"Textured Layering"

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"Textured layering with transparency creates depth." Technically speaking, all art is layering, but there is something about transparency that gives it more depth and more mystery.

This, of course, is another mixed media piece. Yesterday, I went into detail about the basic steps of how this particular process was created. Today I would like to touch on the particular techniques that create transparency. 

The most obvious transparency has to do with the materials. Rice paper is a wonderful paper because it was made for printing techniques and it has a wonderful translucence that can turn into transparency by gently rubbing over the surface, especially if it has just been glued to the support. There is just enough moisture in the top surface to "pill" off as you gently rub it with your fingers. 

The silk tissue paper (gampi) is also a beautiful material because it is totally transparent as you can see in the line engraved print of the leaves. Unusual color notes can be achieved by placing mono printed rice paper over the background, followed by the printed tissue paper. 

Deconstruction is also a way of achieving transparency by brushing gel matte medium over an old text page or a mono printed rice paper and then placing it over a section of the piece. Letting it sit for a minute or two and then removing the paper will leave behind an imprint of either the color or the text. It can be taken a step further by also rubbing over the deconstructed text and removing even more of the paper to create the transparency seen in the leaves and in the green color notes at the bottom.

This is a richly textured surface and even more can be achieved by working larger and introducing a more varied range of mono printed papers. It's extremely addictive, but I heartily recommend it as a way of show casing your personal drawings by printing them on silk tissue paper and including them in this type of mixed media setting. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"Heroic Faith"

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"A life of heroic sacrifice will foster and leave a legacy for heroic faith." The quote today is by the senior pastor at Hill Country Bible Church NW...Tim Hawks. This piece is a commission to be given to a young man who epitomizes the quote. God's blessings on him and his family as he struggles for his physical life.

I generally do return to mixed media when the need arises to communicate a truth verbally and visually. So today, I would like to recap a few points about my own mixed media process. First of all, I love using old book pages in the background and then covering most of the text up, but leaving those bits behind that say something that goes with the theme of the piece. In this case, you can clearly read the Lord's Prayer in the bottom part of the old cathedral section. And therein lies the beauty of printing images on silk tissue paper and creating overlays in the work. The contrast between transparency and opacity is very compelling and creates a lot of depth in this type of work. 

There is also some inclusions of plain rice paper overlaying some of the text, as well as some mono printed rice papers (blue areas) that add color. It also creates an ethereal look to have a line engraved image overlaying the colored and revealed text areas.

Also included are areas of "deconstruction" where bits of colored rice papers and text pages were adhered to the surface and then removed to reveal the bits that stayed behind. One very effective example of this is in the upper right hand corner where text appears backwards over the blue to create an "echo" of the other background text and also break up the surface tension.

The last detail was the inclusion of a gold, embossed cross. The inclusion of a cross was the request of the client and so I included two, but the gold one will always catch the eye since it is gold and shiny against the blue background. And there you have it...a few more things to think about.

"Ebb and Flow"

($40.00....300lb HP mounted on a 1/8" depth clayboard panel)

"The ebb and flow of seasons is an ongoing benediction to God's creation." Even though I automatically gravitate to "Fall" as my favorite season, it would probably bore me if we had "Fall" all the time. It's the variety exhibited in the ebb and flow of the seasons that gives rhythm to our lives and an ongoing benediction to what God has created. Amen!

Even though design is a very important part of the art process, it can become very predictable and contrived. For this reason, and also because I'm getting older and can't seem to remember what I do from one day to the next, I would like to share what I have come to believe as a very important part of the art process.

It is incredibly easy to "crank" out artwork without stopping to analyze why and what we're doing or to come up with new thoughts. So to combat this problem for myself, I have begun to think with a clipboard in my hand so I can jot down the answers to the questions I am asking about my own process. 

For instance...one of my favorite questions..."is it convincing?" If there is anything that gives me pause, I really do need to think about what that might be.  Another favorite question..."are the elements of design all well integrated?" If I am truly honest, I will answer that question without glossing over the one thing that may be troubling me. And on it goes. 

The thing to remember is that we can all know what our next step is in our own process by analyzing why and what we're doing. Writing down every idea that comes to mind is a must. I can guarantee you will not remember what you were thinking six months from now or maybe even one day from now. 

This makes a hugh difference in how we all work and will keep us out of that fatal "comfort zone" that keeps doing the same thing over and over again. And even when we find that one technique or one voice that we can call our own, we would be well advised to continue "kicking it up a notch." And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Serendipity"

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"Serendipity is when the unexpected becomes the plan." It's a word that has a magical quality to it and is generally associated with good unexpected events. It's just a fun word!

Common denominators still come to mind when I think about grade school and fractions. It's also a way to describe "echoes" or conversations in a piece of artwork.

I must admit there is something about preparing and cutting up bits of paper that brings out the child in me again. But I have also been very turned off by collage and its chaotic nature and tendency towards visual overload. It is still possible to have very dynamic artwork using collage when a few common denominators are in place. My first common denominator is using rice paper for a majority of the piece and all mono printed with gestural marks and sometimes a bit of an image adhered to the rice paper before the mono print. The gestural marks leave white space on the print which then connects to the plain rice paper overlaid on old book pages.

The other common denominators that are extremely important to me are the ehoes of my main colors. Repeated elements always create rhythm and will add stability to this kind of "mix and match" design work. But if this is too much for your taste, all you need to do is keep to a neutral palette with maybe one or two punches of color. There is one artist who does exactly that with her very dominant image emerging from the many layers of book pages and neutral papers. You might want to google Ashley Collins and check it out for yourself. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"Stress Reliever"

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"Thanksgiving is a stress reliever." Anyone who has learned to give thanks in all things has ushered themselves into the presence of God.

It may not seem like it, but the techniques used to create this collage involved three that are spontaneous. To quote myself from another posting...it takes a spontaneous technique to create a spontaneous result.

The first spontaneous technique was the mono printing of the rice paper. When making large gestural and erratic marks into the Speedball Printing Ink, the very free marks are going to add movement to the final piece. The key is to place those types of pieces in contrast with the plain white rice paper over the text, with other mono printed papers that are almost solid color, and some of the black of the support showing through.

The second spontaneous technique is the cropping of the rice paper and the eventual cropping of the collage. Cropping remains my single most favorite thing to do since it gives the most options for the final outcome.

The third technique was the improvisational writing of the quote which echoes some of the erratic lines in the background. This is an exciting way to work, but does involve several steps. It is the type of thing you can work on a little bit each day and keep coming back to. Just be prepared for little bits of old book pages and rice paper to be all over your studio. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"Peace"

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"Peace can calm the storm of any circumstance." Peace is never achieved by wearing the peace symbol or holding up two fingers. It starts with a choice to live with a focus on the God who is Peace and let it be transferred from Him to you and to others. The spirit of peace is not belligerent or rude, but kind and generous.

This piece has a rich layer of color and texture and borders on visual overload. One of the ways to calm down all of this is to introduce imagery that has a strong grounding color (like black) with some definite form. That is why I am so keen on using line engravings printed on silk tissue paper for these kind of works.

I also chose a capital "P" that has a lot of engraved detail around it and framing out the cap beautifully. The transparency is the key here and would look like it was just "stuck on" if it had been a solid opaque image. The white lettering of the quote is an "echo" of the white peaking through the engraving at the bottom. It is also good to keep in the back of your mind that white has a very calming effect on almost any piece. Just be sure to have white somewhere in the background to echo the collage. It generally doesn't look integrated to stick white lettering on a background that has no other white in the piece.

Because of my time constraints, I don't always have the option of using my owning ink drawings, but that is a wonderful option in this type of work. And the beauty of pouring medium is that it adds color and movement to an ink drawing that can sometimes feel a bit stiff and contrived all by itself on a white sheet of paper. And even if you don't feel confident with your drawing, you could trace a few elements from an image and I can almost guarantee that in time you will be adding your own touches and then drawing free hand. If you are not skilled at working with a pointed pen, there are some pens (available at Jerry's) that have black ink. They are a Prismacolor brand and to achieve a really thin line, you will need to purchase the one that is (.005) in size. It's a wonderful way to learn to draw.

After completing your drawing, you can then print it on silk tissue paper and use as a collage or draw directly on top of your pouring medium. (You will need to prepare the surface for lettering first.) And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"Renewal"

($60.00......6" x 6".....mounted on a 1.50" depth clayboard)

"Renewal can be a continual feast for the hungry mind." Growth does not happen unless there is a strong desire to renew the mind and stay out of comfort zones. Easier said than done, but a great way to begin the week.

This piece is a contemporary "nod" to the book arts. I placed text (printed on silk tissue paper) behind the butterfly to create that connection. The baroque line engraved border also harkens back to a "flourished" time in history. What makes line engravings so compelling is the way the movement and color of the pouring medium comes through, highlighting certain areas and the illusion of light passing through. In addition to copyright free books that contain line engravings, they can also be found in old books or you could create similar looks with pen and ink drawings.

I have discovered that "chewing" on a technique by staying with it day after day, continues to yield new discoveries. So if you think for one minute that pouring medium techniques are learned in one workshop and there's not much to it...you might want to rethink your position. Every time I think I've tried everything, something else happens that changes my opinion. So whatever technique you're learning, stay with it day after day and you will discover far more than you ever dreamed you would. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Profusion of Color"

($60.00.....6" x 6".....mounted on a 1.50" depth clayboard)


"Love breaks open the heart in a profusion of color." This quote has meaning on many different levels. I'll let you decide the interpretation.

This is a wild, out of control pouring medium piece that was brought into an ordered state with a very straight line of lettering and a collage piece of line engraving.

I've become extremely fascinated with line engravings. There are several Dover Publication books with an array of these simple and powerful engravings that are copyright free. The one I used in these piece is from Baroque Ornament and Designs. There is a hand cut stamp of straight lines in the background that echoes the band of lines at the bottom. (The paper was stamped before the pour.)

I began by covering the paper with Titanium White + Pouring Medium. I then laid the paper where it would stay until dry and poured the solid bands of color on the left. Then I took a fork and ran it through a select area of the bands of color which created a profusion of color going in many directions. The contrast between bands of color left untouched vs. external manipulation is a very effective way of creating interest.

This piece is a great example of why I use Spencerian Script so much with Pouring Medium techniques. That one line of straight lettering is a powerful contrast and has a calming effect over the wild display of color. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.