"Heart of Everything"

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"Design is at the heart of everything." This is very true. Just think about it...life that is not well designed can have as much visual overload (clutter) as a piece of artwork.

Mixed media is still a love of mine and so here I am again. The inkwell is a quickly done in pen and ink which was then reduced from 100% to 80% and then printed on silk tissue paper. There are actually two formats involved here. The first one is a grid format created with old text pages and overlays of plain rice paper. The black showing through between the text pages to create the grid is black gesso on 140 lb. HP. 

After this is dry, crop to the desired size...adhere with Gel Matte Med. to masonite or gessobord....lay a piece of wax paper on top followed by a book and then a rock and leave to dry overnight.

This morning I added the mono printed rice papers, the ink drawing, and did a bit of deconstruction. Note that the piece is much more interesting by allowing the previous edge to show. It creates depth and a sense of mystery. 

A new format was created when adding the colored pieces and a drawing. It is wise to gather up all the materials first and then arrange (take a picture), rearrange (take a picture) until you are satisfied you have everything well designed. The second format in this piece is essentially a modified cruciform layout. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"The Blood of Text"

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


"Ink is the blood of text." Everyone knows that blood is the substance that gives life. In the same way, ink is the substance that gives life to the written word.

This is another piece created with gesso. After the gesso was completely dry (overnight), I used a brayer to apply some acrylic paint. The color choices are quite extensive in acrylic paint plus it enables the application of Speedball Printing Ink without fixing the first layer of color.  (I also dipped my brayer into alcohol to create a variation in color and texture.)

So what I am attempting to do is experiment with the many different ways of layering using gesso as the base, printing inks, and silk tissue paper. In fact, none of the lettering or imagery on this piece was written directly on the piece. I printed on tissue paper and layered two pieces of collage to create the focus.

There are so many possibilities so I encourage you to play around with gesso, printing inks, and tissue paper. (This would be "gampi" which is a silk tissue paper....not the kind of tissue paper found in a craft store. This kind is totally transparent.) So there you have it. Another interpretation with three compatible materials that will give you many directions to experiment with and many things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.