Just Dessert Chapter 3

This process took me four tries! Oh what you learn when you try something new! I had to dissolve one image OFF the skin due to lack of ink in spots. I also lost a great image due to incompatible mediums - the whole image crackled when I tried to seal it with matte medium! The results were cool but not usable for this!

NOTE TO SELF: using digital ground is NOT a basic technique!

This stage is all about composing. Only two of these elements are staying right now, the image and the quote. The rest are just possible options. My aim is to make the piece look visually yummy. This exhibition is about desserts so I want a piece that makes you feel like you do when you see a beautiful frosted cake or some other confection.

The close up shots show how beautiful the mixed gels and mediums take the acrylic colors and create a textured and varied surface.

The author of the quote was one of the very first gastronomical writers. He wrote about the aesthetics of eating food with all senses. When you read any of the contemporary books on Acrylics they often speak in terms of food. Words like luscious, viscus, stringy or creamy are often used when describing acrylic mediums. My goal on this piece is to accentuate that idea.

I really love watching some of the more creative food channel shows. I think because they are a lot like painting!

One of my favorites is "The Best Thing I Ever Ate"

Just Dessert Chapter 2

Usually I use digital images in my "Quote Series." I have been using photo paper as a collage element but wanted to try the new digital ground for non porous surfaces by Golden.

The first step is to make a skin and I have done that many times before only THIS time I decided to use a cool new product mixed in with the skin by Tri-Art called Liquid Mirror. BIG mistake. Although liquid mirror is acrylic paint it sticks like crazy...much more than regular acrylic paint. The mixture would not pull off of my acrylic release board at all! I had to scrape it off with a putty knife! I will likely use this beautiful pile of skin, it looks like thin sheets of butterscotch ribbon candy or some kind of caramelized sugar.

The next skin worked like a charm. I laid down a coating of gel gloss and let it dry. Then a coat of the liquid mirror on top. Success! The skin lifted right off the sheet! Tomorrow I can print the image of the tea cup and lemon square right on the skin then integrate it into my painting. Next step, two coats of digital ground. The ground allows the photo to be printed with amazing clarity right on the acrylic skin.

The support is a 14x14 Elephant Birch Panel. Gesso both sides first then several layers of acrylics gels and mediums. I use a variety of viscosity's and finishes so that when I add the color glazes the grounds take the color in different ways for a beautiful surface effect.

More to follow.

Just Dessert

Well...

I don't have a lot of time but I think I might try to enter a piece for the "Just Dessert" show at Heartwood College of Art, sponsored by ASH, Artists in Service to Humanity. It's due March 1st! I made some lemon squares this weekend, one of my faves. I set one up in a blue china plate with some tea and took some photos.

My goal is to do one of my "Quote Series" Acrylic Collage pieces to enter. If you want to see a sample of my "quote series" click here. More to come. I'll try to blog the progress. Below is the digital image.

The quote will be:

"Tell me what you eat, I'll tell you who you are." - Anthelme Brillat-Savarin