"It Is Finished" (Part 2 - Final)

($450.00.....Mixed Media and Kiln Formed Glass....Mounted on a 2" depth Clayboard)

"It is finished." (John 19: 30) Of course, this is what Jesus uttered on the cross after drinking the wine vinegar. It's a day of remembering.

Several who follow my blog have shown interest in seeing the process in stages, followed by the final. So what you are seeing today is the second half of the piece and then the piece in totality. It is a progression. As you can see, the crosses are three different sizes from small to large measuring 3"....4"....and 5"....in width respectively. I also used the negative space of the cross to show the turquoise glass in two parts, then three parts, and then, the whole.

It is the equivalent of a visual crescendo in much the same way a piece of music goes from soft to loud. When dealing with a single "motif" in a piece, this is an effective way to make it more interesting. The same type of effect can also be achieved with gradated values by going from light to dark or dark to light. Having a crescendo and decrescendo side by side is also effective and introduces more complexity into your piece.

One last thing to notice is the crescendo effect in the lettering. I wrote "It is finished" with a very light gray gouache (Ult. Bl + Burnt Sienna + White) and a Speedball C-5 nib. I sprayed that with Acrylic Coating. Prepared the surface for lettering again and wrote it a bit darker and slightly overlapping the first lettering.  Followed the same steps and wrote it with Moon Palace Ink.

The advantage to fixing each layer is that you can wipe off a letter you don't like and not disturb the surface underneath. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"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.

"Shiny and Bright Things"

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


"The spirit of joy can stay after shiny and bright things are all tucked away." We don't need to have all of the decorations on display to continue enjoying a spirit of Christmas joy year round. But if you want the constant reminder, save out one or two of those shiny and bright ornaments to display year round.

The pouring medium came back to help give the gradation from distinct to indistinct imagery. This kind of hazy, gradated look is the perfect backdrop for lettering and flourishing. I chose a close up shot for the drama. Zooming in with your camera automatically creates a more dynamic image that can be seen across the room. If you haven't had time to take some shots of your Christmas decorations, try to do it before they come down. It will also provide you with many opportunities to draw and paint reflective surfaces.

As we begin to think about goals for the new year, I hope I can convince as many of you as possible to do your utmost to improve your skills of observation. Since I happen to be older than most of you, I've had opportunities to notice many things about how students learn or don't learn. I would place at the top of the list the need to improve this particular skill of observation. It begins primarily by comparing and contrasting things. If something doesn't look right (if it's not convincing) try to figure out why. Ask yourself questions. It takes very little to change a line in drawing or lettering so pay attention to the subtle differences in both areas. Join a group (i.e. "Sketch Austin" with Sharon Zeugin) or take a class that interests you to elevate your skill level.

That's my little motivational speech for the day. Hope it gives yet a few more things to try or think about!

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Transparency"

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

"Transparency is an amazing quality that describes some types of glass as well as people with integrity." This is a close up shot of a chandelier in an antique store. The contrast between the iron and glass was stunning and the whole image brought this quote to my mind. It also has a historic look and sparkle of Christmas.

The first layer of this image created the "wow" factor. I did a monoprint on Arches Text Wove, using ink instead of Walnut Ink. It is Caran d'Ache Caribbean Sea, diluted with a bit of water and monoprinted on very wet paper. The actual photograph shows the glass as clear with little or no color. It will give you quite the adrenalin rush to experiment with these intense inks so you might want to peruse through your photos and look for some transparent glass. I suppose you could accomplish this look in Photoshop, but you would not have the "random" placement of the blue.

Just in case you may not know how to do a monoprint, let me explain. Pour or mix a bit of color, using any water media, onto a hard surface creating a puddle. Spray a piece of watercolor paper (or leave dry) and lay the paper over the puddle and press over the back with your hand. Lift and there's your monoprint. You can even do it several times until you're satisfied with the print. Dry and print your photo.

There is also a lot of gradation going on in this piece...not only in the image, but in the lettering. Gradation in lettering can happen two ways. You can either change the value of the medium as you write or you can use one value to write with and letter over several different values in the image. Either way will achieve a gradated effect. (Some viewers will hate this if it is more difficult to read, but it does achieve a nice "fading out" effect.) I will say that this quote is very readable if you are holding the original in your hand. Just a few more things to try or think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Welcome Mat" (sold)

(sold)

"Early morning prayers and a cup of coffee are like a welcome mat in front of a new day." The most blessed part of my day and life is when I am praying. A cup of coffee wakes me up physically, but prayer wakes me up spiritually. It's a good thought as you begin your day.

In early postings, I've gone on and on about the elements and principles of design. These stubborn principles wrap themselves around visual communication like a blanket. Whether you are conscious of them or not, they're always operative.

One of the more subtle principles of design is "gradation". It is what I call the "crescendo" and "decrescendo" of design. These are music terms which mean to gradually get louder or gradually get softer. In the visual world, the application operates with any of the elements of design. For instance, color can be very intense and then gradually fade into another color or into gray or white. You can see it very clearly in this piece as the green fades out into the cream color. The same "fading out" can happen with gray values, line work, size, and texture. As always, too much gradation (which includes very diffused edges) needs the contrast of hard lines. You can see that here with the image, the lettering, and the thicker applications of gesso, as well as the pencil lines in the first layer.

All of this is analyzation to the "hilt, but it really isn't a bad thing to analyze what is going on in a piece of art. If you cannot identify what you've done "accidentally" you cannot readily repeat the process. Putting a name to what you're doing will definitely help to add new techniques to your repertoire. Just something to think about.