"Unexpected Spontaneity"

(unavailable.....6" x 6" collage)

"Design is preplanned order with unexpected interruptions of spontaneity." Design is a wonderful thing, but even well ordered and preplanned things can look static.  So it is good to use techniques that also allow for spontaneity. And it is also common that whatever is true in art can also be true in life. Sometimes the most fun times are planned in advance, but the unexpected provides the dearest memory.

  

Today I went back to my old book pages and a line drawing I did of a Bromeliad to create a collage piece with the emphasis on transparency and opacity. Rice paper adhered over the text pages creates a lovely setting for a line drawing. Being able to see through the drawing is an important part of achieving depth. I did print the drawing on silk tissue paper to have the transparency carry right on through. It's simply not as effective to print images on the silk tissue paper that are solid. It doesn't integrate as well with the previous layer. 

The other technique I exploited "to the hilt" in this piece is deconstruction. (Adhering something to the surface and after a few minutes...ripping it off) This technique helps to have a back and forth conversation between the shapes. Look at the bottom left corner to see that I adhered some text to the red/orange color and then when it was ripped off, it lifted some of the color and left fragments of the text. This was also done on the ledger paper to integrate it with the other areas. 

If you look in the center of the bromeliad, I adhered some of the red/orange rice paper (which had been mono printed) with the color side down. When it is ripped off it creates bits of color and very random texture. There are several other areas where this same technique was used until I was satisfied that there was a conversation going on between all of the color blocks or shapes. 

Last, but not least, I did beef up some of the negative black areas with black ink. The brownish areas you see are splotches of walnut ink which really makes things look old and creates a very rich brown patina.   And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"Beautiful Forms" ($60.00)

(adjusted price.....$60.00.....mounted on a 1.50" depth clayboard)

The design and pattern of growth in plant life, especially tropical plants, has always inspired me visually. Be inspired today by stopping to notice the beautiful forms radiating from floral and tropical plants.

When the artist chooses to allow the image to consume the design space, there is no place for the lettering to go except to march right over the image.

In this case, that poses a problem because the plant was painted with gouache. For that reason, the piece was sprayed with Krylon Acrylic Spray Coating. Even though that seals the gouache, it also creates a resist. The surface is prepared to receive the bleedproof white by applying a layer of diluted Gel Matte Medium. (two parts water to one part medium....mixed with a palette knife) You will still experience the surface repelling this layer, so you must brush...dry with hair dryer...brush...dry with hair dryer and eventually the heat will cause it to attach. I also dropped a couple of drops of gum arabic into the gouache to give me a thin hairline.

Just something to think about if you want to write over gouache. (Even Acryl Gouache will not give you a writing surface as good as this.)

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.