Saturday, January 24, 2009

. . .glued myself together




When I started making these little collages, I grabbed the biggest jug of sticky stuff I had in my art stash. It just happened to be Liquitex Gloss Medium and Varnish, and that turned out to be a really good choice. Liquitex is maybe a little less expensive than Golden; the gloss medium tries transparent, and I like the fact that it can act as a varnish, too. I put the medium on the collage itself, on the bits and pieces I stick to the collage, and then cover each layer with the stuff. I started out using a brayer, but soon discovered that my own fingers are much more efficient.


However, I end up with glue everywhere, even though I keep a damp cloth next to me to wipe my fingers. It doesn't matter. The glue dries on my fingers and then peels off in fascinating strips, or just stays on my hands in little pieces, even after I wash them. I have a scrub brush that I use, too. . . but I'm always finding places that I have touched with my gluey fingers. I have had to pull out small chunks of hair because I had pushed it out of my face with glue-covered digits. The edges of my glass are glue-encrusted where I pushed them back up my nose. My chin and neck were glued for a while. I have had glue turn up in rather odd locations because I had an itch that demanded scratching. Maybe that's in the TMI category.


This collage was a relief to make. I didn't have a fixed color scheme. I just added whatever I wanted to use. I also want to share with you a wonderful Flickr set: http://flickr.com/photos/dailypoetics/sets/72157594239675043/. Daily Poetics added me to her contact list recently and last night I spent a lot of time looking through her collages. I think you'll agree that it was time well spent.

6 comments:

Cindy said...

LOL, Mary, I can identify. I love your color experiments, I'm looking forward to what you do next, getting back to your own colors.
Cindy

M said...

Mary,
Liquitex Gloss Medium and Varnish is my favourite of all mediums to use (yes I have Golden too) for everything that I build up in layers. I love the vibrancy in colour that I don't get with matt medium. When I build up in matt medium there is a dulling over six or sever layers . I also find Gloss Medium and Varnish makes the best image transfers(creating a gel skin transfer). How efficient is it that if you want a gloss finish it is also a varnish! I've gone through tubs and tubs of it. As for getting it on your hands and having it peel off in strips and bits- someone asked my at a party if I had a skin condition. The fact I was trying to inconspicuously peel it off wasn't helping my image and didn't go with the little black dress ! It's so difficult to leave the studio behind.

Leslie Avon Miller said...

Maybe its a good exercise to use colors that are not ours, and then feel the relief when we get back to our own colors. I like liquitex too. The paints are better than they used to be as well. I really like this collage. It reminds me of a cup of coffee.....

Mary Buek said...

Hi, Cindy: I am amazed that some of my "iffy" color experiments that I have posted on flickr seem to get a lot of positive responses. Just goes to show. . .

Hi, Margaret: That's pretty funny, a skin condition, indeed. . .

Leslie: I has found that I even prefer some of liquitex paints, especially the transparent siennas, umbers, etc. Do you use those?

Seth said...

I found this post so funny because the same thing happens to me! And this piece is one of my favorites of your collages.

Jazz said...

I really like this piece, even though you had to glue yourself together tho achieve it.

And I'll definitely have to visit the link you posted. Thanks.