When the Medium Does the Painting

Letting the material determine the outcome of a piece by allowing it to flow and mix as it wants is an approach that can be used in a variety of mediums including polymer, as we saw on Wednesday.

This beautiful image here, as I am sure you surmised, is not polymer. It’s not alcohol inks or watercolor or any of the traditional mediums. Although it may not be surprising to find out it is encaustic wax, the way the artist gets these ethereal forms and textures just might be surprising. So, instead of listening to me blather about the technique, I will suggest you slake your curiosity by watching this wonderful video the artist, Alicia Tormey, recently produced to show her technique. It’s a beautifully done video, but it is nothing next to the gorgeous texture of the pieces she creates.

Visit this link for the video on her home page, then stay and investigate her website and the wonderful colors and forms she creates for her wall art.

Inspirational Challenge of the Day: Starting with a single white, translucent, or light-colored sheet of clay, work the surface with spontaneous, uncontrolled additions. Crumple paper or foil and press the texture into it. Drop inks onto it, splatter paint or rub gilders paste onto it. Spritz with alcohol and water and let inks and paints run, then dab or rub off spots with a bit of towel. Sprinkle mica powder or oxide powder over it or randomly adhere metal leaf. Do as much or as little of this as you like until you see a surface that pleases you. If you go a little overboard, let any liquids dry then roll the sheet one step down on the pasta machine once or twice. Pick out parts you like to make polymer elements for jewelry or add to the sheet to develop a piece of wall art.

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