Sunday, December 22, 2013

This is a description of a current work in progress

I have twelve 40 by 48 inch panels that I have covered with black gesso. The panels are temporarily fastened together.  I have drawn three squiggly lines diagonally from side to side at different heights and drawn "prayer flags" from the lines that are wind blown. I've done background painting with a color that I mixed that is as close as I can get to a color in my mortar that I have gotten by shaking a collection of dust from pastel drawings into it. It is a violet gray color that I call "mars violet".  That is my base color that I mix with varying amounts of acrylic mat medium for translucency. I sometimes add indigo blue and/or lighter gray. I also use varying amounts of dichromic mica particles or gold particles or sprinkle them on the surface.  (The gold comes from my great uncle's supplies.)  The background is about half done.

I've always been intrigued by the concept of prayer flags. A monk in Bhutan gave me permission to take a string of very tattered flags that had fallen to the ground. I keep them in an archival box between layers of archival tissue.

I also work with watercolor and gouache when I feel like working on detailed pieces and pastel when I just want to go crazy. Sometimes I brush gel medium with dichromic mica particles on to paper, let it dry when wildly apply pastel. I use Acrylic fixative over the pastel. I found that it binds to the acrylic under painting.

I'm not ready to show any of my work. I'd like to have a body of work before I do that.

I also play with graphics on the computer.  I started making paged with photos that I find on Tumblr with quotes that I like. I would eventually like to find original photographers of some of the work and get permission to use it in publications such as calendars. The alternative is to find models and do completely original work.

Here's one:

2 comments:

  1. Thank you for that description. You're indeed lucky to have that amount of space to work with. 48 feet in total? The mars violet is intriguing, I often try to get a warmth from what could be a cold colour like grey. I have used small amounts of gold leaf under a translucent medium for an almost medieval effect. The mica particles you use must give a wonderful effect in certain lights angled at them. Trying to "pull" at the acrylic base as it's drying is something I tried to get a rough surface which can be "aerosoled" from an acute angle to just catch the tips of the peaks.
    Stormy here, Hibernation time.

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  2. I hope you reconsider showing before you build up a body of work. Interesting how so many with the slave mind-set are so highly creative. I'm an artist, too.

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