Sunday, October 11, 2009

Mother of Pearl

This is Mother of Pearl, the newest coolest Interference Colour that Tri-Art makes.

Amazing on three dimensional surfaces, breathtaking in direct sunlight.
Like treasure under a thick, rich glaze.

Just thought I'd share, because I think this is a pretty sexy colour.

Mixed media musings


Thinking about acrylics and mixed media as I get ready to head out to a series of workshops and book events. Doing prep for my classes always involves some mixed media, and every time I get the taste of it, I want more.

Yesterday was a litho crayon day. They are hard to find, particularily if not too many people are doing stone lithography in your area. One would think that Kingston, being the Limestone City, would be rich with them, but alas, this is not the case.

The few crayons I have, I hoard and hide. They are a pretty luscious thing to combine with acrylics. Not as loose as charcoal, or as soluble as a watercolour crayon. Moving sluggishly from the pass of medium they are black as soot and somehow creamy. Clinging to the acrylic surface, like a stubborn tar.

I've also been digging in my reserves of ephemera, looking for scraps to embed or coat. Canadian tire money I'll never spend, the subway map of Berlin, a receipt from some shop south of Shanghai. I have a collection of fortunes, from mine and all my family's combined tasteless cookies from over the years. Not sure yet where they'll all turn up, but one thing is for sure, they'll be coated in acrylic, held fast by it's clear film. A taste of my exploratory past and mundane experiences mixed with my art. I'm not much one for journaling anymore, so I suppose this is the closest I'm getting to an altered journal.

In the next week I'll be working with Sharlena on her mixed media workshop, so excited to experience her take on the magic she makes of melding media. If you're around, come join us in Pasadena at the Learning and Product Expo!