Tuesday, July 27, 2010

. . . shared my experiments




I've been experimenting, as maybe you know if you read this blog, and finally I have actually come up with some stuff that might work. Being frugal from necessity, I have save many a shop paper towel, as well as many pieces of deli wrap paper that I use in my monoprinting experiments, and just odds and ends of different kinds of surfaces upon which to paint. I have been trying to figure out a way to incorporate some of the deli paper because it has great impressions on it. I guess what I'm doing is a combination of monoprinting and using acrylic skins. The picture above shows what happens when I spread a thin layer of gloss gel medium on a paper shop towel and adhere a piece of deli wrap to it until the medium dries. Then yank off the deli paper and, Bob's your uncle, there you have it. The black parts are from the deli paper. The paint from the deli paper just transfers itself to the shop towel. . . amazing, isn't it? I'm sure someone has thought of this before, but leave me to my "invention," humor me, okay? Additionally, the gloss gel medium gives the paper towel some strength and an almost leather-like texture. I love it.





This is the same technique but on just a piece of pretty heavy scrap paper. This one has three different layers of deli paper leavings.






And here's yet another sample, where the white part is the transferred portion. Gesso works really well with this method, by the way.






The experiments went a bit awry with this one. Instead of the deli paper, I used saran wrap with the gloss gel medium. Let me just say that I learned that saran wrap will stick to paper with medium. The black is what was on the saran wrap. I can't tell if it transferred, but it doesn't really matter.





And this one. . . the black and the blue parts were transferred from deli paper. I might add that the gel medium will also dry into the cracks, creases and crevices of the deli paper, adding an interesting texture.


Now, here is what hasn't worked, yet: Transfers on both sides of a baby wipe (still isn't dry after three days) and transfers to a piece of gessoed canvas (a bit drier, but still pretty wet). Both of those are big gooey messes at the moment. I keep you posted if I discover anything else.

9 comments:

p said...

fantastic. really cool mary! i see birds on branches...i see so much in these. and the texture is so much more interesting than just paint. good job!!!!!!!

Leslie Avon Miller said...

two words...waxed paper.

Jazz said...

I love these!

ArtPropelled said...

The top one is rich with an oriental feel to it..... to me anyway.

Catherine said...

oooh, these are delicious, Mary...more please?

Carol Wiebe said...

Mary, your playful inventiveness is producing great results. Both me, and my Uncle Bob, are mightily impressed.

Arija said...

I found you quite by accident on my daughter's blog and find your work not only impressive but fun as well.

Poetic Artist said...

I love these..Glad I found you.

Cynthia Schelzig said...

Wonderful experiments here on your blog...so much fun reading them and even more fun viewing all the beautiful color!!
Cynthia Schelzig