"Mi Camino" (draft 2)

Today's quote is the same verse from yesterday. Even though I had hoped to post the final today, I made the decision to give myself some more time to work on the weight and placement of the versals. Psalm 119: 105 is written in Spanish (Spencerian Script). The versals will be in English.

Some mediums require the artist to finish the piece in one sitting such as working alla prima in oils. Being able to pause and allow some time to explore all the options is definitely an advantage with mixed media.

One of the most important processes for me...especially when writing in layers...is knowing how to protect the previous layer and prepare the surface to receive more layers. In light of that, there are two products I simply cannot live without. One of them is Gel Matte Medium (Golden). The other one is Krylon Spray Acrylic Coating.

All mono printed rice papers must be sealed before adhering to your support. If there is an exceptionally heavy area of ink, I would spray it 3x and dry in between with a hair dryer. One coat is quite sufficient for lighter applications of ink.

After adhering all of the rice papers and other collage elements, you will need to spray your piece with spray acrylic coating again. This act will cause the rice papers to become translucent where there is little or no ink and will also bring out the patina of old text pages or images.

If you are a lettering artist or if you want to add a drawing directly on your piece with pen and ink (or gouache), you will need to prepare your surface for lettering. Rice paper is very porous and the spray acrylic coating resolves that issue, but then you have the dilemma of trying to write on slick paper. Gouache and ink will not adhere to this type of surface.

You will need to mix up (1) part gel matte medium to (2) parts water by mixing in the water a little bit at a time with a palette knife on a disposable foam plate. You will then brush this over your piece by holding a hair dryer in your left hand and a foam brush in your right hand. This has to be a simultaneously activity (at least for the first coat). The gel medium will not attach to the slick surface without heat...especially if there has been a heavy application of ink or paint in the first layers.

So that is what I did to this piece this morning. After it was prepared for my pointed pen and bleedproof white gouache, I marked my base line in the black area with a sharpened white charcoal pencil. This is the best way to get your guidelines onto a dark surface. When your lettering is totally dry, the charcoal lines can be easily removed with a stiff brush or a kneaded eraser.

One other thing I added this morning was some of the background stamp printed with white Speedball Printing Ink in the black area. To make it more integrated and not so overpowering, I blotted part of the print with a kleenex dipped in a small amount of water. This is much more subtle and creates an echo of that image. The neat thing about trying this is that you will be able to completely wipe it off with water if it doesn't please you.

I ended up my work today by spraying this entire piece with spray acrylic coating (2x) and drying in between. This will ensure that when I prepare it for the remaining lettering, I will be able to completely remove any letters that don't turn out well without disturbing the previous layer. I hope this makes sense. Knowing how to seal a surface and prepare it for the next layer is absolutely critical information for the mixed media artist. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"I Owe You"

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


"Every success can be attributed, in part, on the influence and help from others." Whether knowingly or unknowingly, we all affect or have been affected by the influence of others. Every conversation and action has the power to impact someone else negatively or positively. Let's go for the positive!

This piece is essentially an experiment in learning more about how to create complex textures by breaking up the surface plane and focusing on extreme contrasts.

It began with gesso that was texturized and left to dry overnight. This morning I applied black Speedball printing ink with a brayer...dried it with a hair dryer...and then brushed over it with a sponge brush dipped in water. That action was followed by blotting with a kleenex. The operative word here is blot. Wiping would kill the printed look that you can get with this ink. After being satisfied with the texture, I sprayed with acrylic spray coating. Silver leaf was applied to areas that had been brushed with gel matte medium. To break up the surface of the silver leaf, I removed parts of it, especially around the edges to create the erratic texture seen under the letters "i...o...u..". White Speedball printing ink was applied and also dried, rewet, and blotted to break up that surface.

Learning how to break up a surface and allow the previous layer to show through is a key component of integration. Remember also, to have distinctive shapes, contrast of solid and broken edges, and something different in the corners. And there you have it. Just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Words have Power"

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


"The pen is mightier than the sword because words hold the power of life and death." I can't take credit for this entire quote, but the additional words magnify the meaning. Actually, both the sword and the pen have the power of life and death. The only difference is that words can kill without shedding one ounce of blood. That is the part that is sobering.

When using very dark colors with pouring medium, the piece can quickly become overpowering. This can be compensated for by placing a piece of transparent collage over a portion of the color blocks or stamping an image over them. In this case, I used a stamp with lines of texture that look like words in a foreign language. Those straight lines have a "quieting" effect over overpowering areas.

In order to stamp on this surface, you will need to prepare the piece just as you would for lettering because the surface is shiny and slick. Mix (2) parts water to (1) part gel matte medium with a palette knife. Secure your paper to a surface with removable tabs or a glue stick so that you are free to blow dry the piece with your left hand while brushing the medium on with your right hand. This is necessary to cause the medium to attach to the slick surface.

I used Speedball Printing Ink which will need to be sprayed with Spray Acrylic Coating before preparing the piece for hand lettering. (Prepare the same way as for the stamping.) Even though I have stated all of this before, it never hurts to go over it again and again. Mixed Media is all about how to go from one layer to the next. Part of that process is knowing how to secure one layer (if there's anything that will be disturbed) before moving on to the next. Just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Broken Fragments" (sold)

(sold)

"Place all your broken fragments into the golden bowl of prayer to be made whole." This is a quote inspired by the writings of George MacDonald. The faint imagery in the background is from a piece that I did several years ago which includes his entire piece of prose. Two of the lines from his quote were combined as the lettering coming out of the bowl. That line is..."Gather my broken fragments to a whole. Into my basket, for my golden bowl." Another interesting bit is that George MacDonald was a contemporary of C.S. Lewis and very instrumental in his conversion to Christianity.


The background for this piece came from a photo of a much larger piece. The lettering is very faint and impossible to read, but it makes for interesting texture. Even if the piece had been smaller, the lettering would not have turned out well through the camera lens. One very important thing to note when uploading images on the computer is that a scanned image is much better than a photo...especially where lettering is involved. If you have a piece that is much larger than your scanner at home, it would be wise to take it to an in house photo lab that has the equipment to scan large works. They can place your image on a disk and then you can make it whatever size you want from your computer. (If you live in Austin, Holland's Photo Lab is a good place to go.)

There is no Pouring Medium or anything else altering the imagery in this piece, but it was prepared for lettering by spraying the surface 3x with Spray Acrylic Coating and then brushing on a mixture of Gel Matte Medium (2 parts water to 1 part medium) It was an extremely difficult surface to write on because the pouring medium or even acrylic paint makes for a smoother surface.

Thanks to all of you who attended the Open Studio Event yesterday. It was great fun and now you know where I do these pieces everyday. You will need to come again when we're actually creating artwork!

"Paradigm Shift" (sold)

(sold)

"Prayer creates a paradigm shift called thanksgiving." This quote is a springboard off of my favorite author on prayer....E. M. Bounds. I have also included his quote underneath mine. With thanksgiving just around the corner, it is good to ponder these things.


To my script students, this is an example of Copperplate and Spencerian used together to differentiate the two quotes. They are quite different alphabets but they are also very complementary to each other. I have often suggested to those of you who address envelopes that you might be well served to use Copperplate for the name and switch to Spencerian for the address. It would be much faster for you.

Writing on this surface presented a few challenges because it is very dense acrylic paint plus medium. And even though I prepared the paper with several coats of dilute gel matte medium (2 parts water to 1 part medium) it still posed a few problems. I think it was the paper, but I also think it is best to prepare the paper the night before and let the gel matte medium dry overnight. Even with a hair dryer, it doesn't get "bone dry" if it doesn't dry overnight. So I was pulling my hair out trying to get a thin hairline, but that's what I get for waiting till this morning to do the lettering. Just a few things to try or think about.

"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.

"First Things First" ($400.00)

"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need." (NLT) This piece was created for "The Open Doors Gallery" at Hill Country Bible Church in Austin, Texas. This outstanding verse from scripture truly is a priority setter. When confusion settles in and wraps its tentacles around us, this one verse sets everything in proper perspective again. The glass is mostly transparent so the text can be read and the light can bounce around and create light patterns over the piece beneath.

This piece was created with  MDF board and a fused glass overlay. (The glass sits 1/2" off of the surface.) The board was primed with (4) coats of gesso and lightly sanded in between. Acrylic paint was applied, followed by gold leaf and then lettering. Surface preparation to write on gold is the same as writing on acrylic. You can also try brushing pumice over the surface. (Click onto surface preparation at the bottom to pull up previous postings with those instructions.)

The glass is a three layer collage. The bands of black on each end were painted and stamped with Glassline Paint with gold mica powder sandwiched between two of the layers. "First things first" was written with a ruling pen and tracing black powder plus clove oil. The secret to fusing lettering on glass is to fully fuse the three layers at a high temp...then do the lettering and fire it again without going over 1250 degrees. This will retain the hairlines.

Just something to see and think about.

"Charismatic" (unavailable)

"Color has a charismatic personality." Charismatic is a very descriptive word that defines a person who inspires enthusiasm. I thought it would be fun to attach that association to color. And isn't it the truth? Color is the design element that always takes center stage. (This is a 4" x 6" piece created to be given away at an Opening Reception this coming Friday......details are at.....pactofaustin.com/)

The first layer of color in this piece is a dilute application of Cobalt Turquoise (Golden). The second step is three colors mixed individually with approximately a 6:1 ratio of Liquitex Pouring Medium. (6 parts medium to 1 part paint) It must be mixed with a palette knife because of the "tacky" nature of the medium. These three mixtures are then applied to the surface with a palette knife. The next step is to take a fine tooth comb with the ends cut off to run through the paint, revealing the first layer. (If you have signed up for my upcoming Color Workshop, this is one of the techniques you will be creating.)

The end result is a thick, high gloss image that makes a compelling statement. There are endless arrangements that can be done, with or without lettering. You can now call yourself a "colorist"....since color is the main attraction.

For those of you who do lettering, this surface, as is, will not receive gouache. So you will need to mix up (2) parts water to (1) part Gel Matte Medium and use your hair dryer simultaneously with brushing on this solution to get it to attach. It also helps to use painter's tape to attach the back of this piece to the surface so it won't move. Persistence pays off when the entire surface has a matte look. Apply (2) more coats and then you can write. This same technique works with metal leaf. Just something to try or think about.

"The Gate"

This is a (12" x 12") piece created for the Open Doors Gallery at Hill Country Bible Church NW in Austin, Texas. The passage is from the gospel of John. The gate is Jesus Christ and the contemporary translation is from The Message. Double click to read the passage and be blessed today.

These larger works always give me an opportunity to develop my concept more completely.
The background was developed from a spontaneously created first layer to establish an ethereal and timeless mood. Consequently, white gesso entered the process but only after the background was painted, sealed, and prepared to receive the lettering and soft edged patches of white. (Refer to earlier postings for surface preparation.) Notice that the white is emphasized more in all four corners. The capital "I" representing the person of Christ was my focal point with the lettering so I created the most ornate and flourished letter that could be found in all of the exemplars of spencerian in my library.

Even though there is a lot going on in the background, the division of space is still quite pronounced. I have come to fully understand how important shapes are, even in an abstract piece. They ground the piece and deserve careful attention. Just something to think about.

This piece will not be listed on ebay. Any interest should be directed to me by leaving a comment or sending me an e-mail. (Only my 6" x 6" work has a ten day listing on ebay.)

"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.