Half-empty, art-full

I've taken advantage of a slow down in freelance design work the last couple of weeks and given some time to the art part of my "artist / designer" tagline.

I'm well into the process of updating my website with a new art groupings page. It's a nice way to look at bodies of work rather than in chronological order. I tend to be a pretty streaky creator, so one piece often leads to another. Which is what else I've been doing: working on a new set of collages.

The most recent work was made from a rejected collage started on a stretched canvas that had been languishing under my drafting table. I pulled it out and began layering on top of the collage, tearing sections, and when satisfied with the image, finished it in matte acrylic medium. I then cut the canvas from the stretcher and then cut it in two. I fell in love with not just the two resulting collages, but the pliable texture of the pieces themselves. They feel good.

With a bit of extra time on my hands, I decided to try this process again. (Minus the rejected collage under the drafting table part.)

After first painting a stretched canvas silver, I took several days to assemble a torn piece of paper collage. I then used the same silver acrylic to paint a grid on top of the piece. I then selectively painted in sections of the grid. I sealed the piece in matte acrylic medium, cut it from the stretcher, and then trimmed the piece to 18 x 24 inches. If you'd like a visual of this process, I took a few pictures along the way and posted them on Instagram and Facebook.

Presenting a new collage painting with an appropriate title. The bonus of being a freelance designer with a home studio: art breaks.

 

Silver Lining, 2012, paper and acrylic on unstretched canvas, 18 x 24 inches, AVAILABLE.