Playtime

Fresh Methods  

As an artist I’m lucky to be busy – and to enjoy what I do. However, the opportunity to explore new working methods and to create for the simple pleasure of “making” is not always present.

All work and no play – well, yes indeed, that’s dull. Past sketch stage, work for me generally exists purely digitally. Despite the miracles that we all encounter with the aid of a computer it can be boring. All too often creative processes are distanced from one’s world behind the glare of a monitor. For this self-assigned project I challenged myself to incorporate all the techniques of image making that I have in my creative toolkit and make “an object”. Not a print. Not a facsimile. Not a thing that would, in its finished state, hide behind glass and a 4-ply mat. I had a need to play with paper – and even apply a bit of paint.

And so, with the possibility that there is interest in the ways and means I’ll give a little recount of the materials and methods. Links are provided below for those who want to learn more.

The size of each piece, or panel, is 11 inches by 14 inches. The panels are intended to hang side-by-side – a diptych. The prints are made on 260 gram 100% cotton fiber paper branded under the name Velvet Fine Art Paper. The inkjet printer used is an Epson r2400. Once printed and painted (with acrylic paint) the works are adhered to “Deep Cradled Gessobord” from Blick Art Materials. For mounting I used acid free and archival double tack mounting film. It has a twin coating of permanent adhesive sandwiched between two heavy release papers. (This incredibly strong adhesive paper is a great material to have on hand – highly recommended.)

The visual components are a mix of photographs, scanned objects, drawn and painted elements, and appropriated textures.