Being Brave - Days 1 and 2

I tend to overthink things both in life and in my art. Sometimes its a good thing. I usually make good life decisions. Sometimes its a bad thing. I'm not as spontaneous as I'd like to be with my art. Well, I now have a situation artistically that requires some fast process-oriented thinking and actual doing.


Next week the annual Handmade Paper Guild show of Southwest Michigan will hang. I have one piece done. The other, much larger piece, has been done in my mind for months (that whole overthinking thing again) but is certainly not done so that others can actually see it. I've never be brave enough to post my in progress work because I always want to make sure what I'm working on turns out before showing anyone. Well, because of this show deadline, and because I need entertaining fodder for the blog, and because I'm going to be brave this week, I'm going to show you how it goes along the way.


I can only hope it turns out as good as what's in my brain!




Here we go: I'm using new techniques for me. In May I took an online course with a guy named Gary Reef. (Notice I didn't show you any of that WIP but I will as some of them are finished now and I had some decent results.) Anyway, I love his abstracts and was thrilled to be able to get a glimpse of the techniques he uses. I'm using some of his techniques and added what I love: handmade paper.


Step 1: The canvas is 2' x 4'. Draw out where I want the handmade paper to go. Can you see the forms of houses?




Step 2: Cut highly textured handmade paper to fit the sketch. Glue down paper. Dry. Ignore the colors on the HMP as it will all be painted over.




Step 3: Paint the whole thing with housepaint. Two coats on the HMP as it is very absorbant. Thus ends day 1.


Step 4: Cover the background with a texturing medium (spackle/glue) and put string in the spackle. Let dry. Remove string. Day 2 ends.



More as I go. Encouragement, tips, criticism is all welcome...


Lorrie