"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.

"Hot Commodity" (sold)

(sold)

(12" x 12")

"Wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold. Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her." (Proverbs 3: 14, 15) In today's economic world, gold is considered a "hot commodity". However, in this timely verse from Proverbs, wisdom is considered the "hot commodity". It is a profound comparison and worth thinking about on a deep level.

Creating the intense color of rubies in this piece was dependent on Quinocridone Magenta plus Black over a gesso and unprimed base. Even the acrylic paint was not intense enough to suit me so I applied another layer of Magenta Ink (Bordeaux) plus Higgins Eternal to achieve the brilliance.

The bowl was painted with black gesso, followed by gold leaf and Acryl Orange Gold. Because of the inks and gouache, the surface had to be prepared to receive lettering without disturbing the first layers. Here it is again....after spraying the surface (2x) lightly with Acrylic Spray Coating...mix (2) parts water to (1) part gel matte medium by brushing it on and blowing with a hair dryer simultaneously. The acrylic coating and gesso often cause a "resist" which is the reason heat must be applied while brushing. (It helps to secure your paper to the surface with a removable tab or removable tape so you can use both hands to paint and dry.)

The gel matte medium eventually attaches to the surface and then the lettering can be done. Just something to try or think about.

This piece is currently in an exhibit at "Open Doors Gallery" at Hill Country Bible Church in Austin, Tx.

"Smudged Lines" (unavailable)

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


Another word for "smudged" is "blurred". The overlapping of color and texture creates blurred lines which create textural beauty. In real life, smudged or blurred lines are the equivalent of making decisions that don't get you where you want to go. In truth, every decision is a "make or break" decision.

This is another gesso piece with a different application. The process began with a blank sheet of paper. In this case I began with a paper at least 2.50x the size of the cropped version. (Cropping is still the most satisfying way of achieving division of space that looks spontaneous.) Subtle divisions of space were created with pencil lines from edge to edge and a few bits of unreadable text. I then applied gesso quite randomly, making sure to leave some of the paper untouched. The gesso was allowed to dry overnight. Two Golden Acrylic colors, (Green Gold and Transparent Red Oxide) were greatly diluted with water and mixed with a palette knife on a disposable plate. With a 2" brush, the bands of color were applied and crisscrossed from edge to edge. The way the unprimed paper and gessoed areas received the paint created the transparent and ethereal look.

The color for the bowl and brown sections was created with Caran d'Ache Ink (Grand Canyon) and blotted with a kleenex. Inks are a great addition to this process because most of them are transparent and have great staining power. Very great for smudging. (The ink was purchased from Paper and Ink Arts.)

Of course, the ink is not permanent and the surface will need to be sprayed with acrylic coating, followed by dilute matte medium to prepare for writing. These are exciting techniques and worth some experimentation. Just something to think about!