CORONA CROSSES MAKE BACKGROUNDS FOR CARDS!

For the last few weeks I have been studying and working on crosses as a design symbol.  It seemed appropriate during this time.  Now the most recognised icon in the world, the cross in pre-Christian times is thought to have originated from the ancient Babylonians, before spreading to other parts of the world.  To Christians, it is a religious symbol depicting the crucification, particularly at Easter.  Not only is it a symbol of death, but it is one of love, hope and resurrection.

Above are a few of the samples of textured painted crosses that I have been trying out.  The texture in this case was sawdust mixed with PVA, which was applied and allowed to dry before I added layers of paint.  I photocopied them to use as backgrounds for some cards, but they came out very subdued - probably because I was low on ink!  That suited me as I just wanted the crosses in the background with bright flowers as the main focal point. The cards would be suitable for Easter or I sent one to an elderly friend, who has been heavily involved in his local church, for his birthday...

TAKING REFUGE - NATURE ON SHOW IN SOMERTON!

Angela Morley, horticulturist, designer and artist has a solo exhibition at ACE Arts in Somerton until the 10th March.  It is a celebration of willow and woodland materials and as Angela says,"'For me this exhibition is about showing people the close-up details of the wonders of nature. I’ve used lots of different materials such as fine grass heads and downy thistles, lots of different textures and buds and even peacock feathers. All my work is about opening people’s eyes to the beauty of nature and I hope that if people can see how beautiful it is they will be able to respect it more."

I visited the show with my friend Joanne, pictured above right.  The floor of the beautiful exhibition space was filled with five large wigwam-like willow forms which provided exciting enclosed spaces for 'taking refuge'.  They had a metal frame for stability and people were invited to try one of them out - see above left pic.  It was an exhibition of lovely organic shapes, natural textures and exquisite forms.  Well worth a visit!

THE BOTTOM LAYER

For me there are three different ways of starting a layered artwork - using text and/or images, colour or texture.  Sometimes it may be a combination, as in this example. Here are some close-ups of the painting featured in my last post, which you can see if you look at the blog, began with bright yellow acrylic and torn out pieces from a vintage magazine.  I often start by covering the whole surface with my old letters. However, this turns out to be quite time consuming as I cannot resist reading them and bringing back memories of people long forgotten! I like the idea that they are going to be part of my artwork.

I try to take care that this first layer is not totally obliterated by subsequent layers as I like the serendipity of what can be seen, especially the odd word of text or a recognisable bit of an image.   One of my friends once saw her name in one of my pictures!  If you want to control what can be seen, areas can be protected with things such as, paper, masking fluid, tape and petroleum jelly.

I don't often use colour on its own as a bottom layer, but when I do, I put contrasting acrylic paints on top, and partially remove them.  This can be done by scraping with an old credit card or dab them off with a rag and water. Alternatively, stencil, stamp, roll paint or colour wash glazes over the first layer of colour or colours.  The aim is to let some of the colour underneath to show through.  I will often then start collaging paper and adding more semi-transparent layers.

Here is a picture of a textured acrylic painting of the Dorset coastline I did some years ago.  It is 80cm x 30cm and hangs on my landing. It has a bottom layer of texture consisting of tissue paper, packaging and cardboard. This was glued to the canvas which was then primed with a wood primer, a cheaper alternative to gesso for larger canvases, before painting and stamping with acrylics and other mediums.  The thing about using texture as the bottom layer is that, unlike colour and text, the aim is cover up the materials used completely.  The texture can be highlighted by dry brushing white/ black paint or silver or gold gilding on the top.  Alternatively, dilute paint or inks can be rubbed in and rubbed off leaving colour in the crevices. 

There are other ways of creating texture - acrylic modelling and texture mediums, crumpled tissue, stitched and manipulated fabric, glue gun,  thick layer of gesso or paint, to name a few.  Another form of texture can be created with filler, mud rock or plaster.  This is what I used for the artwork below.  The twig-like structure is actually a dried piece of nature which was attached to the canvas with plaster bandages. It is important with all kinds of 'wet' texture that it is allowed to dry thoroughly. I always leave it overnight before priming and then painting.

'Nature reclaimed' (46cms x 36cms)