaf. It is like a still life found.

Noticing small things in nature and in art is the chief business of the artist. For instance, this piece has a variety of different types of edges. And edges can make or break a piece. The first set of edges were created with masking fluid over the first initial wash and the paper being thoroughly dried. So after all of the glazes were finished, and the masking fluid removed, there is softer and harder edges based on the gradated color in the lettering. So many different effects can be achieved by when you decide to include masking fluid.

The second set of edges were created in the initial wash using "neutral tint". This is actually the name of the color and turns into a beautiful gray on wet paper. After the sheen of the water leaves the paper, these letters were written with a more concentrated amount of pigment and a pointed brush. The edges became softly diffused.

I then created some black erratic lines with pen and FW ink which created a few more shapes and some very hard edges. The seed pods on the leaf were then painted followed by the pencil lettering. The lettering was "beefed up" a bit after initially being written. All done with an extremely sharp pencil (sharpened on a sandpaper block) to create very thin lines. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"Erratic Lines"

(unavailable....4" x 6"....on 300 lb. HP.....mounted on masonite)

"Erratic lines have their own poetry." This is true especially when they are showcased against a very vibrant color. It is quite fun to see how many erratic lines you can spot in your everyday surroundings. Look at tree limbs...cracks in the concrete...the movement in an electrical cord reaching to the socket, etc. They have energy and that's why we like them!

This piece was inspired by my desire to experiment with Super Heavy Gesso (Liquitex). I applied it with a palette knife on 300 lb. HP. A texture tool was used to create the vertical lines and then I swiped through some of those lines with a palette knife and also made some gestural marks with the corner of a palette knife. This was left to dry overnight. (It is very thick and cannot be dried with a hair dryer.)

The following morning, I painted the yellow/green over the entire piece with a sponge brush (3x) using Fluid Acrylics and drying in between. The erratic black lines were also Fluid Acrylic and diluted slightly and applied with a palette knife and also pouring a bit from the bottle. The texture created by the gesso helped create the shape and direction of the black paint. Notice that the lines go from top to bottom and also create a few shapes in several different sizes. Creating shapes informed my choice of where the paint was applied. And this application of black paint also had to dry overnight.

The line of lettering was kept straight and written expressively with a pointed pen, Moon Palace Ink, with a very small x-height. Erratic lines and mark making are wonderful for mixed media work of all kinds. Mark making can be created with an infinite variety of odd things you probably have lying around your house or yard. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"Common Denominators" (final)

(unavailable.....4" x 6"......mounted on masonite)

"Common denominators create patterns." Common denominators in art are the same thing as repetitive elements. In this case, it is repetitive lines and color.

Since yesterday, I drew some erratic lines over the watercolor with pencil. I used several different values of graphite. The piece was then sprayed with water on both sides and extra water dabbed off with a sponge.   It is important not to wipe the excess water off since the watercolor has not been fixed with an acrylic spray.

A light glaze of sepia was brushed on with a flat watercolor brush and then I wrote into the wet paper with an empty pointed pen. You can clearly see that effect in the tiles.  The piece was dried with a hair dryer. Diluted white gesso was then applied with a sponge brush and pushed around with a credit card.  

The piece was then dried with a hair dryer and then bleedproof white gouache was applied with sponge brush on damp paper. The beauty of bleedproof white is the ease at which it can be blotted and removed or pushed around with a credit card. The piece was dried again and some of the white gesso removed with a stiff brush dipped into alcohol. After that was dried, I added a bit more yellow and blue watercolor.

Another technique I used througout these last layers was blotting with a kleenex lightly. All of these techniques combined create an "aged" and mysterious looking surface with a lot of depth. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"Psalm 103" (draft 3)

(image 1)

(image 2...cropped section from image 1)

On this occasion of Mother's Day, you will be blessed by Psalm 103:1. This is the last draft and so I will be posting the final with lettering tomorrow. Enjoy your day!

Since yesterday, I have added more plain rice papers to create some more translucency and transparency. I then sprayed it with spray acrylic coating and decided it needed a touch of color. I chose not to use mono printed rice papers since that would create too much texture and compete with the texture in the glass.

Soft pastels came to my rescue...again. And they really must be soft pastels which contain enough pigment to do something for you. Chalk pastels are cheap and should be thrown in the trash. They are useless. After choosing my color to go with the blue/green in the glass, I used a break off knife to shave some onto a foam disposable plate. Using a hake brush or something akin to a blush brush, I placed the brush in the pastel powder and brushed it onto the rice papers. It was stronger than I wanted so I took a kneaded eraser and removed a lot of it until I had a light tint.

Soft pastels are useful for delivering color to a piece without creating hard lines when you need some color in a particular area. It works with any medium. If your surface is too slick to receive it...sponge on a coat of Liquitex Clear Gesso which creates a textured surface for this very purpose. The last thing I did today was to use a regular .05 mechanical pencil as well as a charcoal pencil to create some erratic line work and a few words. I then smudged the lines with my finger and also used the kneaded eraser to make it a lot more subtle.

And lest you think that you might be copying someone else's style by including these erratic and gestural lines in your work...not to worry. Every mixed media artist on the planet knows how to do this and many make it the hallmark of their work. Katherine Chang Liu....Fred Otnes...Peggy Brown...just to name a few. These lines add energy to the piece and also make connections between the shapes. It's like advanced "scribbling". If you know how to scribble, you can do this. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"Rest vs. Unbelief"

($60.00......6" x 6"....Mixed Media on 140 HP.....Mounted on a 1.50" depth Clayboard)

"Rest is the opposite of unbelief." This is the essence of the message from Hebrews 4. As you have noticed, I am rather stuck on this particular passage for an upcoming exhibit. It goes to the heart of what it means to be "Fully Alive" as a Christ follower, so bear with me as I complete my work. I am now ready for the larger works.

The challenge of this piece was enormous and why I am so late posting today. The background of pouring medium was very dark, but did have the association of looking like marbled paper so I decided to go with it, in spite of the complexity of making it look integrated with the text pages. 

In this case, I needed the text pages, otherwise the lettering would not have been easy to read. So by dividing the space into contrasting sizes of horizontal bands and by including another bit of text in the largest band, I was able to give significant weight to both types of bands.

It also helped to bring some mono printed rice paper into the bottom section, which gives the illusion that a portion of the large colored band was peeking through. This is otherwise referred to as an "echo" which is one of the keys to good integration. I also did some deconstruction to create erratic edges, a sense of timelessness, and providing more echoes of the text where the area was a bit static.

If you like this type of mixed media work and you are not a lettering artist, you might want to introduce some erratic marks / lines with a pencil or charcoal pencil. Pencil, of course, will be a lot more subtle. The important thing is not to introduce elements in the work that don't appear to go together. Text pages go with this type of background because of the association historically of marbled papers and books.

Also notice how other mixed media artists combine different elements. Being able to analyze and figure that out will go a long way in understanding design. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Art Happens"

(sold)

"Art happens by design." There are rare moments when art seems to come together perfectly with no "snags".   Most of the time, artists need to know enough to put all of the elements together.  It is a lifelong study.

This is another mixed media piece showing how to incorporate fused glass into the piece. This particular glass was textured with glassline paint, using a palette knife and then adding powders to the paint, inscribing the word artwork before firing. Just so you know.... I did not create this piece of glass for this particular piece, but it was part of a number of pieces fired at the same time and done months ago. Fortunately for me, the colors happened to go with the colors in this piece.

Instead of using an old book cover to frame out the glass, I used some scraps of the the text pages mounted on 300lb. HP which accommodates the thickness of the glass. In fact, this whole piece is different sections of bits and pieces and I arranged them to create erratic edges of the black background. You can get more interesting sizes this way. Very often, the sizes of the text pages tend to be laid down too predictably and this cropping and rearranging method circumvents that issues. It will also inform the way you lay down papers in the future. It is the line work and edges created by the black background that gives these types of pieces so much drama. 

And of course, the old book pages turn colors even more when sprayed with Spray Acrylic Coating. The glass provides a different texture and is one of the most time honored mediums to include in your work. It's been around a very long time and has the transparency and reflective qualities that will always bring your artwork to another level. Stained glass or found pieces of glass could also be included. (It will be important to incase the glass in a book cover or like I did in this piece to keep sharp edges from hurting people who have an insatiable desire to touch the glass.) 

The exploration of paper and glass together is an inviting thought process so I would encourage any of you who are feeling adventurous to see what you can do. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

"Contrived or Convincing?"

($40.00....6" x 6".....mounted on a 1/8" depth clayboard panel)


"The dichotomy in design and life is that it is either contrived or convincing." As humans, we are drawn to that which is convincing. It is a design or life where you have a feeling that everything works and everything belongs. However, if there is artificiality and everything seems contrived, we lose interest. So the question remains...is it contrived or convincing?

If we compared creating artwork to practicing the piano, a lot more artwork would get done. Think about the times when you may have heard someone play the piano and the notes and rhythm did not come easily. They might be a beginner or not practiced, but it is painful to listen. However, a concert pianist who has spent hours practicing is very convincing and easy on the ears.

The same things make artwork contrived or convincing. I have observed that whether a piece of artwork is realistic or abstract, it needs to have interesting shapes, perhaps a few diagonals, soft and hard edges, creative division of space, complete integration of one layer into the next, etc....before it can be convincing.

After creating almost 450 postings, my desire has boiled down to one question...is it convincing? In this piece I began applying acrylic paint on dry, blank paper with a brayer. After covering the page, I threw alcohol on the paper and rolled it with a brayer until I achieved a random textured quality. White gesso was then applied with a credit card (a shaper tool is also effective) and parts of the first layer were left untouched. Alcohol and a stiff brush were then used to soften edges and reveal areas that needed to show through a bit. My attempt was to use techniques that would allow for the natural occurrence of random and interesting shapes. This is part of creating a piece that is convincing. It takes spontaneous techniques to create a spontaneous result. Just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Forward Thinking"

($40.00.....6" x 6"....mounted on a 1'8" depth clayboard panel)


"Forward thinking is a combination of past experiences plus one new thing." It is so easy to stay in our comfort zones and never include new ideas into our thinking. We can all be forward thinking by thinking and doing new things.

This is a very graphic piece because of the presence of straight forward blocks of color and lettering with very hard edges. Fortunately, the burnt sienna with its diffused edges occupies almost half of the design space. It's a great contrast and considering edges is a hugh part of a successful piece.

The pouring medium in this piece was left to dry after pouring onto very wet paper. (under the faucet kind of wet) By not blending the color externally in any way, you can retain a few sharp edges to your color. The burnt sienna has more diffused edges because it was the outside color and probably a bit more wet. The black is held in place by a dense application of titan buff on one side and the burnt sienna on the other. So where you place your color is very important.

The pencil lettering and erratic lines take on a more prominent role in this piece which gives it a very real human touch. We can often reproduce elements on the computer for inclusion, but pencil marks, especially when they are gestural in quality, give the viewer a sense of the human touch in the work. Just a few more things to think about.


Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Light Penetrated Darkness" (sold)

(sold)


"The light penetrated the darkness literally, figuratively, for all mankind...stretching into eternity." This pivotal moment in history gave us redemption. What a day of thanksgiving!

This piece has a different application of pouring medium. It was applied more like a watercolor with no marbling effect and also the use of gray which I haven't used as much in the past. I did work on paper at least twice this size which left me some interesting cropping options. The image could have been "dead center", but by placing it in the lower right corner, I increased the drama 100%. It is so easy to stay in the mindset of the same old formats, but my encouragement to you is to branch out and try some "riskier" options. There is literally something different in every corner which is so much better than a vignette. Remember that paintings are made up of shapes which is another advantage of cropping. Image and strong color, or both, should be touching at least two sides of the design space. You will lose the viewer much quicker by placing things in the center. It is simply not interesting enough.

The paper the image was printed on also creates a rectangular shape, but the color flowing over it onto the negative space (or background) binds them together yet the shape is still visible. This all sounds so easy until you are in the middle of the creation which is why it is important to practice on a regular basis. Just think about it and soon the corners and shapes will come into focus.

"A New Dynamic"

(unavailable.....in the permanent collection of dee day)


"Combining two diverse elements creates a new dynamic." There is nothing quite as powerful in art or interior design as combining two diverse elements. For instance, throwing a cowhide on the floor in a contemporary setting can actually make it a more dynamic space. Be bold and try combining diverse elements. You'll will be stunned at the "dynamic" it creates.

Having an analytical mind causes me great "angst" at times, but it has proven to be a good friend when it comes to analyzing why things work in design. In the case of this piece, I knew I needed a strong focal point to fit in with what was going on in the pouring medium. My decision to have a sharp contrast by introducing hard edges was good, but I created another important contrast by choosing something from the 17th century (old Spanish choir book) and combining it with very contemporary abstraction and techniques. Some of the colors, erratic lines, and pencil writing can be seen through the tissue paper which truly helps to marry it to the supporting role of the background.

More decisions were made by tearing the piece of tissue paper to form a negative white shape in the lower right hand corner which balances out what is going on in the other (3) corners. They are all different and trust me when I tell you that paying attention to the corners makes for a much more dynamic piece and will keep the viewer engaged in your piece. If you want to compete with all of the visual imagery that bombards us all on a daily basis, you must pay attention to these kind of details. Otherwise, your artwork will simply fade into the wall and no one will notice. Just a few more things to think about.

"Playful Dance"

($40.00....6" x 6"....mounted on a 1/8" depth clayboard panel)


"The colors invited me to join in their playful dance." Of course, we all know that colors do not have the power to actually speak and offer up invitations, but they do have a way of captivating your imagination. In that sense, it is an unspoken invitation. Color is wonderful!

This piece was done with pouring medium. The blue and white were my base colors that merged over the very wet 140lb HP watercolor paper. The other colors were added one right after the other, but the small isolated color spot was an afterthought....not knowing what the quote would be. It is quite playful and fits the quote perfectly. By placing the lettering between the two detailed color shapes, there is cohesion in the composition. Lettering can almost be considered the needle and thread that binds two or more shapes together.

Laying down a light color first, adds another layer of depth and interest which would not have been there had it not been done. The blue also introduces the cool side of the color wheel, otherwise, it would have been a totally warm color palette. Even though violet can go either way, in this case it is a red violet which causes it to lean towards the warm side. Another interesting color fact is the hot pink...but even though the root color is red, the addition of a lot of white causes it to trend towards the cool side. Just a few more things to think about concerning color and composition.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Unfolding Biography" (sold)

(SOLD)


"Each day is like turning the page of my unfolding biography." The day takes on new meaning when placed in this context. It is true that each day is precious and we are choosing our own biography with our daily choices. Write a good one!

I am beginning to think in terms of what I can do in the first layer to create even more depth. In this piece, there are gestural marks and erratic lines done with a sharp pencil before the pouring medium was added. You could add the pencil lines after the fact, but it would not have the same "lost and found" edges and subtlety going on. Some of the lines got lost completely and others emerge and then disappear. It is quite fascinating and I would encourage you to try it yourself. It all goes back to the transparency issue and giving the viewer the illusion that they are looking into an infinite variety of layers.

My encouragement to everyone working in mixed media is to not give up on a particular technique too soon. By doing it day after day, you will continue to see new things and your entire process will keep evolving.

As for the choice of colors, it is more effective to play warm against cool in these types of pieces. The purple choice in this piece is Brilliant Violet Fluid Acrylic mixed with a bit of Raw Umber. It has more depth with the Raw Umber added and becomes warmer in temperature. The Hansa Yellow Medium was also mixed with a bit of Raw Umber making it warmer as well. The cool temperature color is the Cobalt Blue mixed with Titanium White. I guarantee that this piece would not have the same impact without the addition of the blue. Notice the "glowing" effect where it mingles with the darkest parts of the Violet and how it completely merges and becomes the same value of the other two colors when they become more diluted and mixed on the right hand side. It's these kind of observations that will assist you in deciding your colors for your next pour. Just a few more things to try or think about.

"Discipline Equals Freedom" (sold)

(SOLD)

"Discipline equals freedom: a good strategy for exiting an emotional roller coaster." Runaway feelings can land you on an emotional roller coaster unless a decision is made. The best decision is to stay disciplined and keep doing what you need to be doing to progress in life. The intense feelings will subside.

No process has been more creative for me than to respond to an image and actually attach a meaning to it...in my case, a one line quote. I am growing more fond of abstract art, but know myself well enough to realize I will inject realism again. What makes someone come into my studio and remark on the page of practice where I did my last 6 x 6? I realized it was the erratic pen marks made when I wanted to be sure the medium was coming out of the pen. They were going every which direction and then there was a word or two written when I was determining the lenght of the word or line before writing it on the final.

I have concluded that most people find this fascinating because you are allowing them to peer into your process a bit. And then there are artists who deliberately try to mess things up to create spontaneity. And then they will paint or write something beautiful on top of all that mess. It's quite fascinating to determine why this is so compelling to look at, but I am considering doing a bit more of that kind of thing...starting with the first layer.... including odd erratic marks made with different tools and then beginning the pouring medium process over that. Now that is something to think about and you just may see it tomorrow.

"Lines of Choice"

($40.00.....6" x 6"...mounted on a 1/8" depth clayboard panel)


"Life is like an aged photograph etched with the lines of choice." Choices are the most powerful tool any of us has to alter the course of our life. This is especially true in a free society where we can choose to come and go at will. It is the cumulative effect of choices that make a life rich or destroyed. It's a choice.

As a visual artist, it is impossible to run away from the power created by division of space. It doesn't seem to matter what medium it is or whether the subject matter is realism, abstraction, or somewhere in between. The fact remains that all paintings of all types are made up of shapes. Those shapes create the way the space is divided. One of the most prolific daily painters (Carol Marine...oils) has compelling images because of the way her still life set ups are cropped and painted on the support. She has a great many diagonals plus the straight forward and confident brush strokes are also laid down in many different directions creating a rhythm which is mesmerizing.

The problem with all of us is that it is way too easy to shut off our brains and not intentionally think about these things. The result is often the same old thing with a still life placed in the center with negative space all around or the shadows and draping going off of the page, but always looking at the set up from the same angle. It's time to think because if any of us finds ourselves doing what thousands of others are doing, the viewer will tune out. There are simply too many compelling visuals out there so we must consider creating work that is not seen every day. In other words, to set ourselves apart somehow....some way. It is just something to think about. The division of space in this piece was created in layers with the lines playing a key role in how the space iwas divided, but it start with the division of space created by the photograph.


Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"A Grand State" (unavailable)

(unavailable....in the permanent collection of dee day)


"Independence gave us a grand flag for a grand state." Today is Texas Independence Day so, of course, we need to commemorate such a grand occasion with a grand flag. Enjoy Texas today!

I was going for the old, historic look in this piece. I did create a mono print and erratic pencil lines on the paper before it was printed. After spraying the image (3x) with Spray Acrylic Coating and adhering to a clayboard panel...pouring medium mixed with Golden Titan Buff was poured over the entire piece. I sprayed with water to expose the areas to be highlighted and allowed it to dry overnight. I always use spencerian script when going for a historical feel so here it is with a bit of color bleed in the flag. This often happens, even after spraying the image (3x)...especially when wet medium is sitting on it overnight. I like the effect for this piece, but if it bothers you, blot the area where you don't want any "bleed" immediately after applying the pouring medium and spraying with water.

 Just a few more things to think about.

"Victory or Death" (unavailable)

(unavailable....in the permanent collection of dee day)


"True heroism occurs when a man chooses victory over death." Bear with all of us Texans today as we think back on this day in 1836, when William Barrett Travis wrote that fateful letter from the Alamo requesting reinforcements. Of course, Fannin and his troops had been massacred at Goliad and Sam Houston never got the message. It is a very moving letter and I've included a copy of Travis' signature and the famous closing...."Victory or Death".

If a photograph has a lot of neutrals, it is very easy to transform it into a very historical or vintage looking piece. This photo was taken while I was in San Antonio attending a workshop. It always brings tears to my eyes considering what happened there.

Erratic pencil lines, pouring medium, and charcoal powder plus the bit of collage printed on tissue paper all help to bring about the right mood and atmosphere. Pouring medium does not always need to be strong color. The effects are quite stunning when adding Golden Titan Buff or Raw Umber Fluid Acrylics to the medium. Even white will give an ethereal look. Using any one of these three colors will give an encaustic look to the piece. Just a few more things to think about.

"Pure Gold"

($40.00....6" x 6"...mounted on a 1/8" depth clayboard panel)


"Patience and discipline create growth that yields a crop of pure gold." If I had to say which word was the most difficult, it would be "patience". Most people can go for a substantial period of time doing something that they feel like will yield a hugh return. The problem comes when it takes so much longer than anyone realized. However, when the two skills are combined, the result is pure gold.


There is a significant amount of gold mingling with the raw umber in this piece. It is very difficult to see that on a computer screen. The gold I used was Iridescent Bronze. It is a Golden Acrylic that comes in a tube or Fluid Acrylic. Hands down, it is my favorite gold out of a tube of paint. It also yields a verdigris residue if a lot of water is added. The green in this piece, however, is Golden Green Gold. It has a glowing effect when diluted with a lot of water.

Besides the intense color suspended in the pouring medium, there are some other reasons why this technique is so compelling. If you notice what type of lines are created you will see some that are much more diffused that create a gradated effect. The softness of those lines compared to hard edges created when the pouring medium is more dense is a fabulous contrast. Add to that the direction and energetic movement of the lines in the paint and it is hard to not keep looking. It's organic and seems to be alive. And all of that with one technique. What a deal! Just something else to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"A Broken Window" (sold)

(SOLD)


"A broken window gives clearer vision." Brokenness in life has a good side if it is viewed from the right perspective. This image of an old window shows how clearly the foliage can be seen with the window broken. It's a visual metaphor of the flip side of brokenness. If you have been hurt badly in relationships or physical suffering, you are the ones who can see life quite clearly.

Windows are one of my favorite visual metaphors, especially if they have several panes. This one is especially charming since it had been sitting outside of an antique store for quite some time. When looking for just the right kind of photograph to include in your art work, don't overlook those things which are not included in the obvious choices. This image not only gave me the perfect metaphor, but it has a wonderful poetic quality with the leaves sitting in the sill and the "fogginess" of the glass. The choice of image left me with very little to do.

However, I did add some pencil lines and created a monoprint with Caran d'Ache Saffron colored ink on the paper before printing the image. After the image was sprayed with Acrylic Coating and adhered to the panel, I added Black Charcoal Powder and black erratic lines with a pointed pen. The piece was then secured with spray acrylic coating again....prepared for lettering with diluted gel matte medium with the final quote and white lines done with pointed pen and Winsor Newton Bleedproof White. And that's how it's done! Just something more to think about in transforming a photographic image into a piece of art.

"The Unexpected Treasure" (unavailable)

(unavailable)

"Collage elements are often the unexpected treasure when taking a walk." If you look down when taking a walk, you might find something you never expected. There are artists who have created entire collections out of found objects. Save those bits and pieces. They make good collage elements!

This piece began with an actual photograph of cracks in concrete. I find them extremely fascinating. They are so erratic and random and give a good basis for a contemporary art piece. The only problem I had with this one was the "blah" color, but soft pastels came to the rescue.

I did not actually use collage elements that I had found, but I did make them look old and worn. When adhering the pieces with gel matte medium, rub a bit over the top of the image and then take a brayer and roll over a portion and the top layer of paper will come right off. Try only an edge until you notice the effect. Dry and then proceed with the soft pastels applied with a soft brush.

After preparing the surface for lettering (2 parts water to 1 part gel matte med.), the very casual versals were written with pointed pen and a mixture of Perylene Violet + Prussian Blue gouache. Spray with Acrylic Coating....dry....follow with varnish and the piece is finished. So I hope this provides you with a few more things to try or think about.