I actually thought that I had posted some of this earlier. Now with so much, I'll have to stretch it out over a couple of weeks.
As has been my practice in the past, I start up my creative engine with simple abstract composition. Just 3 points/areas of complimentary color interspersed with dark/light value contrast. Throw in some texture, and that's it.
I also restarted a favorite theme from the past: fish skeletons. So, the fish graveyard series continues. With the same simple design equation. I added more delineation and combing in this one.
I went heavy on the fabric dye and blending on this piece, as well as some wet-on-wet mixing. The blurry texture was the desired effect.
I included the side-by-side pics below to show an example of the same piece "filled with layers" and then sanded down to reveal the hidden patterns. As with most of these quasi frescoes, I have to seal the plaster to protect the surface and enhance the color.
The other option that I use to seal a piece is to pour a two part table top epoxy/resin over it. This creates a glass like layer approximately 1/8" thick (hence the glare on this photo). Aside from the danger of scratching the epoxy surface in the future, the layer is virtually "bullet proof". The real downside is the ideal conditions required to mix and apply the stuff (have to use a respirator and all!).
In this abstract work, I resorted to an outlining of more geometric shapes. Followed by 2nd and 3rd layer filling.
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| I have wanted, for the past couple of years, to build a portrait on a skeletal drawing by using layers of acrylic glaze. Here's the first step. |
