Wabi sabi art workshop barton, serena
description
Transcript of Wabi sabi art workshop barton, serena
Wabi-SabiArtWorkshop
Mixed-MediaTechniquesforEmbracingImperfectionandCelebratingHappyAccidents
SerenaBarton
createmixedmedia.com
contents
IntroductionFindingInspirationandBeautyintheOrdinaryToolsandMaterialsYou’llWant
1lookingforwabi-sabiandfindingitallaroundyou
Wabi-SabiColorsWabi-SabiTextureAWabi-SabiPhotoGalleryUseYourPhotoforInspirationUseYourPhotoforSettingaMoodInspirationHaikuMixingAcrylicsCreatingVisualTextureFinishingTouchesSealingYourPiecesTheLandscapeFormatPaintingwithRe-InkersAcrylicPaintandRe-Inkers
2patinaoftime:creatingtheeffectsofseasoning
Spattering,Sponging,DroppingandWipingScrapingandIncising
3strataoftime:creatinglayersoftexture
UsingaPaintingKnifePlasterItOnTissuePaperSpecialtyPapersVintagePaperandDressPatternGluingOnandTearingOff
4throwinthetowel:workingwiththeunexpected
UsingTeaBagsUsingStainedShopTowelsAmazingCheeseclothCoffee,MetalFlakes,YarnandStampsTheCover-Up
5abstractingfromthereal:thepowerofsuggestion
PlayingwithTornPaperABrushwithAbstractionCompositionTipsforAbstractWork
6translucence:creatingwabi-sabiinwax
MakingandApplyingEncausticMediumMakingEncausticPaint
PaintingWabi-SabiEncausticAddingCollageElementstoWaxHotSticksandanIron
7buriedtreasure:3-Dwaxartandotherenhancements
HuntingandGatheringEmbellishmentsAttachinganEmbellishmentEmbeddinginaNicheIncisingaFocalPointOilPaintwithWaxGoldTransferFoilwithWax
continuingwithwabi-sabi
DedicationAcknowledgmentsResourcesAbouttheAuthorCopyrightInformation
ONLYACHIRPINGINSECTTOLDMEITWASNIGHTTHEMOONWASSOBRIGHT.~Etsujin
Introduction
Welcome!I’mdelightedtohaveyoujoinmeonthiswabi-sabiadventure.Togetherwe’llcreatewithinspirationfromtheworldaroundusaswellasinspirationfromourfeelings,memoriesanddesires.Weallcometopaintingandmixed-mediaartviadifferentpaths.Here’smystory:Ilovedtodrawandcolorasayoungchild.Oneofmyfirstendeavorswastodecoratethe
butcherpaper“float”thatmyfatherattachedtomytricycleforachildren’sparadewhenIwasfour.Icoveredthepaperwithmermaids,fairyqueens,ballerinasandmaybeevenawitch.FortheparadeIwasdressedinjeans,asweater,ahaloandwings.Beingintheparadetvwasabigdealforme.Isawmyfirstparadeatagethree,andIremembercryingbecauseIwantedtobeintheparade,notjustwatchit.WhenIwasalittleolder,actingcapturedmyinterest.Beingonstagewasawonderfulcure
formyextremeshyness.InaplayIcouldbeanyone.AsanadultIbecameacounselorandmother.OvertheyearsIexperimentedwithvariouscrafts,suchasweaving,butIwasneverexactenoughformediawhereprecisionisimportant.In1995ItookmyfirsttriptoItalyandIwasoverwhelmedbythebeautyIsaw.Theplentiful
art,thecrumblingsurfacesofbuildings,thehillsofTuscanyandthecanalsofVeniceenchantedme.IvowedthenIwouldreturntomyrootsandlearnagaintocreateart.Ifoundinmyartexplorationthatmystrengthlayinexpressiveandintuitivework.Ibegan
withacrylicpaint,movedtooilpaintandfellinlovewithmixedmedia.Likemanyofyou,I’mnotcontenttoworkinjustonemedium.InthisbookI’veincludedseveralofmyfavoritessuchasacrylic,re-inker,oil,plasterandencaustic.Usemytechniques,mediaandprojectsasspringboardstocreatingartwithyourownuniquestyleandwiththecolorpalettesyouprefer.Whetheryouareabeginner,beginningagainoranestablishedartist,mymessagetoyouis
thesame.Experiment,enjoy,keepworking,embraceaccidentsandmistakesandtrustyourself.Inthisbookyou’lllearntodelightinaddinglayers,subtractingelementsandallowingyourselftolovetheprocessandtheresult!Remember,ifyou’remakingart,you’reintheparade!
CHILDREN’SPARADEOnceuponatime…
Gallery:DESIREEncausticonwoodpanel
Gallery:ZEITGEISTMixedmediaonwoodpanel
FindingInspirationandBeautyintheOrdinary
WhenIfirstheardthetermwabi-sabi,thesoundofthewordsintriguedme.Isetouttofindoutwhatthetermmeant.Afterfindingsomecluesinbooks,photographsand,yes,theInternet,Irealizedthetermreferstoakindofphilosophy,aestheticandfeelingIhadalreadyinternalized.Iwasexcitedbythisrealizationandwasinspiredtobegincreatingpaintingsandmixed-mediapiecesthatembodiedmyunderstandingofwabi-sabi.Thetermwabi-sabicomesfromtwoJapanesewordsandreferstothatwhichisimperfect,
impermanent,aged,humbleandauthentic.Bothnature-andhuman-madeobjectsmayhavewabi-sabiqualities.Wabi-sabiisanaestheticthatvaluesthepassingoftime,theseasoningoftimeandtheelements,thehandmadeandthesimple.Wabi-sabiisawayofbeingopentoemotionandacceptance.Wabi-sabiisastateofmindandastateoffeeling.Ifindthisstateofbeingexpressedintraditionalhaikupoetry,whichcanexpressaworldofseeing,listening,smelling,atiUtastingandfeelingintherecordingofasinglemoment.Inthesepages,I’llsharemyunderstandingandinspirationwithyou.Togetherwe’llexplore
themeaningandbeautyintheordinaryobjectsweseeeveryday.We’llhonorthehumbleandtheworn,theimperfectandthetransitory.I’llgiveyoutools,techniquesandideasthatyoucanusetoenterintotheessenceofwabi-sabi.Morethananything,I’llencourageyoutoworkfromyourheart.Whenyoumakewabi-sabiart,youallowtheprocesstounfoldandtoenvelopyouinthemoment.Wabi-sabiembracesserenity,joy,solitude,surpriseandwhateverelseyoumayexperienceinthemoment.WhenIwasinmytwenties,anacquaintancewhohadlivedinJapantoldmethatthe
Japaneseidealofbeautywasaflowerjustpastitsprime,aflowerbeginningtoturnbrownattheedgesofitspetals.Backthen,thisseemedastrangeideatome,butnowIunderstanditbetter.Wemixed-mediaartistsandartloversaredrawntoobjectsthatspeakofthepassageof
time.Wemayfeelbittersweetemotionaswethinkofthosewholivedbeforeus,andwemaywonderwhattheirliveswerelike.Welikenatureinitswilderstates.Thewabi-sabioutlookacceptsthatweareallimpermanentonthisearthandthatthemostimportantthinginlifeistobefullypresentinthemoment.Weareopentoanyandallofouremotionsinthismomentandacceptthemwithserenity.Iamalsodrawntotheidealofthehandmadeandtheimperfectionsthatmakeanobject
singularandmeaningful.Mywabi-sabiworkisexperimentalandinteractive.RatherthanplanningoutapiecebeforeIcreateit,Iworkwiththematerialsandletthemguideme.Imakealotof“mistakes”andhavealotof“accidents”whileI’mworking.Andthat’sexcellent!Inthisbook,Iwilltalkaboutthebeautyofimperfectionandsomeofthewonderfuleffectsofunintendedelements.I’llshowyouwaystoredopiecesyou’veputaside,andI’llletyouinonsomeaccidentaldiscoveriesthathaveinspiredmetousematerialsandtechniquesinnewways.Thisbookcovershowtouseyourownphotographsforinspirationandhowtocreatewabi-
sabitextureandcoloronyourpiece.You’llstartwithsimplelandscapecompositionsinacrylicandre-inkerglazeandendwithcomplexlayersofmixed-mediaelements.Wabi-sabicanembodythe“lessismore”aestheticaswellas“moreismore.”InmyworkIoftencombinesimplicityofcompositionwithcomplexityoflayering.Theprojectsinthisbookhaveincommon
thequalitiesofasymmetry,aseasonedlookandasenseofcontemplation.Tome,wabi-sabiislikeagardenthatissomewhatovergrown.Maybeasecretgardenthat
isallthesweeterfornotbeingperfectlymanicured.Wabi-sabiissubtle;itdoesn’thityouoverthehead.It’smysteriousandcomplex.Creatingwabi-sabiworkisfreeing—therearenorealmistakesandnowrongwaytodoit.Theprocessofinteractingwithyourmaterialsinanopenandexploratorywayisasimportantasthefinishedproduct.Beingavisualperson,IbelieveoneofthebestwaysIcanconveymywabi-sabioutlookis
throughphotographsI’vetakenandthroughmyartwork.Yourworkwillbefilteredthroughyouressenceasmyworkisfilteredthroughmine.Themoreyoucanremainintheprocess,themoreyou’llenjoythepiecesyoumake.Oneof
thelovelyparadoxesofartisthatthemoreweplayandexperimentanddon’ttrytoohardtogetacertainresult,themoresatisfiedweareintheend,whenweviewwhatwe’vecreated.
Toolsandmaterialsyou’llwant
Don’tfeellikeyouhavetoacquirealloftheseproductsatonce.Thetechniquesandprojectsinthisbookcanbemixedandmatchedtousewhatyouhave.Manyoftheprojectscallforrecycledmaterialsyou’llfindaroundthehouseorstudio.Ifyouhavesomeoftheitemsonthislistandafriendhasothers,gettogethertoexperiment.
AcrylicGelMediumThisinvaluableproductcomesinseveralfinishesandinregularandsoftformulas.Allaresuitableforprojectsinthisbook.Gelmediumisusedtoextendandstrengthenyourpaintfilm.Italsomakesanexcellentglueandsealantforcollage.
AcrylicGessoThisisaprimercoatthatprovidesanabsorbentandsmoothbaseforyourwork.We’llbeusingwhiteandblackgessoforsomeofourprojects.Ifyoubuyapre-gessoedcanvasyoudon’tneedtoaddadditionalgesso,althoughyoucanchoosetoifyouwantasmoothersurface.
AcrylicGlazeMediumGlazemediumismorefluidthangelmedium.We’lluseittocreatetransparentglazesofpaintandre-inkercolor.
AcrylicPaintThismodernpaintismadefrompigmentsuspendedinanacrylicpolymeremulsion.Inotherwords,it’sapeople-madeproduct.Youcanuseacrylicpaintslikewatercolorsorlikeoils.Theyarefastdryingandworkwellinmultiplelayers.Irecommendyouuseartist-graderatherthanstudent-gradepaints.Thestudentgradeshavelesspigmentsotheydon’tgoasfar.
AlcoholInksLikere-inkers,alcoholinkscomeinrichcolorsandcanbeusedinavarietyofways.We’llusethemtoaddbothsubtleanddramaticeffectstoourpieces.
AluminumFoil
BeeswaxYou’llwantnaturalyelloworclearfilteredbeeswaxforseveralprojects.Beeswaxcomesincakes,pelletsorgrains.ChecktheResourcessectionforsources.
ButaneorPropaneTorchorEmbossingGunIusuallyuseatorchwithmyencausticwork.Otherartistspreferaheatorembossinggun.Oneprojectinthisbookrequiresatorch.Youcanuseacrèmebruléetorchoratorchfromthehomeimprovementstore.Theotherencausticprojectsgiveyouachoiceofembossinggunortorch.Ifyoudiscoveryouloveusingatorch,youcaninvestigateothertorches,suchasmyfavorite,theIwatani.
Camera
You’lluseyourcamerafortakingwabi-sabiinspirationphotos.Iuseaninexpensivedigitalcamerasetatitshighestresolutionformostofmyinspirationphotos.Usewhateveryouhaveandwhateverfitsyourpresentphotographyabilities.
Cheesecloth
ColdWaxMediumColdwaxmediumismadefrombeeswax,alkydresinandmineralspirits.Itismostoftenusedforanoilpaintmedium,butitalsomakesagreatfinalcoatforpiecesinanymedium.
CollagePaperTheseareavailableatartandcraftstoresandonline.IpreferalighterweightpaperforcollagesoIlookforthat,aswellasdecorativenapkinsandspecialtypapers.
ColoredTissuePaper(RedandMagenta)testrong>Again,looklocallyoronlineforarttissuepaper.
ConstructionPaper
DamarResinThisisanaturalproductfromtrees.Itusuallycomesinsmallcrystalsandisusedtostrengthenbeeswaxmedium.
DressPatternPaperThriftstoresareanexcellentsourceofoldpatterns.Itdoesn’tmatterwhatkindofgarmentthepatternisfor.
DriedTeaBagsSavethoseusedteabags(thekindwithastapleandatag).Letthemdryoutandkeepthemforaprojectinthisbook.
EmbellishmentsEmbellishmentsarethestapleofmixed-mediaartists.Youcanfindmetalandpaperembellishmentsandephemeraatvintagestores,garagesalesandonetsy.comandotherwebsites.SeeHuntingandGatheringEmbellishments.
ElectricSkilletandElectricGriddleWe’llusetheseforourencausticprojects.Youcanbuythemneworfromasecond-handstore.It’simportantthatthetemperaturecontrolsareingoodworkingordersothatyourwax-resinmixtureorencausticpaintwillmeltwithoutsmoking.
EncausticIronSeveralcompaniesmakeanironespeciallyforusewithencausticmediumandpaint.
FauxFinishCombYoucanpickoneoftheseupatyourlocalhardwarestore.TheoneIuseistriangularwith
teethonallsides.
HotSticksMadebyEnkaustikos,thesearepigmentedsticksofbeeswaxanddamarresin.Imeltthemonanencausticironandthenapplythemtomypiece.
InstantCoffee
MetalFlakesThesesmallflakesaregreatforaccents.IusevariegatedmetalflakesfromMonaLisa.
MexicanAmateLaceMarblePaperThislovelypaperismadebytheOtomiIndianartisansofMexicoinaccordancewithalongtradition.Thepaperismadefromthebarkoftheamateplantandcomesinavarietyofdesigns.We’llusethelacemarblevariety,whichcanbeteasedapartforstunning3-Deffects.You’llfindthispaperinseveralonlineshops.
MulberryPaperThispaperismadefromthebarkofthemulberrytree.We’llbeusingthisasthebasisforourwabi-sabiembellishedpapers.
NeocolorIICrayonsThesedense,highlypigmentedcrayonscanbeusedalone,blendedwithwaterorsmudged.
Off-WhiteTissuePaperArttissueworksbest.I’vefoundthatregulartissuecanbetooweakforsomeprojects.Sometimesyou’llgetsomegreatoff-whitetissueinyourshoppingbag.
OilPaintThisisaslow-dryingpaintconsistingofparticlesofpigmentsuspendedinadryingoil.We’llbeusingoilpaintswithourencausticmediumforcreatingcoloredwaxpaintandforrubbingintothesurfaceofanencausticpiecrscaustice.Aswithacrylics,theartist-gradecolorswiththeirhighpigmentloadareabetterdealinthelongrunthanstudent-gradeoils.
OilPastelsThesesmallsticksaremadefrompigmentcombinedwithanoilandwaxbinder.Theyworkwonderfullyoverencaustic.Theycanbefoundatartstoresandsomevarietystores.
PaintbrushesI’veneverbeenoneforexpensivebrushesforwabi-sabiwork.Ilikenylonbrushes,mostlyflat,andIuseafanbrushinsomeprojects.
PanPastelsTheseyummypowderedpigmentsarepackedincakeformsotheycanbemixedandappliedlikepaint.Wewillusethemforlightglazesandaccents.
PaperorShopTowels
You’llbeusingpapertowelsnotonlyforcleanupbutalsoascollagematerialinoneofourprojects.IliketheheavypapershoptowelsbyScottforthispurpose.
Plaster(JointCompound)Youcanpurchasethisbuildingmaterialinapowdertobemixedwithwaterorpre-mixedinatub.Jointcompoundtakeslongertodrythansomeplasterproducts,soallowplentyoftimefortheplasterprojectinthisbook.
PotteryScraperandCarvingToolsThesetoolsaredesignedforclayworkbutarealsousedbyencausticartists.Asimplebeginner’scarvingsetworksfine.Iuseapotteryscraperwithanoval-ordiamond-shapedblade.
Re-inkersRe-inkerswereoriginallydesignedtorefillinkinrubber-stamppads.Throughoutthisbookyou’llfindprojectsthatrequirere-inkersandacrylicglazemediumtocreatearichlycoloredpaintglaze.
RubbingAlcohol
RubberStampsandInkPad(Bothalphabetanddesignstamps)
SilkSariYarnYoucanbuythislovelyvariegatedsilkyarnfromseveralonlinesources.Italsocomesinarecycledyarnvariety.
SmallPlasticSprayBottle
SoyWaxUsesoywaxtocleanyourbrusheswhenyouuseencausticpaint.Dipyourbrushinthemeltedsoywaxwheneveryouwanttochangecolors—thenyouwon’tneedanewbrushforeachencausticcolor.Soywaxisavegetableproductmadefromtheoilofthesoybean.Itistooweakawaxtouseinencausticmediumorpaintexceptinthiscapacity.
SpongeSeaspongesareespeciallyniceforartprojects,astheyhavevariegatedandnaturalsurfaces.
TransferMetalLeafThismetalleafcanbetransferredwithoutthemessinessofmetalflakes.IuseMonaLisaSimpleLeafingold.
VintageBookandExtraVintagePagesYoucanfindtheseatthriftstores,garagesalesandpubliclibrarysales.
VintagePostageStampsChecketsy.com,aswellasotherartifactandembellishmentsites,forthese.
Water
WaxBrushesNylonorotherfinebrushesdon’tworkwellwithwax.Youcanpickupcheapbristlebrushesatahomeimprovementstore.Nocleanupisneeded.Letthewaxdryonthebrushanduseitinasimilarcolornexttime.
WoodorCanvasBoardSupportsYou’llneedwoodpanelsfortheencausticprojectsinthisbook.Theotherprojectscanbedoneonpanels,canvasboardsorstretchedcanvas.IpreferrigidsupportswhenI’musingmixedmedia.
1
lookingforwabi-sabiandfindingitallaroundyou
Gallery:AIDE-MEMOIREAcrylicandre-inkerglazeonwoodpanel
Ifindthatlookingforwabi-sabiremindsmetoreallypayattentiontowhatIseeandfeel.Thewabi-sabisearchinvolvesslowingdownandobservingsmallpiecesoftheworld.Ilovegoingonwabi-sabiwalkswithmygrandsonorsomeofmyyoungstudents.Childrenareexcellentteachersforadultswholiveinahurriedworldwhereitishardtoseethetreesandtheforestisablur.Herearesomewaystorelearnhowtolookwithwonderandopenness.Exploreyourhomeandyardoryourneighborhood.Lookatbothnatureandhuman-made
objectsfor:
•Aging•Seasoning•Humbleform•Simplicity•Peelinglayers
•PlantlifegrowingthroughobjectsorpavementGotoanoldpartofyourtownandseewhatgloriousruinedfeaturesyoucanfind.Explorethriftandsecondhandstoresforobjectsthatspeaktoyouofliveswelllived.Takelotsofpicturesofwhatyoufind,especiallyclose-ups.I’mnotatrainedphotographer,
butIfindthatwithmytrustydigitalcameraandknowledgeofafewphoto-editingtechniques,Icantakephotosthatinspiremetocreate.Thephotosprovideagoodjumping-offpointforcolor,textureandlinethatIcanuseinmywabi-sabiwork.Besidessight,othersensesmayhelpyoufindwabi-sabi:
•Thesmellofdistantwoodsmokeonanautumnevening•Thesmellofnew-mowngrassthatmakesyoumomentarilylongforchildhood•Fragrantflowersattwilightonasummernight•Thesmelloftheseaenvelopingyouonadesertedbeach•Thesoundofbamboowindchimesatdusk•Hearingthecrashingofthesurfonafoggydayonthecoast•Hearingthecallofanowlwhileyouaresleepingunderthestars•Touchingthepittgepedsurfaceofaclaybowl•Strokingthewrinkledfaceofanelder•Feelingthecoldsurfaceofanoldmetalteakettle•Theearthytasteoffreshmushrooms•Thesweet-and-sourtasteofmisosoup•Thetasteofhome-cookedbrownriceandvegetables
Memorycanalsohaveabiginfluenceonyourwabi-sabiart.Iwillalwaysrememberthe
senseofpeaceandcontentmentIhadwhenIvisitedmygrandmother’shouse.Shedecoratedwithcalmingcolorsandlotsofinspirationalartwork.Attheloweredgeofherlargegardenwasaslough.MygrandfatherusedtotakemeoutinhisrowboatandencouragemetopretendthesloughwastheMississippiRiver.Irememberfamilyvisitstothebeach.Ifoundlotsofshellpiecesandagatesthatseemed
magicaltomeatthetime.Ifindthecolorsofmygrandmother’shouseandgardenreappearinmyartwork,aswellasmistyoceanandriverelements.Byallowingourselvestoremember,wecanvisitthoseplacesthatfilleduswithwonder.
whatyou’llneedforthischapter
AcrylicgelmediumAcrylicgessoAcrylicglazemediumAcrylicpaintin:white,TitanBuff,Payne’sGrayandyourfavoritecolorsColdwaxmediumDistressinkpadPaintbrushesPaperorshoptowelsRe-inkersinseveralshadesRubbingalcoholSmallplasticspraybottle
WaterWoodorcanvassupports
Wabi-SabiColors
ColorsthatIassociatewithwabi-sabitendtoberich,mutedandcomplex.Awarmpalettemightcontainred-browns,BuffWhite,yellowgold,yellowgreenandUltramarineBlue.Nature’sautumncolors,thoseofthefallingleavesanddecayingvegetation,maybethemostwabi-sabicolorsofthepalette.Youcancreatewabi-sabipieceswithacoolerpaletteaswell.Silver,mauve,pastelyellows,coolblues,graysandblackcanevokewinterandalsotheagedlookofoldmetal.Ioftenusebrightcolorsforaccentsinmypieces,astheycancreate“sweetspots”of
emphasisinamoremutedpalette.OthertimesImaystartwithabrightcolorandputtransparentlayersofamoremutedtoneoverthebrightone.Thissuggeststheagedandburnishingeffectoftimeandthontp"@paeelements.Duringalltheseasons,Ienjoytakingphotosthatsuggestwabi-sabicolorstome.I’mhappy
tobeabletosharesomeofthesephotographswithyou.Foreachseason,IhaveincludedaphotothatI’vetakenalongwithatraditionalhaikuthatevokesthatparticularseason.
FallNOONETRAVELSALONGTHISWAYBUTI,THISAUTUMNEVENING.~Basho
WinterAMOUNTAINVILLAGEUNDERTHEPILED-UPSNOWTHESOUNDOFWATER.~Shiki
SpringTHELILIES!THESTEMS,JUSTASTHEYARETHEFLOWERS,JUSTASTHEYARE.~Basho
SummerSPRINGAIR—WOVENMOONANDPLUMSCENT.~Basho
Wabi-SabiTexture
IthinkoftextureassomethingIcanseeandthatIcanimaginefeelingwithmyhandsevenifI’mjustlookingataphotograph.Wabi-sabitextureisvaried,rough,stimulatingandalive.Childrenareoftenencouragedtoexploretexturebyplungingtheirhandsintolargecontainersofrice,lentils,sandandclay.Ifindthattextureisstimulatingtoadultsaswell!Itookthephotosbelowinawalkaroundmyneighborhood.Onthewaytomylocalcoffee
shop,Ilookedfortexturesthatinspiredmewithqualitiesofcomplexity,age,contrastanddepth.I’malwaysdelightedwiththemanyinterestingtexturesIcanfindwhenIpayattentiontowhatisaroundme.
Density
Iwasentrancedbythisweboflinesandcircles.Ienhancedthecolorofthisphotousingthe“oldphoto”filterinmyphoto-editingprogram.
Grate
Gettingclosetothisgrateproducedaphotoofarichraisedtexture.Ialteredthephototoasepiacolorinmycomputertogiveanagedeffect.
ce,p"DvSidewalkCrack
IfoundthetexturesandlinesinthissectionofsidewalksointerestinginthemselvesthatIdecidedtodeletethecolorviamyeditingprogram.
WebofBranches
Iconvertedthisphototoblackandwhiteinordertofocusontheintricatewebofbranchesandtheshapesofthetreegrowthsatthebottomofthisimage.Thisimageinspiresmetocreateapiecewithanetworkofcrackslikeinoldpaintings.
Wabi-SabiFence
Thisneglectedspotattheedgeofthegardencontainsafascinatingvarietyoftextures.Theroughagedwood,pileofstraw,brambles,longgrassandivyproduceasenseofpeaceandrefuge.
OldTreeTrunk
Thisimagecontainsbothswirledandsharpshapesandlines.Iloweredthesaturationtobetterfocusonthetexturealone.
AWabi-SabiPhotoGallery
TintorettoHouse
Crumblingbrick,peelingpaintanddisintegratingwoodcharacterizestheformerhomeofaVenetianRenaissancepainter.
RedBranches
Atangleoftreesinmyneighborhood.
Mary’sKettle
Mygreat-grandmother’sdentedteakettlesittingonahand-builtpotterystand.Amonkey-puzzlepodcompletestheimage.
Cemetario
OnthecemeteryislandinVenice.Anairofpeacefulwildness—humancreationintersectingwiththenaturalworld.
OntheStreet
InOaxacaCity,Mexico.Afascinatingabstractcreatedbytimeandneglect.
Fresco
Adecayingfresco,pas"1ep"TeseddailybyshoppersononeofBologna,Italy’smainstreets.
Incarnations
AnartorhistorystudentmayhavebeentheonetodocumentthelayersofpaintonthewallofthisbuildingbelongingtotheUniversityofBologna.Thebuildingdatesbacktomedievaltimesandwasoriginallyamonastery.
Rifugio
AWorldWarIIbombsheltersigninBolognatakesusbacktoatimewhen,formostpeopleoftheworld,hopewasfightingwithdread.
MysteryHouse
Adesertedhouseonthecoast—weatheredandmysterious.
UseYourPhotoforInspiration
Itookthispictureonmyfirstwabi-sabiwalkaroundtheoutsideofmyhouse.Onmybackporch,twobrokenpotssatatopapaint-stainedtable.Theburntorangestuccoareaatthetopofthepictureispartofanexteriorwallofthehouse.Thepotdirectlyontopofthetablehassomepottingsoilinit.Ormaybeit’sjustplaindirt!Really,thisisapictureofjunk.Orisit?There’sstillbeautyintheshardsofhandmadepotteryandintheglisteningcolorsofwhatusedtobemypainttable.Tomethewaythecolors,shapesanddesignsarejuxtaposedgivesmewabi-sabi
inspiration.Thecolorsofthisphotohaveinspiredseveralofmyautumnpieces.IhadputthisarrangementtogetherbeforeI’deverheardthetermwabi-sabi.ButIknewthearrangementspoketomeofaccidentalbeautyarisingfromimperfectionandevendecay.Takeyourownphotoofanarrangementthatinspiresyou.Chooseacolorschemefromthe
arrangement.FromthephotoaboveIchoseterra-cottared,turquoiseandBurntUmberforoneofthepiecesbelow,Between,andtheshapefortheotherpiece,Chalice.Whichcolorsandshapesmightyouchoose?
Gallery:BETWEENEncausticonwoodpanel
Thispieceborrowscolorsandanagedlookfromthepotteryshardsphotograph.
Gallery:CHALICEEncausticandmixedmediaonwoodpanel
InthispieceIborrowedtheroundnessofthebrokenbowls,creatingthetoppartofthechalice.
UseYourPhotoforSettingaMood
width="0"align="center">
ItookthisphotoonthecemeteryislandofVenice,again,longbeforeIknewthetermwabi-sabi.Tome,thispicturespeaksofthecycleoflifeanddeathandthechangesthatarewroughtbytime.Thetombintheforegroundhasstartedtocrumble,thebrickofthebuildingisdiscoloredandthegravelisunevenlydistributed.Theold-fashionedbroomaddsapiquantnotetothispictureofchangeinprogress.Eventhoughthepicturewastakeninthecemetery,thesunseemswarmandtheoverallfeelingisoneofpeaceandacceptance.
Gallery:LITTLEFLYEncausticandcollageonwoodpanel
Thispieceusescolorsfromthephotoaboveandcontainsasimilarsenseofpeaceamidendings.
InspirationHaiku
Inadditiontogettinginspirationfromimagesandfromwhatweseearoundus,wecanalsogetinspirationfrompoemswrittenbythehaikumastersofJapan.Theseexquisitewritingshavetaughtmemuchaboutwabi-sabi.IntheoriginalJapanese,eachhaikuusesonlyseventeensyllablestocaptureamomentinawaythatengagesallofoursensesandemotions.Ahaikupinpointstheemotionsandmindstateofthewriterinagivenmoment.Injustthree
lines,ahaikucanmakeusfeelasthoughweareintheexperiencewiththewriter.Haikucanbefunny,sad,nostalgic,briskandalloftheseatonce.Readingahaikuandsittingwiththefeelingsandmentalimagesthepoemevokescanbeavitalstartingpointtocreatingapiece.Tryreadingoneofthetraditionalhaikuinthisbookorlookonlineforhaiku.Findonethat
speakstoyouandthinkofitasyoucreateapiece.Thehaikuandyourworkcanbecomeadialogueofexpressiveness.
Here’sahaikuIrecentlycontemplated:
IT’SCOLD—ANDIWAITFORSOMEONETOSHELTERMEANDTAKEMEFROMHERE.~Basho
Here’sthepieceImadeinresponse:
Gallery:IT’SCOLDHEREAcrylicandpaperonwoodpanel
MixingAcrylics
Nowthatwe’veexploredphotosassourcesofinspiration,we’regettingreadytostartcreatingourart.Forthepiecewe’llmakeinthischapter,I‘mgoingtousetheautumncolorsfoundinmyinspirationphotographofpotteryshardsonapaint-stainedtable.ThereareacoupleofwaysIcandothis.IcanusepaintsthatarealreadyjustthecolorsIwant,orIcanmixmyowncolors.ForthispieceI’llgoforsometransparentcolors,suchasNickelAzoGold,RedIronOxideandGreenGold.OthertransparentcolorsIsuggestareUltramarineBlue,Payne’sGray,ViridianorPthaloGreenandBurntUmber.MEthertgoI’llalsochoosesomeopaquecolors,suchasTitanBuff,TitaniumWhite,YellowOchre,RawUmberandastrongred.Usingbothtransparentandopaquecolorscreatesvibrantcontrasts.IfIdon’thavethecolorsIwant,ImixthemasIgo.Herearesomeexamplesofcolorsyou
canmixforwabi-sabiart.(Firstcheckthebackofthepainttubeorjartoseeifitistransparent,opaque,semitransparentorsemi-opaque.)
Addwhite
totransparentcolorsforbrightnessand/orcoveringpower.
Makewabi-sabigreen
bymixingyellowandPayne’sGray.
Makewabi-sabigold
withyellow,redandBurntUmber.
Makearustyred
withbrightredandBurntUmber.
Addbufftocolors
tomakethemmoresubtleandopaque.
CreatingVisualTexture
Visualtexturereferstoanillusionoftexture.Yoursurfacemaybesmoothalloverbutyoucangivetheappearanceoftexturebyusingthetechniquesbelow.IlovetoexperimentandseewhathappenswhenIblotlayersandthenusemywetpapertoweltogooveranotherarea.Mixingituplikethisaddstotheagedandimperfectwabi-sabieffect.Drybrushingisanothergreatmethodforaddingtextureandforbringingyourpiecetogether.
Thistechniqueisdonejustthewayitsounds.Takeadrybrushandputthecoloronyoursupportwithascrubbingstroke.Yourpreviouslayerwillbecoveredunevenly,aneffectthataddsthelookofatexturedsurface.Ifyouhave,forexample,alargeblueareaandalargegreenarea,drybrushabitoftheblueoverthegreenandviceversa.Thisunifiesthepiecewhileretainingseparateareas.
Blotlayerswithapaperorshoptowel.
Rubincolorwithapaperorshoptowel.
Drybrushoverapreviouslayer.
wabi-sabiwisdom
Nomatterwhatmethodyouchoose toaddvisual texture, vary thepatternandamountof the textureyouuseon the
piece.It’simportantfortheeyetobeabletorestinless-texturedareasandtobestimulatedinmore-texturedareas.
USINGRUBBINGALCOHOLPlainoldrubbingalcoholcanaddalotofinteresttoyourwork.You’llgetsomeinterestingeffectswherethealcoholhasmovedthepaintaroundorhasremovedsomeofit.Ifyouhavetakenoffmorethanyouwantedto,justgooverthesprayedareaswithmoreoftheoriginalcolor.
STEP1Putthealcoholinaspraybottleandspritzverylightlyonthesurfaceofyourpiece.
STEP2Blotgentlybeforethealcoholdries.
USINGWATER
Ibecameenamoredwiththistechniquefollowingahappyaccident.Ioncecarriedaslightlywetpiecefrommydetachedstudiointothehouse—intherain!Theraindropscreatedahighlyinterestingsurface.NowIoftenaddafewwaterdropsonpurpose.Doingsocreatessubtlesurfacetextureandcanalsosuggesttheeffectsofalandscapeseenthroughawindoworthroughamist.
STEP1Dropwaterontothepieceusingyourfingers.
STEP2Blotthewatergently.
FinishingTouches
Toaddanagedlook,bringtheeyemorecloselyintothepictureandmakethepieceappearmorecomplete,trythesefinishingtouches.
Useadistressinkpadtogoaroundtheedgesofthepiece.
Addalittleinkfromthepadtothecornersofthepiece.Thisproducesasenseofbeingclosertothepiece.
SealingYourPieces
Trustme,youwanttowaituntilyourpieceisthoroughlydrybeforeyoueventhinkaboutsealingit.Onceitisdry,youcanconsiderafewoptions.Sealinghelpsprotectyourpiece,andthemethodsbelowwillbothdothat.Beyondthatit’suptoyouwhatkindofeffectyouwant.Ifindthatsomepieceslookgoodwithashinysurface.FortheseIuseacrylicgelglossmedium.Othersseemtocallforamattelook,soIuseacrylicgelmattemedium.Myfavoritesealant,though,iscoldwaxmedium.Coldwaxmediumisdesignedforusewithoilpainttocreateimpasto(raisedpaint)andto
provideamoremattefinishthanotheroilpaintingmediums.Thegreatnewsisthatacrylicandmixed-mediaartistscanalsousecoldwaxovertheirwork.Itgivesabeautiful,organic,satinylooktothepieceandcanevenmakethecolorsrice="ingthn="lefther.
Option1
Withanacrylicgelmedium
Option2
Withacoldwaxmedium
wabi-sabiwisdom
Forinterestingtexture,youcanaddfine-grainedsandorgroundteatoyouracrylicorcoldwaxsealantbeforeyoubrushitonyourpiece.
TheLandscapeFormat
Thelandscapeformatisthesimplestcompositionforyoutostartwith.Itssimplicitydoesn’tmeanthatitisalessercompositionform,however.Lotsofartistshavecreatedmasterpieceswiththisformat.Youmaydothesame!Alandscapeformatmeansthatyourartworkconsistsoftwoormorehorizontalareas.Youcansuggestareallandscapeoryoucanworkmoreabstractly.LotsoftimesI’vestartedoutwithwhatIthoughtwasanabstractinalandscapeformatonlytofindthatmymindcreatesapicturethatrepresentsaspectsofareallandscape.Landscapepiecesdon’thavetobedoneinthetraditionallandscapestylewithwidthgreaterthanheight.Youcanalsouseasquaresupportoronewithaheightgreaterthanitswidth.Creatingabasiclandscapeisagreatwaytofocusyourexperimentsoncolors,colormixtures,paintsandre-inkersandothertechniquescoveredinthischapter.
MISTYMORNINGMOUNTAINSAcryliconwoodpanel
STEP1Startingwithapre-gessoedwoodpanel,putdownalayerofNickelAzoGoldoranothergoldcolormixedwithTitanBuff.Coverthewholepiece.
STEP2PutdownalayerofUltramarineBlue.Patgentlywithapapertowelorrag.
STEP3WhenthelayerofUltramarineisdry,addalayerofViridianovertheblue,intheshapeofmountains.Patthislayergentlywithapapertowelorrag.
STEP4Mixabrightredwithalittlecrimson.Addwaterorglazemediumtobrushtheredmixtureoverthemountainareas.MoveabitoftheredintotheTitanBuffareawithyourbrush.
STEP5MixTitanBuffwithabitofwhite.Usingadrybrush,workthisintotheareaoverthemountains.Makethisareaunevenintextureandcolorandbringitdownintothemountainarea.
STEP6Withthehandleofapaintbrush,inciseintothemountain-shapedlayersofpaint.Addasmalldesigninthelowerrightcornerusingthesamemethod.
ACLUSTEROFSUMMERTREES,ABITOFTHESEA,
APALEEVENINGMOON.~KoboriEnshu
Gallery:GHOSTRIVERAcryliconwoodpanel
Asimplecompositioncancarryalotofinterestandmeaning.
PaintingwithRe-Inkers
Iloveusingre-inkersmixedwithacrylicglazemediumasmypaintinwabi-sabiwork.Idiscoveredre-inkersseveralyearsagoandwasamazedattherichcolorstheyprovided.Iimmediatelybeganpaintingwiththemonsmallwoodpanels.Idiscoveredafterawhilethatthere-inkerstendedtosinkintothewoodandthatthecolorsdidn’tstayvivid.AfterIrecoveredfrommydisappointment,Icameupwiththeideaofmixingthere-inkercolorwithacrylicglazemediumtomakethepaintfilmstronger.Itworked!Thecombinationofthemediumandre-inkerproducedgorgeouspaintlayersthatdidn’tfade.FromnowonwhenIrefertore-inkerglaze,that’smyshorthandforre-inkersmixedwithacrylicglazemedium.You’llfindthatthere-inkercolorsaresorichthatyouneedtouselessthanyoumightthinkwhenyoumakeyourre-inkerglaze.Experimentwithearthcolors,brightcolorsandlightre-inkercolors.Aspotofvividcolorcanbringanearth-tonedpiecetolife,whileacontrastinglightcolorcangiveasubtleglowwhenappliedoveralightareaofyourpiece.Inthefollowingprojectyou’llcreateanatmosphericpiecereminiscentofanoldoilpainting.
Grabyourfavoritere-inkercolors,glazemediumandbrushes—andgo!
FIELDATNIGHTRe-inkerglazeonwoodpanel
STEP1Startwithapre-gessoedcanvasorboard.PaintthesurfacewithalayerofSlatere-inkermixedwithacrylicglazemedium.Blotwithapapertowel.
STEP2WhentheSlatelayerisdry,addalayerofDenimre-inkermixedwithacrylicglazeovertheslate.Blotgently.
STEP3Towardthecenterofthepiece,yodbrushonRustre-inkerandglazemediumtoresembleagroveoftrees.
STEP4Afterthepreviouslayersaredry,brushonaglazeofLettucere-inker.
STEP5Inciseintothebottomofthisareawithanarrowbrushhandle.
STEP6Belowtheincisedarea,brushonalayerofButterscotchre-inkerglazeandwipewithatoweltoremoveexcessandaddabitoftexture.
STEP7Inciseverticallinesinaloosezigzagpatternoverthebottomofthepiece.
STEP8BrushonandblotabitoftheSlatere-inkerinvariousplacesoverthetreearea.
STEP9BrushanarrowbandofPlumre-inkerglazebelowtheincisedtreearea.Blotasmallamountofthiscolorontotheareabelow.
STEP10MixalittleDenimre-inkerwithalittlegessoandpaintoverthetreeareaontheleftsideofthecanvas.
STEP11AddSlatere-inkermixturetothebottomcornersofthepiece.Gentlyblotasmallamountofeachre-inkercolorinrandomareasoverthepiecetocreateanagedlook.
wabi-sabiwisdom
•Remembertousetheglazemediumwiththere-inkercolor.•Leteachlayerdrybeforeyouaddthenextone.•It’sfinetomixre-inkercolorstocreatecustomcolors.•Startwithalight-coloredlayer;youcanalwaysmakeitdarker.•Alternatingwarmandcoolcolorsyieldsaricheffect.
EVENINGBREEZE…WATERLAPSTHELEGSOFTHEBLUEHERON.~Buson
Gallery:NOMORETOBESAIDht=rsRe-inkerglazeonwoodpanel
Gallery:ZEITGEISTMixedmediaonwoodpanel
Ipaintedvibrantre-inkersandglazemediumoverthislayeredcollage.Noticetheetherealtransparencyofthere-inkerglaze.
AcrylicPaintandRe-Inkers
Re-inkerglazeworkswonderfullywithliquidorregularacrylicpaint.Ioftenaddbufforwhiteacrylicpainttoare-inkercolorusedinoneareaofthepieceinordertomakeastrongercontrastwiththepartofthepiecedoneonlyinre-inkerglaze.Youcanalsoaddre-inkerandglazeoveranareapaintedwithacrylicpaint.Addingwhitetoare-inkercolorbrightensthecolorandmakesitmoreopaque.InthisprojectIhaveevokedacloudydayatthecoast,withthehintofashipatthehorizonline.I’vealsousedseveralagingandblottingtechniquestoinstillafeelingofmystery.
DISTANTFREIGHTERRe-inkerglazeandacryliconwoodpanel
STEP1Useapre-gessoedboard.BrushalayerofCaramelre-inkeronthebottomofthepainting.Usethepapertoweltoblotandrubinthepaint.
STEP2AbovetheCaramelarea,brushalayerofStreamre-inkerglaze.SprayabitofrubbingalcoholtobrushsomeoftheStreamglazeontothetopoftheCaramellayer.
STEP3BrushlayersofButterscotchandHazelnutre-inkerglazeovertheCaramelarea,blottingasyougo.
STEP4CoverthetophalfoftheStreamareawithTitanBuffacrylicpaintandbrushtheBuffovertheareaabovetheblue.
STEP5BrushovertheStreamcolorwithDenimre-inkerandglaze.AddalittlewhiteacrylicpainttotheDenim-glazedareainthecenterofthebluearea.
STEP6AddalittleRaspberryre-inkerglazeabovetheblueareaonboththeleftandrightsides.
STEP7Tounifythepiece,brushandblotsmallamountsofHazelnutandCaramelre-inkerglazesovertheBuffarea.RubinsomeRustre-inkerglazeonthebottomofthepieceandrubinjustatouchonthetop.
STEP8Addabitofdarkpaintorre-inkerglazetothebottomleftarea.
THEFIRSTSOFTSNOW!ENOUGHTOBENDTHELEAVESOFTHEJONQUILLOW.~Basho
Gallery:LANDSCAPEOFDREAMSRe-inkerglazeandacrylicpaintonwoodpanel
Layersofre-inkersblottedwithaseaspongegivethemountainshapesdimensionalinterest.Thesweetspotofbluebetweenthemountainsandthesnowmakesthepiececomealive.
Gallery:ROBERT’SWOODSRe-inkerglazeandacrylicpaintonwoodpanel
ACranberryre-inkerglazecastsaneveningglow.Ispongedre-inkerglazethroughthecentertocreatethemysteriouswoods.
2
patinaoftime:creatingtheeffectsofseasoning
Gallery:MOVEMENTOFTIMERe-inkerglaze,aluminumfoilandacryliconwoodpanel
Myinspirationfortheprojectsinthischaptercomesfromtheeffectoftimeandweatheronnaturalandcreatedobjectsandstructures.Ifyou’reamixed-mediacreatoryouprobablyloveseasonedandlayeredsurfacesandshapesthatspeakoftimepassingandtheinevitabilityofchange.Inspirationfortheworkinthischaptercomesfromrustedandtarnishedmetal,time-
distressedwood,pit-firedpottery,peelinglayersofpaintandpaperadorningoldbuildingsanddriftwoodbythesea.Ithinkit’swonderfulthatmanyorganicandfabricatedobjectsbecomemorebeautifulas
theyage.Theseasoningoftimeaddsextrameaninganddepthtothingsandtopeople,aswell.There’srandomnesstotheeffectsofpatinathatyoucanreproduceintheprocessofcreatingthepiecesinthischapter.Yourexperimentationwillresultinsurprisingandpleasing
outcomes!Asyoucreate,enjoytheprocessofchangethatyourworkwillundergo.Inthischapter,I’llshowyouseveralwaystouseacrylicpaintandre-inkersalongwithan
unusualingredient—aluminumfoil—tocreatethelookofagedmetal.You’lldosomeincisingintoyourpiecestosuggesttheravagesoftimeonapaintedsurface.You’llusewhatyou’velearnedaboutwabi-sabitextureandcolortocreateworkthatismeaningfulandexpressive.Youmaynoticethatinmanyofmycompletedblyeonapaiprojectsandmygallerypictures,
Ihaveaddedmoreagingandpatinathanareshowninthestep-by-stepdirections.Sometimesthiscomesaboutbyhappyaccidentwhenmyhandshavepaintonthemthatgetsonthepieceinapleasingway.Herearemoredeliberatemethodsforaddingpatinaandseasoningtoyourpieces:
•RubSlateorMushroomre-inkerinvariousareasaroundthepiece.•Spongeonacrylicpaintinaneutralorbrowncolorandwipeoff,asdesired.•Collageafewspecksofdryteaontothesurfaceofyourpiece.•Rubyourfingersoratowelontoaninkpadandrubabitofinkontothepiece.•Rubsomeinstantcoffeeflakesintothepiece.
TRAVELERBOWLbyDorothyHearn,wood-firedceramic
whatyou’llneedforthischapter
AcrylicgessoAcrylicpaintAlcoholinks
AluminumfoilCarvingtoolGelmediumGlazemediumPaintbrushesPanPastelsPapertowelsPencilRe-inkersRubberstampandpadRubbingalcoholSpongeWoodorcanvaspanelsorcanvases
Spattering,Sponging,DroppingandWiping
I’vebeentalkingalotaboutblotting,wipingandsoforth.It’stimetotakealookatwaysthesetechniquesandotheralterationstoyourpaintandinklayerscansuggestpatinaandage.You’regoingtoblot,sponge,spatter,dropandwipewhenyoucreateyourversionofthe
followingpiece.Inadditiontoalcoholinkandrubberstamps,you’regoingtousesomehouseholdproductssuchasrubbingalcoholandaluminumfoil.Youcanpaintyourfoilpiecesbeforeorafteryouapplythemtothesupport.Addinggel
mediumtoyouracrylicpaintmakesthepaintstrong
WHITEBLOOMAluminumfoil,acrylic,alcoholinkandstamppadonboard
STEP1Onapre-gessoedboard,applylayersofNickelAzoGold,TitanBuffandPayne’sGrayacrylicpaint.Waitforeachlayertodrybeforeaddingthenext,wipingbackaseachlayerisapplied.
STEP2SqueezeSlatealcoholinkhorizontallyandtheninverticalcircles.
STEP3SqueezeWatermelonalcoholinkoverpartoftheSlateareas.Blendtheseareasgentlywithapaintbrush.
STEP4RubinacoupleofsmallareasofbluepaintbelowthehorizontalWatermeloninkline.SoftentheseareaswithalightapplicationoftheNickelAzoGold.
STEP5Tearoffapieceofaluminumfoil.Isometimesusefoilforapalette,soifIhaveapaint-stainedpieceoffoil,Iusethat.Usegelmediumtogluedownthefoilwhereyouwantitonyourpiece.
STEP6Whenthefoilisglueddown,coatitwithgelmediummixedwithNickelAzoGold.AddasmallareaofTitanBuffpaintasahighlightonthefoilflower.
STEP7MakeastemusingPayne’sGrayandUltramarineBlue.SpongetheTitanBuffandNickelAzoGoldmixtureoverthestemwhenit’sdry.
STEP8Dabalittlerubbingalcoholinafewplaces.
STEP9PutWatermelonalcoholinkonasmallbrushandspattersomeinkoverthesurface.
STEP10Rubtheedgesandafewareasofthepiecewithadarkbrowninkpad.
11Applyasquarerubberstamptoonearea.SmudgethestampedareaSTEPandbrushoveritwithglazemedium.
STEP12GentlyspongeabitoftheNickelAzoGoldoverthestampedarea.
LOTUSLEAVESINTHEPONDRIDEONTHEWATER.RAININJUNE.~ShikiMasaoka
Gallery:YOUSHINEPaper,re-inkerglaze,aluminumfoilandacryliconwoodpanel
Tomakethispiece,Ifirstglueddownalayeroftissuepaper.Ipaintedlayersofre-inkerglazesinSlate,Rustandblack.Irubbedandwipedeachlayer.Iaddedpiecesofaluminumfoilandgluedthemdownwithgelmedium.Igluedavintagebookfragmentinthecentertosuggestaflowerbloom.Iaddedverticallinestothebookfragmentwithasmallbrushdippedindarkpaint.Iaddedre-inkerglazecolors(Butterscotch,CaramelandRedPepper)overthefoil.
ScrapingandIncising
Ilovethetermforetchingmarksintoapaintedsurface:sgraffito.ThisisanItalianwordforatechniquethatdatesatleastbacktotheRenaissance.You’llrecognizethistermastheparentofourmodernword,graffiti.Thistechniquemimicstheprocessofwearandtearovertime.There’ssomethingbothplayfulandpowerfulaboutusingacarvingtool,adentaltool,anawl
orothersharptooltoscratchthesurfaceofyourpiece.Youcanusethistooltocreatearepresentationaldesign,toaddtextortogiveyourpiecea“street”look.Inthisproject,you’regoingtousesgraffitotomakeaframedimageinthecenterofthe
piece.ForthisprojectIsuggestthatyoumakeyourlinesanddrawingssimpleandevenprimitive,inkeepingwiththewabi-sabistyle.You’llbeusingre-inkerglazeandacrylicpainttoaddtotheseasonedlook.You’lladdtouchesofPanPastels,smallcontainersofpurepigmentthatarepressedlikefacepowderinacompact.
WAITINGTOBEFILLEDAcrylicpaint,re-inkerglaze,PanPastel,graphiteandinkonwoodpanel
STEP1LayerMicaceousIronOxideacrylicpaintontoapre-gessoedsurface.
STEP2WhenthelayerofMicaceousIronOxideacrylicpaintisdry,addalayerofNickelAzoYellowacrylicpaint.
STEP3AddonemorelayeroftheMicaceousIronOxideandoftheNickelAzoYellow.
STEP4AddtouchesofViridianainkm">
STEP5BrushdownalayerofGingerre-inkermixedwithglazemedium.
STEP6Squirtblackacrylicpaintontothesupportinasquareshape.Flattenthepaintdownandtakeupanyextrawithapapertowel.
STEP7Inciseintotheblacklineswithacarvingtool.
STEP8Withapencil,drawadesign,suchasacup.Incisearoundthedrawing,addingincisionsforshading.
STEP9AddalayerofPayne’sGrayandgoldtothebackgroundoftheincisedsquare,andrubalittleBurntSiennaPanPastelintothedrawnarea.Inciseagain—orscrapeincisedareas—fordefinition.
STEP10PaintanotherareaofGingerre-inkermixedwithglazebelowtheincisedarea.Wipetheareaandfinishbyblackeningtheedgesandcornersofthepanelwithastamppad.
wabi-sabiwisdom
•YoucanfillintheincisionsyoumakewithPanPastels(asIdidhere),re-inkers,permanentdarkinkoracrylicinks.
•Themorelayersofcoloryouhaveputonyourpiece,themorecolorwillshowintheincisions.
CHERRIESBLOSSOMANDTHENFALLDOWN—ALLTHISISTHEWAYOFTHINGS…~EnomotoSeifu-Jo
Gallery:SALMONSKYAcrylicandre-inkerglazeonwoodpanel
Thispieceremindsmeofsunsetandmist.Irubbedthere-inkerglazeintothesupportforasofteffect.Iusedmybrushhandletoinciselinesinthecenterofthepiece,andIaddedrubberstampinginthelowerrightcornerasafinishingtouch.
3
strataoftime:creatinglayersoftexture
havface=Gallery:PIERAcryliconwoodpanel
WhenIlayeronthetexturewithvarioustechniquesandmaterials,IfeellikeI’mdoingmybesttoimitatewhatnaturedoes.Layersofpeelingplasteronbuildings,layersofweatherdamage,layersofgeologicalstrataandthelinesofexperienceonanolderperson’sfaceareallvisibletestamentstothepassingoftime.Timepassesandstoriesevolve,waitingtobediscoveredorimagined.Formerownersofourhouse,builtin1905,addedanextralayerofdrywalltothewallthat
separatestheentryhallfromthelivingroomsothatthedoorwaybetweentheroomswasnolongervisibleonthelivingroomside.Weremovedtheextradrywalltorestoretheopening.Whenweremovedthedrywall,wefoundtheoriginalwallpaperaroundthedoorway.Wekeptmeaningtocoveritoverbutfinallydecidedwelikethewayitlooksasis.Beingabletoseeabitoftheoriginalwallpaperislikeseeingthehistoryofthehouseandthosewhohavelivedinit.
Layersoftexturesuggesthistoryinasimilarway.Tome,layersoftexturealsosuggestthecomplexityoftheworldandtheobjectsandbeingsintheworld.Withtexture,evenyoursimplestpiecescanbefullofmeaningandbeauty.Feelfreetousemytexturephotosfromearlierinthebookforyourinspiration,orbetteryet,gooutandtakeyourown.Inthischapter,you’llexploremanymaterialsandmethodstoevokewonderatlife’stenacity,
complexityandmystery.Avarietyofpapers,plaster,deliciouslygooeyacrylicmediumsandpaintingkniveswillallowyoutocreatewithabandon!
whatyou’llneedforthischapter
AcrylicpaintArttissuepaperCarvingtoolColdwaxmediumConstructionpaperCraftknifeGarmentpatternGelmediumGlazemediumGoldtransferfoilJointcompoundMedium-sizedpaintingknifewithadiamond-shapedtipNeocolorIIcrayonOilpaintPaintbrushesPanPastelsPapertowelsPre-gessoedpanelsorcanvasboardsRe-inkersRubbingalcoholinaspraybottleSpongeTexturedpackingmaterialorothertexturetoolTrowelVintagebookpage
UsingaPaintingKnife
Iloveworkingwithapaintingknifeinplaceofabrush.Pushingpaintaroundwithaknifeiswonderfullyfreeing.You’llfindyoucanuseyourknifetolayeronpaint,tosmoothoutpaint,tocreatepeaksinpaint,toinciseorscrapeoffpaintandtomixcolorsonyoursupport.Usingapaintingknifeforcesyoutosimplifyyourcompositionsandtoemphasizecolor,textureandforminsteadofdetail.Youmaywanttoexperimentwithpaintingknivesofdifferentsizes.Inthisprojectyou’llcreateasimpledesignthatwillbemadecomplexandinterestingthroughthickapplicationsofpaintandthroughdeepincising.
THECROWHASFLOWNAWAY:SWAYINGINTHEEVENINGSUN,ALEAFLESSTREE.~SosekiNatsume
COLORADOWINTERAcryliconwoodpanel
STEP1PaintalayerofPayne’sGrayacrylicpaintonapre-gessoedpanel.Whenthegraylayerisdry,layeronwhiteacrylicpaintwithapaintingknife.
STEP2Addredacrylicpaintwiththepaintingknifetoformmountains.
STEP3LayerPayne’sGraypaintovertheredmountainareawithapaintingknife.Leavealittleoftheredshowing.
STEP4Usingthepaintingknife,inciseverticallinesontheleftandrightsidesofthepainting.
STEP5Rubinalittleochrepaintinvariousareasofthepiece.
Gallery:AFTERMATHAcryliconwoodpanel
Layersofdifferentcolorsappliedwithapaintingknifeaddarichandglowingeffecttothissimplecomposition.
PlasterItOnRememberthosepicturesfrommyphotogalleryofmysteriousoldwallswithlayersofhistoryintheformofplaster?You’regoingtousejointcompound,aformofplaster,tocreateyourownfresco-likewallsofmemory.You’llfindthatplayingwithplastergivesyouthatchildlikefeelingofplayinginwetsandatthebeach.Inthisprojectwe’lluseoilpaint,re-inkerandtransferfoiltoaddtotherichnessoftheplasterlayers.Youcanuseacrylicpaintaswellasoilpainttocoloryourplasterpieces.Plasterlovesbothacrylicandoil.
PACEMPlaster,oilpaint,oilpastel,re-inker,goldtransferfoilandcoldwaxonwoodpanel
STEP1Applyjointcompoundtoawoodpanelwithatrowel.
STEP2Afterthecompoundhassetforabouttenminutes,usetexturedpackingmaterialtotexturetheplasterinafewareas.
STEP3Useapotterycarvingtooltoinciselines.
STEP4Whentheplasterisdry,rubinNaplesYellowoilpaintmixedwithcoldwaxmedium.
STEP5RubinAzoGreenoilpaintmixedwithcoldwaxinafewareas.
STEP6RepeattheprocesswithBurntUmberoilpaintandcoldwax.
STEP7Inciseanoblongshapeabouttwo-thirdsofthewaydownthepiece.Acraftknifeworkswellforthis.
STEP8ApplyCrimsonre-inkerintheshape.
STEP9OutlinetheCrimsonsquarewithaniridescentgoldoilpastel.
STEP10Applygoldtransferfoilontotheshape.
STEP11Applyanotherlayerofjointcompoundalongthebottomedgeofthepieceandunevenlyoverotherareas,leavingtheshapeandawidebandoftheoriginallayershowing.
<=""imgrecindex="00128"alt=""/>STEP12Inciseinafewareasandre-incisewhereneeded.
STILLNESS.OUTOFTHERAINABUTTERFLYROAMSINTOMYBEDROOM.~EnomotoSeifu-Jo
Gallery:WAXMEETSPLASTERPlaster,acrylic,goldtransferfoilandbeeswaxonwoodpanel
TissuePaper
Thishumble,fragilepaperhassomanyusesbesidesaddinghefttoshoppingbags.Tissuepapercomesinrichcolorsnow,notjustthepastelhuesIrememberfrommychildhood.Ifyousavewrappingandtissuepaper,thisisanidealprojectforyou.Tissuepapernaturallywrinkleswhencollagedtoasupport.Thewrinklingaddsvitalinteresttoyourpiece.Toenhancethistexture,youcancrumplethetissueevenmorebeforeyoucollageitdown.Inthisproject,we’llcreateanimaginarystilllifewithtissuepaper,constructionpaper,rubberstampsandalittleacrylicpaint.Thewrinklesandtouchesofdarkpaintaddtothewabi-sabifeelofthepiece.
SPRINGRAIN—ALLTHINGSONTHEEARTHBECOMEBEAUTIFUL.~Chiyo-ni
FIGUREFIVEPaper,acrylicandacrylicglazeonwoodpanel
Inadditiontothestepsontheright,Iaddedafinaltouchusingrubberstamps.TheFig.5atthebottomofthepieceisareferencetoscientificandbotanicaldrawings.
STEP1Collagetornlightweightpaperandbluetissuepaperrandomlytoapre-gessoedpanelorcanvas.
STEP2Collagetornlightlavendertissuepaperandmagentatissuepaperdowninarandompattern,overlappinglayersasdesired.
STEP3Cutcirclesofconstructionpaperorcardstock—onesmallerthantheothers—andcollagethecirclesdownsothesmallercircleandoneofthelargercirclesarepartiallyhiddenbyoneofthelargercircles.
STEP4ColorthecircleslightlywithRustre-inkerandyellowacrylicpaintmixedwithlotsofglazemedium.RubofftheRust,yellowandglazemixtureononesidetoindicatealightarea.Ruboffthemixtureinasmallarea,whichw,sheigerif">
STEP5MakestemsandbranchesforthefruitusinganarrowbrushdippedinPayne’sGrayacrylicpaint.Inciseintothepainttorepresentlightareas.Usingasmallbrush,addanarrowPayne’sGraylinebetweenthefruits.
STEP6Addbluepainttoareasoneithersideofthepanel,andinciseintothewetpaintwithabrushhandle.Sealwhendrywithalayerofglazemediumtomakesureallthepaperstaysdown.
Gallery:CHOSENEncausticandstampedtissuepaperonwoodpanel
Iusedtranslucentlayersofencausticpaintwithtissuepaperprintedwithahand-carvedstampinthissimplebutrichpiece.
SpecialtyPapers
IgowildwhenIvisitmylocalpaperstore.It’ssohardtochoosejustafewofthehundredsofpapersavailable.Itendtogoforpaperswithrich,mutedcolorandinterestingtextureforwabi-sabipieces.IfIseeamoreelaboratedesignIwanttouse,I’lluseonlyasmallamountofitinoneofmypieces.Igetjustasexcitedbythevintagepapersavailableatfleamarketsandsecondhandstores.Inthischapter,Ishowyouhowtousesomeofmyfavoritepapersforwabi-sabiwork.Theseincludelacepaperanddresspatternpaper.(We’lluseanotherofmyfavorites,MexicanAmateMarbleLacepaper,inalaterchapter.)AtouchofPanPasteladdsinterestanddepthtothisproject.
SHELTERLacepaper,NeocolorIIcrayon,re-inker,acrylicpaintandPanPastelsonwoodpanel
STEP1CoatagessoedorungessoedwoodpanelwithBuffpaint.Addthreepiecesofalacyspecialtypaperinawaythatsuggestsarockformation.
STEP2AddbrightredpaintovertheBuffpaintandlacypaperandwipe.Addalittleblue-greenpainttotheupperpartofthepiece.AddBuffoverthepainttosoftenit,ifnecessary.
STEP3UseaNeocolorIIcrayontoaddhandwrittentextintheareawheretheBuffandbluepaintsmeet.
STEP4SpongelightlyoverthetextwithBuffpaint.
STEif">STEP5Mixbrightredpaintwithalittlewaterandspatteroverthelowerportionofyourpiece.
STEP6BrushDenimre-inkernearthebottomoftherockformation.
STEP7Sprayrubbingalcoholonthetopthirdofthepaintingandblotit.
STEP8RubgrayandsiennaPanPastelsintovariousareasofthepiece.FinishthepiecebyaddingadditionallayersofpaintandPanPastels.Rubinandscrapebackuntilyouaresatisfiedwiththeresults.
wabi-sabiwisdom
Goaheadandkeepitsimplewhenyouwanttocreatelotsoflayersandwhenyouwanttouseseveraltechniquesinonepiece.Thecolorandtextureyou’llcreatewillmakeevenasimpledesignrichandinteresting.AGIANTFIREFLY:THATWAY,THISWAY,THATWAY,THIS—ANDITPASSESBY.~Issa
Gallery:FAERIEAcrylic,re-inker,dresspatternandlacepaperonwoodpanel
Iputlotsoflayersonthispieceandinciseddeeplyinthecenterarea.
VintagePaperandDressPattern
You’regoingtoincorporatetwoofmyfavoritepapermediaintothisre-inkerglazepiece.Forthisproject,Iusedafragmentofanoldpharmacopeiaaswellasdress-patternpaper.IlovethepliabilityofpatternsandIlovethelines,textandarrowsonthepattern.Andvintagebookandnewspaperpages—wheredoIstart?Ilovethecoloroftheagedpaper,thelookofvintagetypesetting,thechancetofeatureaforeignlanguageandthechancetochoosewordsthataddmeaningtomypieces.
ETHERPaper,acrylic,re-inkersandglazemediumonboard
STEP1Onapre-gessoedboard,applyalayerofButterscotchre-inkerandglazemedium.Withyourbrush,scrubsomeBuffintotheButterscotchlayer.
lleD>STEP2Collagepiecesofpatternpaperontotheboard.
STEP3Tearoffsomeofthepatternpaperandrubwhiteacrylicpaintintotheareawherethepaperwasremoved.Addapieceofavintagebookpagejustoffcenterinthewhitearea.
STEP4AddalayerofRustre-inkerglazetoallbutthewhitearea.
STEP5WhentheRustlayerisdry,addalayerofGingerre-inkerglaze.
STEP6AddButterscotchre-inkeroverthetextarea.
STEP7AddPayne’sGrayacrylicpainttosuggestashadowoverthetextarea.
STEP8AddtouchesofButterscotchoverthetopareaandblendalittleintothewhitearea.
Blottheseareas.
Gallery:ONTHERIVERBANKRe-inker,vintagepaperandacryliconwoodpanel
IusedwrinkledtissuepaperatthebottomofthepieceandvintageAsianpaperinthemiddlearea.Thepaintwentonafterthat,creatingasenseofmysteryinthisabstractscene.
Gallery:FOLLOWYOURCALLINGRe-inkerandpaperonwoodpanel
Herethepaperelementsincludedriedusedteabagsandasnippetofvintagetext.
GluingOnandTearingOff
WhenpeopleaskwhatmediaIworkin,IoftentellthemthatIdon’tdoanykindofartthatcan’tbereworked.AfterIgotthatCineighth-gradeartforfailingtodrawanaccuratefloorplan,I’veprettywellacceptedthatexact,perfectworkisnotmyforte.Ilovetolayer,paintover,scrapebackandtearoff.I’lldothesethingswhenIwanttomakechangestowhatI’vedone,butsometimesI’lldothemonpurposefromthebeginningofapiece.Inthefollowingprojectyou’lltearsomestuffoffandputsomestuffon.You’lltransformyourless-favoredworkintosomethingnew.
CANYONSUNRISEPaper0"T,acrylicandre-inkeronboardSTEP1Topreparethesupports,takeanoldcollageyoudon’tcarefor,andtearandscrapeoffallthepaperyoucan.(Wettingthepaperhelps.)Gluedownanyremainingpaperwithgelmedium.Collagelacypaperovervariousareaswithgelmedium.
STEP2AddPestore-inkerglazetothebottomhalfofthesurfaceandallowtheinktodrycompletely.
STEP3Addadditionalre-inkerglazesinvariouscolorstothesurface,lettingeachdrybeforeaddingthenextone.
STEP4MixBuffandUltramarineBlueacrylicpaintoverthetophalfofthepainting,leavingthebottomofthisareauneven.Letsomeofthere-inkercolorsshowthrough.
STEP5LightenthecenteroftheblueareawithBuff,lettingthebrushstrokesshow.
HARVESTMOON:AROUNDTHEPONDIWANDERANDTHENIGHTISGONE.~Basho
Gallery:AUTUMNATLOSTLAKERe-inker,paperandacryliconwoodpanel
ItoreoffpaperI’dcollagedontothecenterofthepiece.Thiscreatedamottledareawheresomeoftheoriginalpaperremained.IwentovertheareawithglazemediumtosealitandthenIaddedabitofcolor.
4
throwinthetowel:workingwiththeunexpected
Gallery:THETIMEBEFOREMixedmediaonwood
Giveyourinventivenessfullreinasyouexperimentwiththetechniquesandideasinthischapter.Yourguidingmantramightbewhatif…whenitcomestoaddingunusualmaterialstoyourpiece.Myonlycaveatistolookfororganicmaterials,ratherthan,say,plastic.
Searchyourworkareaforstainedpapertowelsorpaperrags,scrapsofvibrantpaperandthatoldteabagsittinginyourcupfromyesterday.Wabi-sabisuggeststhetransformationofordinarythingsandthat’sjustwhatwearegoingtodointhischapter.You’llexplorethe“oldpaper”lookyoucanachievewithusedteabags.Likeme,onceyou
discoverthissimpleandeleganttechniq,sont>ue,you’llstartdrinkingalotmoretea!You’llalsostartsavingsomeofyourstainedpaperorshop towels for use in textural collages. I’ll introduce you to some ofmy favorite specialtypapers,includingonepaperthatmimicsthelookofstrawbutisactuallymadefrombark.You’lllearnhowtousecheeseclothtocreatemysteriousandgorgeouseffects.
I’llshowyouhowyoucangivenewlifetooldbookpagesanddresspatternsandhowtomutecolorandinfuseinterestusingthem.You’llseehowyoucanaddsilkyarn,instantcoffeeandvintagestampsforminimalistworkwithmaximumpunch.Thechaptertitlealsoreferstoknowingwhenitistimetochangedirection.I’llshowyouhow
tofindnewpurposeinold,forgottenpieces.OurinspirationforthisprocesswillbeKali,theHindugoddessofdestructionandcreation.AnotherinspirationcouldbethePhoenix,themythicalbirdthatburnsthenrisesfromitsownashes.Asartistswearecalledontoadd,subtractandaddagain,untilwereachthepointoffallinginlovewithourcreation.
whatyou’llneedforthischapter
AcrylicgelmediumAcrylicpaintAlcoholinkBlackgessoCheeseclothFauxmetalflakesGlazemediumIncisingtoolInstantcoffeeMexicanAmateBarkMarbleLacepaperNeocolorIIcrayonOldpaintingPaintbrushesPapershoptowelsorragsPermanentfine-pointmarkerPre-gessoedwoodpanel,canvasorcanvasboardsRe-inkersSilksariyarnUsedteabags,driedVintagebookpagesandnewspaperVintagepostagestampWater
UsingTeaBags
Old,driedteabagscanaddmagictoyourartwork.It’snojoke.Eachteabaghasadifferentpatternofstaining.Someteastainsaresubtle,whileothersaremoreobvious.TeabagscontainingberryteasareparticularfavoritCculesofmineduetotheirrichcrimsonstains.Iuseteabagstocreateanagedlook,tomuteatoo-brightcolorandtoaddtexture.IliketotearoffthetelltaleedgesoftheteabagsbeforeIusethem.Oncethey’reonapiece,theywon’tlookliketeabagsatall,butratherlikeamysteriousvintagesurface.Inthisprojectyou’llgettoplaywiththisinventivetechnique.
NEWYEAR’SDAY—THESOUNDOFWATERFROMACREEK.~Raizan
CASADELASPALABRASMixedmediaonboard
STEP1Usingapre-gessoedpanel,canvasorcanvasboard,paintalayerofGreenTurquoiseacrylicpaintoverthetopofthepiece.
STEP2PaintalayerofBuffacrylicpaintoverthebottomofthepiece.
STEP3Collageavarietyoftext:piecesfromvintagebooks,newspapersanddictionarypages.Usepagesthathavesmallillustrationsonthem.
STEP4PaintalayerofNickelAzoGoldpaintandglazemediumovertheentirepieceandblotit.Whenthegoldlayerisdry,addalayeroftransparentRedIronOxidepaintandglazemedium.Wipethearealightlywithapapertowel.
STEP5MixsomeRedIronOxidewithgelmediumandpaintanunevenhorizontallineabovethetextarea.
STEP6Takeadryusedteabagandcutoffthetopunderthestaple.Ifyouhavealotofpatienceyoucanremovethestaplewithneedle-nosedpliersinstead.Openuptheteabagattheseamandemptytheteaintoacontainer.Repeatwithotherteabagsasneeded.Collagetheteabagsandtornpiecesoverthetopareaofthepiece.Lookforinterestingteastainstoinclude.
STEP7Withasmallbrush,dashdownasmallareaofbrightredacrylicpaintonthelineacrossthepiece.
STEP8Brushonashortlineofskybluepaintbelowtheredarea.
STEP9Hand-writetextintheuppergoldareawithawatercolorcrayon.Rubgentlytopartiallyobscurethetext.<Bculaext.<Bc/font>
Gallery:TEAHOUSEEncausticandcollageonfoundwoodpanel
Iusedpartofanoldshelfforthispiece’ssupport.Youcanfindinterestingwoodlikethisatrecyclingandreusestores,garagesalesoreveninafreepileoutsideasecondhandstore.Usedteabagsformthe“house”inthisstylizedmixed-mediapiece.
UsingStainedShopTowels
IactedonimpulsethefirsttimeIusedthistechnique.Thepaint-andink-stainedpapershoptowellyingnexttomelookedsoprettyandinterestingthatIjustthought,Whatif…?Iaddedtheshoptowelcourtesyofathickapplicationofgelmedium,anditworkedjustfine.WhenIuseathickertowel,Iliketoaddotherthickelementsaswell.ThispieceiscalledKabuki,namedafterahighlystylizedformofdramaanddancetheaterinJapan.Thestainedshopragusedhereremindsmeofahighlypatternedkimono.
RIGHTATMYFEET—ANDWHENDIDYOUGETHERE,SNAIL?~Issa
KABUKIStainedshoprags,pen,MexicanAmateBarkMarbleLacepaperandacryliconwoodpanel
STEP1Paintalayerofwhiteacrylicpaintoveralight-coloredwoodpanel.Patwithapapertowel.Tearastainedshoptowelandusegelmediumtocollageapiecenearthecenter.
STEP2TearoffapieceofMexicanAmateBarkMarbleLacepaperandloosenthethreads.SecuretheAmatepaperwithgelmedium.
STEP3Gooverthepaperareasrandomlywithawashofblueacrylicpaintandglazemedium.Thenbrushonamixtureofpinkandbeigeacrylicpainttomakeapartialsquareintheupperleftofthecollagedarea.
STEP4Withafine-pointmarker,drawahorizontallineacrossthepiece,aboutaquarterofthewayfromthebottomofthepanel.
STEP5Writeasmallamountoftextwiththesamemarkerinthemiddleoftheareaandunderthehorizontalpenline.
Gallery:CONTEMPLATIVECHAOSMixedmediaonwood
Inthispiece,stainedpapershopragsformarichframearoundthecentralimages.
AmazingCheesecloth
Cheeseclothisn’tjustforthekitchen.Itdoesamazingthingsforwabi-sabi.Youcanstretchit,paintoveritandcompletelydisguiseit.Gelmediumwillsealandsecuretheclothwhileallowingtheholepatternstoshowthrough.Goaheadanduseplentyofmediumunderandoverthecheeseclothtoholditonthesupport.Inthisprojectyou’llelevatehumblecheeseclothtoHighArt.
THREESUNSAcrylic,re-inkerglaze,alcoholinkandcheeseclothonwoodpanel
STEP1ApplyabasecoatofSunsetOrangere-inkermixedwithglazemediumontoasmoothpre-gessoedboardorpanel.Blotunevenlywithapapertowel.AddPastelYellowandMediumYellowpaint,rubbingthecolorsintotheboard.Collagedownapieceofcheesecloth,stretchingtheclothacrossthepanelandshapingittoresembleamountain.
STEP2PaintSunsetOrangeandBottleGreenre-inkerglazesoverthecheesecloth.Addasmallamountofblackre-inkerglazeinvariousareas.
STEP3PaintthebottomareawithLettuceandblackre-inkerglazes.
STEP4Incisedesignsintothebottomarea,wherethesurfaceisnotcoveredbythecheesecloth.
STEP5AddthreecirclesintheupperareaofthepaintingbysqueezingWatermelonalcoholinkoverthewetpaint.
STEP6Dipapieceofpapertowelinglazemediumanduseittowipeoffsomeofthecoloraroundoneofthecircles.
STEP7PaintanarrowlineoftheSunsetOrangere-inkerglazeacrossthetopofthecheeseclotharea.
STEP8Withawidebrush,addathickwashoftheorangere-inkerglazeoverthewholepiece.Useapapertoweltopatupsomeoftheglaze.
wabi-sabiwisdom
Toaddanagedlooktocheesecloth,soaktheclothincoldstrongcoffeeortea.CROSSINGTHESUMMERRIVER,SANDALSINMYHAND.~Buson
Gallery:TRISTENTristenCollinsandSerenaBarton;Acrylic,re-inkerglaze,cheeseclothandteabagsoncanvas
Thispieceismostlytheworkofoneofmywomen’sartgroupmembers,TristenCollins.She’sresponsibleforthegorgeousre-inkercolorandtheinventiveuseofcheeseclothandteabags.Atherrequest,Iworkedonthebackground,addingthePayne’sGrayandBuffandothertouchestomaketheyellowsandorangespop.Wetookturnsworkingonthepieceforquiteawhile.Atonepointwerealizedwehadgottentoo“picky”andhadtakensomeofthelifeoutofthework.Ithenwentatthepiecewithaspraybottleofrubbingalcoholandabigbrushuntilitcamebacktovibrantlife.Workingasateamwasalotoffunforus.
Coffee,MetalFlakes,YarnandStamps
Inthisprojectyou’llusealittleofthisandabitofthat—elementsyoumaywellhavearoundyourhouseorart-makingarea.IlovetodrinkqualitybrewedcoffeewhenIwakeupinthemorning.However,I’velearnedtokeepsomeinexpensiveinstantcoffeearoundatalltimes.Instantcoffeecrystalsmixedwithalittlewatermakearichburntumbercolorthatlooksgreatonagessoedpanel.Anycrystalsthatdon’tdissolveallthewayaddtexture.Ilovehowthinmetalflakeslendexcitementtoasimplepiece.Vintagepostagestampsaresomeofmyfavoritesforaddingthosesweetspotsthatbringthepiecetogether.Yarnsuppliesfascinatingtextureandcolor.InthisprojectIusesilksariyarn.Ifyouhaveotherkindsofsilkyyarnavailable,feelfreetousethat.
BEGINNER’SMINDCoffee,yarn,metalflakesandacryliconwoodpanel
STEP1Startwithapre-gessoedpanelorcanvasboard.Dipadamppaintbrushintoinstantcoffeecrystals.Brushaclumpofcoffeeontothepanel.
STEP2Brushgelmediumthicklyontothecoffeearea.Tilttheboardupandtowardyousoalittleofthecoffeedripsdowntothebottomofthepanel.
STEP3Useyourbrushtosmearabitofthecoffeeoutward.
STEP4Sprinkleasmallamountofmetalflakesintotheareaofthepiececoveredwithgelmedium.
STEP5Collageavintagepostagestampintheupperrightcornerofthepanel.Brushwhitepaintoverthestampandblottheexcess,partiallyobscuringthestamp.
STEP6Collagetwostrandsofmulti-texturedyarn,placingonestrandoneachsideofthecoffeearea.
STEP7Brushasmallamountoflightredpaintundertheyarnlinetotherightofthecoffeearea.
STEP8Brushalittleoftheredpaintnearthebottomofthecoffeearea.
STEP9UseaNeocolorIIcrayontolightlysketchintextintheupperpartofthepiece.Useapapertoweltorubinandtakeupmostofthetext,leavingonlyahintofit.
AUTUMNMOONLIGHT—AWORMDIGSSILENTLYINTOTHECHESTNUT.~Basho
Gallery:PORTALPlaster,PanPastels,coffee,teaandvintagebuttononwoodpanel
Iaddedinstantcoffeeandgrainsofteatothisplasterpiecetogiveitanatural,agedeffect.
TheCover-Up
Whenyouhearthephrase“involvedinacover-up,”youknowitisn’tagoodthing.Butthecover-upwe’llbeinvolvedinisawonderfulthing.ItworkssowellthatIhopeyouhavesomeoldpaintedpanelsorcanvasesaroundthatyoudon’tcaremuchfor.Digthemoutnowsoyoucanparticipateinour“GreatCover-up.”Thisactivityinvolvestakingthatunwantedpieceandcoveringuppartofitinordertostarta
newpiece.It’srecyclingatitsmostartistic.Thelayersthatarecoveredstillhavetheirsayandaddrichnesstothefinishedpiece.
LANDINVIEWAcrylic,re-inkersandpaperonwoodpanel
STEP1Startwithanoldpainting.Minehasacrylicandre-inkeronit.Spraysomealcoholonthesurfaceinrandomareas.TheComnpaintblackgessoovertheoldpainting,exceptinthetoparea.That’swhereyou’llleaveasquareshape.
STEP2Incisearoundthesquarearea.
STEP3Asthegessoisdrying,rubitinnearthebottomofthepiecesotheoldpaintcolorsshowthrough.
STEP4Incisearoundthebottomarea,revealinglightlayersunderthegesso.
STEP5Tearoffasmallpieceofvintagenewspaperorbookandcollageitinthemiddleofthesquare.Paintredre-inkerglazeoverthetext.BlendCaramelre-inkerglazeoverthesquareareainanunevenpattern.Finishthepiecebyincisingafewlinestotheleftandrightofthesquare.
wabi-sabiwisdom
Ifyoudon’thaveoldpanelsorboardsthatyouwanttocoverup,shopforoldacrylicpaintingsatthriftstoresorgaragesales.Suchartworkcanserveasinspiringjumping-offpointsforanewcreation.
Gallery:BURSTINGAcryliconwoodpanel
ThispiecebeganasthepaletteIusedwhilepaintinganotherpiece.IwentoverthepaintwithafewlayersofcolorandmanylayersofwhiteandBuffacrylicpaintappliedwithapaintingknife.Theformerpalettebecameavividpieceinitsownright.It’safavoriteofvisitorstomystudio.IthinkthispiecesucceededsowellbecauseIwasn’ttrying—justenjoying.
5
abstractingfromthereal:thepowerofsuggestion
Gallery:SOUTHTissuepaper,magazinefragmentsandacryliconwoodpanel
Whatmakeschildren’sdrawingssodelightful?Certainlypartoftheappealistheevidentjoywithwhichtheycreateandtheirlackofself-criticism,whichresultsinlivelywork.Ithinkanotheraspectofchildren’swork(orisitplay?)isthatchildrentendtoreducecomplicatedobjectsandpeopletothemostessentialelements.Childrenputdownwhatismostimportanttogettheirvisionsacross.ThetermabstractartisoftenusedtodescribenonrBt="ctingf>SomeoftheartIhavecreatedforthisbookdoesn’trepresentanythinginthematerialworld,
thoughthisartmaywellrepresentemotionsandthoughts.Theprojectsinthischapterareworkingwithabstractionabitdifferently—takingthebasiclines,shapesandcolorsofwhatweseeandusingthesetorepresentthewholeimage.Whenwelookattheexternalworld,ourbrainsdosomeofthework,fillinginblankswhere
oureyescan’tfocusorwheresomeoftheelementsaremissing.Wedothiswhenwelookat
artaswell.Thisiswhysuggestioncanbemorepowerfulthanminutedetail.TheImpressionistsshockedviewerswiththeirwork,whichusedtheeffectsoflighttosuggestratherthantospellout.Peoplewerenotusedtomakingtheirbrainsworksohardalongwiththeireyes.About150yearslaterwehavenoproblemfillingintheblanksleftonthecanvasbyanartistwhoonlysuggestsandwholeavessomeoftheinterpretationtotheviewer.Likethehaikusprinkledthroughoutthisbook,abstractiongivesthepotentialforalarge
responsetoaminimumofsuggestion.Abstractionisinteractive;itallowstheviewertoprojecthisorherownideas,feelingsandresponsesontotheartpiece.Inthischapteryou’llcreateacollagethatisanabstractionofthereal,andthenwe’llmove
ontoanevenmoreabstractedpainting.Abstractionsvarywiththeartist,sohavefuncreatingyourownversionsofthefollowingprojects.
whatyou’llneedforthischapter
AcrylicpaintConstructionpaperGelmediumGlazemediumPaintbrushesPre-gessoedwoodpanelsorcanvasesRe-inkersStamppadTissuepaper
PlayingwithTornPaper
IrememberthedayImademyfirsttornpapercollage.IwasinspiredbysomeaccidentallystainedtissuepaperI’dfoundatadiscountartsupplystoreandbythehydrangeasinmybackyard.Tearingthepaperwasveryfreeingandfun.Isoondiscoveredthatthestainingonthetissuepaperallowedmetocreateeffectsoflightandshadow.Thatpaperislonggone,alas,sonowIcreatelightandshadowwithdifferentshadesofthesamecolor.
SEEKONHIGHBARETRAILSSKY-REFLECTINGVIOLETS…MOUNTAIN-TOPJEWELS.~Basho
EASTTissuepaper,constructionpaperandacryliconwoodpanel
STEP1Useseveralpiecesoftissuepapertocoverawoodpanel.Putanothercoloroftissuepaperverticallyontherightsideofthepanel.
STEP2Tearsmallpiecesofdarkpinkandmagentatissuepaper.Collagepiecesinanabstractstyletorepresenthydrangeas.Varythecolorstorepresentlightandshadow.
STEP3Paintmetallicgoldacrylicoverthebackground.Paintaroundtheflowersandthestripeatright.
STEP4Tearthreenarrowstripsofconstructionpaper.Collageoneontheleftandtwoontheright.
STEP5Rubsomeacrylicpaintandgelmediumintotheyellowstripsforaddedcolor.
Afewfinalstepstounifythisproject:
•Withdarkpaint,addstemsonthetwoflowersintheforeground.•Addthedarkpaintinsmallareasoftheflowerstoenhanceshadows,asdesired.•Rubalittleofthedarkpaintintothegoldstripeandthepurpletissueareaontheright.•Addtouchesofthemetallicgoldpainttothesamearea.•Addtwoofthemagentatissuepiecesonthefarrightofthepiece.
Gallery:WESTTissuepaper,wallpapersampleandacryliconwoodpanel
Thispiecealsousesasimplified,abstractedversionofflowersagainstavariegatedbackground.
ABrushwithAbstraction
Putonsomecatchymusicandcutloosewiththenextproject.It’smyexperiencethatabstractpiecesarebestdonebyanartistwho’sbeenboogyingaroundthestudio,singingatthetopofherlungs.Remember,it’simpossibletodothistechniquewrong.Ifyoudon’tlikeit,scrapeitofforcoveritover.It’sallabouttheprocess.
INMYOLDHOMEWHICHIFORSOOK,THECHERRIESAREINBLOOM.~Issa
THEOLDHOUSERe-inker,acryliconwoodpanel
STEP1Startwithapre-gessoedpanel,canvasorboard.MixGreenre-inkerwithwhiteacrylicpaintandapplyittothebottomthree-quartersofthepanel.Wipethepaintin.Thenpaintgreenre-inkermixedwithglazemediumonbothsidesoftheupperquarterofthepiece.
STEP2Withawidebrush,painttwowideoblongswatchesofYellowOchreacrylicpaintinthecenteroftheupperpartofthepiece.
STEP3Lightentheupperoblongareawithwhiteacrylicpaintmixedwithgelmedium.
STEP4Withcrimsonacrylicpaintandanarrowbrush,makeathinlineundertheoblongsandovertothegreenareaontheleft.Addalittlecrimsonpainttotherightoftheoblongarea.
STEP5Mixalittleofthecrimsonpaintwithwhitepaint.Paintaboveandaroundtheoblongareasbetweenthegreenareas.
STEP6Withdarkacrylicpaint,addasmallsquareinthecenteroftheloweroblong.
STEP7Addathinwashofgreenundertheoblongandunderthetopoblongontheright.
STEP8Addathinwashofcrimsonpaintoverthelargegreenarea.Blotanyexcess.
STEP9Tapabrowninkpadontheedgesofthepiece.Rubalittleoftheinkontothetopandbottomcornersofthesurfaceofthepieceforanagedeffect.
wabi-sabiwisdom
Animportantpartofcreatingyourpieceisknowingwhentotakeabreak.Youcangetsocaughtupinmakingyourpiecegoodthatyoudotoomuch.Haveacupofteaandputyourpiecewhereyoucangetagoodlookatitfromadistance.SipyourteaandcontemplateyourworkJidt0ascaughtup.Thepiecewilltellyouwhatitneedsorifitiscomplete.Italsohelpstohaveasupportivefriendyell,“Stop!”whenyouareabouttogotoofar.
wabi-sabiwisdom
Here’safunandeffectivewaytogetinspirationforanabstractpiece:You’llneedanoldmagazineandscissors.Cutintothecenterofastackofpagesandcutoutsmallsquaresoroblongs.Gothroughtheseimagesandpickouttheonesthatappealtoyou,whetherit’sthecolorordesignorsomeotheraspect.Chooseyourfavoriteastheimpetusforyourpiece.
Gallery:WINTERRICHESAcryliconwoodpanel
Imadethispieceusingarandomoblongpiecefromamagazineforinspiration.Istartedwiththegeneralshapesandcolorsfromthemagazinefragment.Ithenwentontodevelopmyownintuitiveversionoftheoriginaldesign.
CompositionTipsforAbstractWork
WhenIwasfirstrelearningtomakeart,Ifoundthatworkingwithcolorwasfairlyintuitiveforme—notsowithcomposition.IhadtolearnsomeessentialconceptsbeforeIcouldcomposeintuitively.Hereareafewthathelpedmethemost,particularlywhenworkingwithabstraction:
•Tearyourpapersandimagesratherthancuttingthemalloutneatly.•Usecolor,textureandshapetocreatesubtlerepetitioninyourdesign.•Leavesimpleplacesfortheeyetorest,especiallywhenyouhaveabusierdesign.(Iknow,Isaidthisbefore,butitbearsrepeating.)
•Ifyoucreateanabstractionofanobject,makesureitdoesn’tfloatinspace(unlessthatisyourintention).Asuggestionofasurfaceorspacethatholdsuptheobjectisallyouneed.
Belowyou’llfindsomecommoncompositionstyles.Oftenapiecewillhavemorethanone,
butthisisagoodtooltostartlookingatcompositioninyourworkandinotherartworkyouobserve.Theseimagesshowsomeofthepiecesinthisbookconvertedtoblackandwhiteforeaseofviewingthecompositionallinesandshapes.I’vechosensomecompositionstylesthattendtobepleasingtotheeye.Ioftenliketocombinecompositions;forinstance,Imightaddafewverticallinestoalandscapepiece.
MOVEMENTOFTIMECircle
AUTUMNATLOSTLAKEHorizontal
ZEITGEISTVertical
LASTRESORTPyramid
AFTERMATHDiagonal
6
translucence:creatingwabi-sabiinwax
Gallery:LASTRESORTEncausticonwoodpanel
Iwaxpoeticwhenitcomestotalkingaboutworkingwithamixtureofmeltedbeeswaxanddamarresin,whichiscalledencaustic.Thismediumisunlikeanyother.Encausticlayersbecomeinstantlyfirm,yetthepiecescanbereworkedanytime,evenyearslater.Inthischapter,I’lldemonstratehowtomakeencausticmediumwithasimplemethodyoucanreplicateinyourstudioorartarea.Whenyouaddacoloranttothemedium,youmakeencausticpaint.I’llshowyouseveralwaystomakethisdeliciouspaint:withoilpaints,oilpastelsandpowderedpigment.Thetranslucentqualitiesofthewaxmediumandwaxpaintcreatedepth,mysteryand
complexity.Encausticworksshinewithanaturalglow,especiallywhenyoubuffthem.Anoldnylonstockingmakesagreatbuffingtool.Youcanpurchaseyellowbeeswax,whichisunfilteredandretainsitsnaturalcolor,oryou
cantryfilteredbeeswax,whichisclearer.Trybothkindstoseewhichyouprefer,orforwhichofyourprojectseachkindofwaxisbestsuited.It’sprettyeasytolearnthebasicsofworkingwithencausticmediumandpaint.Afteryou
learntomakethemediumandpaint,youcanspendtherestofyourlifehappilyplayingwithvariationsontheencaustictheme.Studentsoftenaskmeiftheyneedtoworryabouttheirfinishedencausticworkmelting.
Unlessyouleaveapieceinaveryhotcarforafewdays,asIoncedid,orunlessyourhouseisonfire,youdon’tneedtoworry.Youdon’twanttoleaveyourpiecesinfreezingtemperatureseither,ofcourse.Otherwise,encausticworksareverystrong.Weknowthisbecausewehavewonderfulexamplesofthefirstknownencausticworks,doneinancienttimesbyGreco-RomanEgyptians.Theycreatedbeautiful,lifelikeportraitsofpeoplewhohaddied.(Ifyouareinterestedinseeingthese,checkoutFayumportraitsonline.)Fusingeachlayerofencausticmediumtothesupportortothepreviouslayerisanessential
partofbuildingupyourencausticwork.Youneedtofuseeachlayerorstrokeofpaint.YoucanuseanembossinggJidt0@ʽun,aheatgunormyfavorite,apropaneorbutanetorch.Whenworkingwithencausticyouwanttohavesomecrossventilationinyourworkareaand
asmallfireextinguishernearby,justincase.Observethebasicprecautionsandyou’llbefine.Infact,there’sagoodchanceyou’llfallmadlyinlovewiththeencausticprocessandthesmellofbeeswax.
whatyou’llneedforthischapter
BonefolderBristlebrushesCatfoodortunatinsCollagepapersDamarresincrystalsElectricgriddleElectricskilletEmbossinggun,heatgunorpropaneorbutanetorchEncausticironHotSticksintwocolorsOilpaint,oilpastels,powderedpigmentsand/orpremadeencausticpaintPotteryscraperRespiratorormaskWoodpanels
MakingandApplyingEncausticMedium
Gettingstartedinencausticisfairlyeasy.Tomaketheclearmediumyouneedanelectricskillet(thatyou’llnevercookinagain),beeswaxanddamarresincrystals.That’sall.You’llbeamazedathowquicklythemediumcoolsonyourwoodpanel—you’llquicklybereadytofuseandapplythenextlayer.Tip:Makesureyourskillet’stemperaturecontrolisingoodworkingorder.Youwanttokeep
thetemperaturenohigherthan200°For93°C.Ifyourmediumstartstosmoke,turndowntheheat.
EncausticEssentials
Clockwisefromtopleft:damarresincrystals,unfilteredbeeswax,filteredbeeswax.
STEP1Meltdamarresinandbeeswaxinanelectricskilletinaratioofaboutonepartresintosixpartsbeeswax.
STEP2Whentheresinandbeeswaxaremelted,applythismediumtoawoodsupportwithawidebristlebrush.Brushinonedirection,onelayeratatime.
SheiSTEP3Usingapropaneorbutanetorch,oranembossingorheatgun,heatthepaintedareainaback-and-forthmotiontofusethemediumtothesupport.Whenthefusedwaxlayercools,repeattheprocessthreemoretimes,allowingthewaxtocoolforacoupleofminutesafteryouapplyittoyourpanelandfusing.
MakingEncausticPaint
Inadditiontobuyingpremadeencausticpaint,youcanaddcolortoyourencausticmediuminseveralways.Addingoldbrokenpastelsisagoodchoiceifyouhavealotofthemaround.IhaveabunchofoldoilpaintsthatI’musingup.Powderedpigmentscanbeexpensiveasaninitialinvestment,buttheyareveryeconomicalinthelongrun.
Method1
Addoilpainttothemedium(whichiskeptinaliquidstateinatinonanelectricpancakegriddle).Putasmallamountofpaintinasmalltinandaddtheclearmedium.Stiruntilblended.
Method2
Dipyourbrushintheencausticmediumandthenintothepigment.Carefullyaddthepowderedpigmenttothemedium.Weararespiratorormasktoavoidbreathinginthepigmentpowder.Stirthepowderandmediummixture.(Doingthisinanareawithgoodventilationisalsorecommended.)
Method3
Usepremadepaint.Meltitinatin,addingclearmediumifyou’dlikethecolortobemoretranslucent.
Method4
Addsomeofyouroldbrokenpastelstotheclearmediumandstiroccasionallyasthepastelsmelt.
PaintingWabi-SabiEncaustic
Inthisproject,you’llcreateavisualtributetothewonderfultranslucenceofwaxmedium.Feelfreetoexplore,add,scrapebackandotherwiseinteractwiththesmoothandrichlayers.Youmaywanttotrythisprojectseveraltimeswithdifferentcolorcombinationseachtime.I’vechosenasimplepalettefortheprojectsoyoucanseehowinterestingthewaxmediumandpaintareontheirown.
APRIL’SAIRSTIRSINWILLOW-LEAVES…ABUTTERFLYFLOATSANDBALANCES.~Basho
PROPERTIESOFLIGHTEncausticonwoodpanel
<S="1/data-AmznRemoved>
wabi-sabiwisdom
•Regularacrylicgessoisnotsuitableforencausticwork,asitisn’tabsorbentenough.Useanungessoedboard,ortrytheseexcellentproducts:
•R&FPaintsEncausticGessogivesyouabrightwhitebaselayerandmakesasmoothsurfaceforyourwaxlayers.
•AmpersandEncausticbordisapanelthatcomeswithaspecialgessoalreadyappliedtoit.
•Remembertofuseeachtimeyouputpaintdown.IknowIkeepsayingthis,butit’seasytoforgetwhenyouarefiredupwithinspiration!
•Ifyoudecideyoudon’tlikethelookofsomethingyou’veputdown,useyourpotteryscrapertoremoveitandstartagain.Usedgently,thescraperwillalsosmooththesurfaceofyourpiece.
•Itwilltakesomeexperimentingwiththetorchorembossingguntodiscoverthevariouseffectsthatarepossible.Beopentosurprises.
•Youdon’thavetofusethewholepieceifyouhaveonlyworkedinonearea.Justfusethenewarea.
•Youdon’thavetoputdownalayerofclearmediumaftereachpaintedlayer,butyoumightchoosetodothistogettheeffectofdepth.
STEP1Applyandfusethreelayersofencausticmedium.
STEP2Brushonalayeroftransparentyellow-goldencausticpaintandfuse.Whenbrushingonthepaint,makesomeofyourstrokeshorizontalandsomevertical.Varythesizeofthebrushstrokes.Fuse.
STEP3BrushontwolargeoblongshapesofverytransparentUltramarineBlueencausticpaint.Addencausticmediumovertheblueareasandfuse.
STEP4Addanotherlayeroftheyellow-goldencausticpaintandfuse.Addalayerofencausticmediumandfuse.
STEP5Makeseveralhalfcircleswithopaquelightyellowencausticpaintandfuse.
STEP6Brushawidestripoftranslucentyellowpaintnearthebottomofthepiece.Fuse.
STEP7Lightlybrushonclearencausticmediumoverthehalfcircles.Thiswillmakethemrecede,addingasenseofdepthtothepiece.Fuse.
STEP8Useyourpotteryscrapertoscrapeawayanyexcesswaxandtorevealabitofpreviouslayers.
STEP9Paintthehalfcirclesagainwithopaqueyellowencausticpaint.Theprevioushalfcircleswillstillshowandwillappeartobebehindthenewones.Fuse.
wabi-sabiwisdom
Ifindthatseveralsymbolsoftenemergeinmywork.YoumaynoticethatIfavorcupsandcontainers,abstractships,mountainsandwater.Whatimagesrecurinyourwork?Youcanalwaysreturntoyoursymbolswhenyouneedinspiration,asthereareinfinitewaystousethesamesymboldependingonyourmoodandmaterialsavailable.
Gallery:ALWAYSFULLEncausticonwoodpanel
Thispiecefeaturesoneofmyfavoritesymbols,thecup.Ideliberatelyletsomeoftheencausticpaintdripdownthefrontofthepieceandusedincisingforaweatheredeffect.
Gallery:BLOOMEncausticonwoodpanel
Iusedanembossingguntoblowthewaxaroundandcreateshapesthatsuggestflowers.
AddingCollageElementstoWax
Ilovecollagingwithwax.Noglueneeded.Thewaxservesastheglueandthesealer,andyourcollageelementsbecomepartofthelayeringofwax.Youcandoastraightforwardcollageandthenapplyencaustic,orusecollageandencausticpainttogether,layerbylayer.Iespeciallyliketocollagepaperelementsintodifferentlayersofwax,sosomelookclosertothesurfacethanothers.Inthefollowingprojectyou’llusesomehand-decoratedpapersandcollagepapersandanaturalyellowbeeswaxtomakeapiecethatsoars.
INTHETWILIGHTRAINTHESEBRILLIANT-HUEDHIBISCUS…ALOVELYSUNSET.~Basho
TAKEFLIGHTEncausticandpaperonwoodpanel
STEP1BrushontwocoatsofclearencausticmeSenpdium.Fuseaftereachcoat.PutonalayerofNaplesYellowencausticpaint.Fuse.
STEP2Tearapieceofflexiblecollagepaper.Holditatoneendanddiptherestintheencausticmedium.
STEP3Placethepaperontothepiece.Addclearencausticmediumoverthepapertokeepitinplace.
STEP4Teartwostripsofflexiblecollagepaper.Usingthepreviousmethod,attachthesepiecestothesupport.Fuse.
STEP5Burnishthepaperdownwithabonefolderorbrushhandletomakesureit’sflat.Fuse.
STEP6Brushtransparentgrayencausticpaintinthreeplaces.Fuse.
STEP7Scrapeoffabitofthegrayplacedtowardthebottomofthepiece,usingapotteryscraper.
wabi-sabiwisdom
•Youcanmakeencausticmediuminlargebatchessoyoudon’thavetomixthemediumsofrequently.Takeafewhourstomakelotsofmediumandpourtheliquidintomuffintins.Popoutcakesofmediumasneeded.
•Lightweightpapersworkbestinencausticcollages.Ifyoucanfindoldonionskintypingpaper,usethisinyourprintertocreateencaustic-friendlyimages
Gallery:PALIMPSESTEncausticandmixedmediaonwoodpanel
Palimpsestsareareasinapaintingwherelayerspreviouslycoveredshowthrough.Iusedmanydifferentpapersinthisencausticcollagetosuggestawallcoveredwithpeelingpaint,billboardsandnotices.
HotSticksandanIron
I’vefoundthatIcanachievesimpleandeleganteffectswithacoupleofHotSticks(madebyEnkaustikos)andaspecialencausticiron.Youcanfindmanykindsofcraftironsthatwillworkforfusingyourencausticpieces:Quiltingirons,minicraftironsandsealingironsallworkwell.TheencausticironIusedintheTriptychproject,atright,islargerthantheotherironsI’velistedhere.Tryseveralironsandseewhichyoulikebest.I’veneverbeforerevealedhoweasythisprojectis.DotrythisatSothome!Choosetwo
HotSticksincolorsyouloveandironaway.
INTHEDARKGARDENOFTHENIGHT,THEPEONYREMAINSQUIET…~Shirao
TRIPTYCHEncausticonwoodpanel
STEP1Putdowntwoorthreelayersofclearencausticmedium,fusingbetweeneachlayer.Thenputalayerofwhiteencausticpaintoverthepanelandfuse.
STEP2MeltthetipofaHotStickbyrubbingitonyourencausticiron.
STEP3Quicklyruntheironoverthebottomofthepaintinginarandompattern.
STEP4Wipeexcesswaxoffyourencausticiron.
STEP5RepeatthepaintingprocessinSTEP3withadifferentcoloredHotStickandyouriron.
6Dipabristlebrushintoblackencausticpaintandmakearandomdesignnearthecenterofthepiece.Fuse.
Gallery:SPRINGTOLIFEEncausticonwoodpanel
Thisisanothersimplepiecewithabigpunch.ImeltedaHotStickontheencausticironandfusedthewaxwiththeencausticiron.Irepeatedtheprocesswithanoilbar,whichprovidedtheiridescenteffect.
7
buriedtreasure:3-Dwaxartandotherenhancements
Gallery:RULETHEWAVESEncaustic,vintagebookandmixedmedia
Whenyouadd3-Delementstoencausticpieces,youmakethemcomealive.Beforeaddingtheembellishments,youmustusepapersaRota0253xt="1em"windmanypaintlayerstocreateathickandtexturedpiecethatcanholduptothefinal3-Dtouches.Makingthiskindofworkisexciting—akindofarchaeologicalexcavationinreverse.Eachlayerbecomesavitalpartofthepiece.Inthischapter,I’llshowyouhowtocreateprimalandmysteriousworkthatinvitestheviewertoimagineastorywovenintothepiecewitheachlayerandeachelement.I’llshowyouhowtoaddlayersofwaxandspecialtypapersandhowtoinciseintothework
toshowwhathascomebefore.Asyouaddandscrapebackyou’llbecomeintimatewithyourmaterialandexpressyourdeepestself.It’ssaidthatallofourartpiecesareinsomewayself-portraits.With3-Dwaxart,yourcapacityforexpressingyourownvisionandvoiceknowsnobounds!InthischapterI’llsharemyexcitementforhuntingandgatheringbatteredembellishments
andunusualpapers.Inthefirstprojectyou’lllearnhowtoattachanembellishmenttoyourencausticpieceinawaythatenhanceswithoutoverpoweringthepiece.Inthesecondprojectyou’llgetadventurouswithavintagebook,embellishmentsandencausticmedium.Sortthroughyourtreasuresforyourfavoriteembellishments,heatupthewaxandtakeoff!
whatyou’llneedforthischapter
AmbershellacBeeswaxBristlebrushesCarvingtoolCheeseclothCraftknifeDamarresinDarktwineFauxmetalflakesGoldtransferfoilHeatgun,embossinggunortorchLightweightcollagepaperNeocolorIIcrayonsOilpaintOldnewspaperPapertowelsPotteryscraperRubberstampandpadSmallmetalembellishmentsTissuepaperVegetableoilVintagebooksWoodpanels
HuntingandGatheringEmbellishments
Ilovet[efthethrillofthehunt;thatis,chasingdownweatheredandfascinatingobjectstoputinmyart.Ifrequentgaragesaleswhentheweatherisnice.Istayinspiredinthewinterbyvisitingmylocalantiquesmall.And,ofcourse,etsy.comisacontinualsourceofdelightandcoolstuff.Herearesomepicturesofmystashtoinspireyou.
EmbellishmentDrawers
Ifoundthishomemadecabinetatasecondhandstore.Intendedforstoringsmallelectricalparts,therewerestillafewleftinsomeofthedrawers.Thisisaperfectplaceformybitsandbobs.
VintagePaperDisplay
Thismetalbox,anotherthrift-storefind,holdsadisplayofvintagepapers,letters,sheetmusicandbooks,hand-decoratedpaperandspecialtypapers.Justlookingatthiscornucopiagives
meamixed-mediabuzz!
TreasureTrove
I’vestrewnthetopofagarage-salebookcasewithinspiringitemsfrommystash.TheseincludemyFrozenCharlottedollcollections,carvedandpapier-mâchéhands,mygreatgrandmother’spurse,avintagedollheadandatarnishedsilverdishfilledwithfishvertebrae.
VintageRubberStampDisplay
Thisvintagestampsetisanantiquemallfind.Ilovetheold-styleletters,numbersandsymbols.Iusethesestampsfrequentlyinmixed-mediaworktogiveasenseoferasgoneby.
CurioCabinet
I’vefilledothershelvesofmygarage-salebookcasewithmorespecialtreasures.Mybuttonsreposeinmygrandmother’spinkicebucket.Theshelvesalsoholdoldbuttoncards,vintagephotos,alteredbooksandbunchesofcostumejewelry.ThiscabinetputsmeinacreativemoodassoonasIenterthestudio.
TeaBagCollection
Deliciouslystainedusedteabagssitinahandmadebox.Iusetheseteabagsfrequentlyinmixed-mediaartandIalsojustliketolookatthem.
AttachinganEmbellishment
ThemetalpiecesinmyworkareintegralelementsandnotjustthingsIstuckonasanafterthought.Inthisproject,you’llusetwineandacircularpieceofvintagemetaltocreateadreamworldthatevokespeaceandjoy.Thetwineliterallyandmetaphoricallyattachesthemetalinanorganicway.
TEMPLEBELLSDIEOUT.THEFRAGRANTBLOSSOMSREMAIN.APERFECTEVENING!~Basho
TEMPLEEncaustic,collagepapers,twineandembellishmentonwoodpanel
STEP1Afterapplyingandfusingfourlayersofencausticmediumtoawoodpanel,tearastripfromanoldnewspaperandcollageittothebottomofthepanelwithencausticmedium.
STEP2PaintastripofCeladonencausticpaintabovethenewspaper.Fuse.
STEP3Paintthreehorizontalstripeswithbrownishredencausticpaintinthecenterofthepiece.Fuse.
STEP4Usethepotteryscrapertovarytheedgesofthestripesbyremovingalittleofeachstripe.
STEP5Tearthreestripsoflightweightcollagepaper.Collageoneoneithersideoftheredstripsandoneabove.Fuse.
STEP6PaintaroundthecollagedstripsabovetheCeladonareawithblackencausticpaintandfuse.
STEP7DipapieceoftwineintotheencausticmediumandcollageitfromthelowestredstriptojustbelowtheCeladonarea.Fusegently.
STEP8Brushencausticmediumonthebackofaroundpieceofvintagemetal.
STEP9Attachthemetaltothepiece.
STEP10Brushencausticmediumaroundthemetalpieceandfuse.Repeattwoorthreetimesuntilthemetalisfirmlyinplace.
Gallery:FREIGHTEREncausticonwoodpanel
Thispieceispaintedonasurfacethatisactuallyanoldoilpainting.Intheareasinsidethemetalrings,IbuiltupenoughencausticlayerZn=""0""width=stobeabletothendigdeeplyintothewaxandexposetheoriginalpainting.
EmbeddinginaNiche
Youcanembeda3-Diteminlayersandlayersofwaxonyourwoodsupport.Inthisproject,you’llbedoingsomethingmoreoutrageousandfun:embeddingyour3-Dembellishmentinawaxedbook.Youshouldknowthatanaddictiontowaxcancreateadesiretowaxeverythinginsight.AwhilebackIhadanotherwhatifdayanddecidedtowaxsomevintagebookstocreateencausticassemblagesfullofspecialtreasures.That’swhatwe’regoingtodonow,sodipintoyourstashofoldbooksforonethatisripefortransformation.
SWIFTS
Encaustic,paperandfoundobjectsonvintagebook
STEP1Withacraftknife,cutoutasectionofthebookontherightside.Thisshouldbethesize,shapeanddepthoftheobjectyouaregoingtoembed.
STEP2Coatthefrontandsidesofthebookwithencausticmedium.Fuse.
STEP3Addanothercoatofencaustictothefrontandsidesofthebookandfuseagain.
STEP4Brushencausticmediumontheinsideoftheniche.
STEP5Pressyourobjectintotheniche.
STEP6PainttwoormorelayersofCeladonencausticpaintaroundtheobject.Fusebetweenlayers.
STEP7Ontheleftsideofthebook,brushonalayerofBurntSiennaencausticpaint.Fuse.
STEP8PaintovertheSiennapaintlayerwithalayerofdarkbrownencausticpaint.Fuse.
STEP9PaintalayerofCeladonencausticpaintoverthedarkbrownlayer.Extendthepaintintothecenterareabetweenthepages.Fuse.
STEP10Usingapotteryscraper,scrapebacktheupperareaoftheleftpage,creatinga
squareareathroughwhichsomeofthe[soDarkSiennaandalittleofthebooktextshowthrough.
STEP11Useacarvingtooltoincisethreedeeplinestotheleftofthescraped-awaysquare.
STEP12Underthesquare,useencausticmediumtocollageanoblongpieceoftextfromanotherbook.Fusegently.
STEP13Withthecarvingtool,incisetwolinestotheleftofthetextpieceandthreelinesbelow.
STEP14Teartwopiecesofcollagepaperwithasimpleblack-and-whitedesign.Collageonenearthetopoftherightpageandoneatthebottomofthepage.Fuse.
STEP15Brushencausticmediumoverthenichedobject.Pressfauxmetalflakesintotheobjectsotheystick.Fusegently.
STEP16Incisetheoutlineoftheobjectwithyourcarvingtool.Incisetwooverlappinglinesbelowtheobject.
STEP17Takeanoldpinorbuttonwithasharpshankontheback.Pressitintothewaxabovetheembeddedobject.PaintaroundtheedgesofthepinwithCeladonencausticpaint.
STEP18Withyourcarvingtool,incisedeeplyintothecenterbetweenthetwopages.
STEP19Highlightaroundthecollagedareaswithalightbrushingofblackencausticpaint.Fuse.
STEP20Brushblackencausticpaintovertheedgesofthebookpages.Fuse.
Gallery:DEMETERWEPTEncaustic,metal,plantmaterial,ceramicfigure,netting,ink,rustedmeshandraffiaonvintagebook
IwasinspiredbythemythofDemeterandPersephonewhenImadethispiece.Thepiecehasalotoflayersofwaxwithvintagepaperembeddedinseveralofthelayers.Thoughitisdense,theoverallcompositionisfairlysimple.
IncisingaFocalPoint
You’vedonesomeincisinginafewofyourpreviousprojects.Forthisproject,incisingwillbethefocalpointof[ocathepiece.Andyou’lluseoilpainttobringoutthedramaoftheincisedarea.Yourinspirationwillbethelegendofaghostship,endlesslysailing.TheprojectIdidwas
actuallyinspiredbythewreckofashipalongacoastoverthemountainsfromwhereIlive.Theshipranagroundin1906,and,fortunately,everyoneonboardsurvived.Theromanticwreckisstillthere,surroundedbyplayingchildrenandloungingadults.
AMONGTHEGRASSESOFPASSINGAUTUMN,THESTREAMHIDESITSELF.~Shirao
GHOSTSHIPEncaustic,tissuepaper,cheesecloth,shellacandoilpaintonwoodpanel
STEP1Afterapplyingandfusingthreelayersofencausticmedium,paintontwolayersofwhiteencausticpaint.Fuseeachlayer.Thencreateafree-formdesigninthewaxwithasharpcarvingtool.
STEP2Rubblackoilpaintintotheincisedareas.Makesurealloftheincisionsarefilledwithpaint.
STEP3Rubofftheexcessblackoilpaintwithapapertowel.
STEP4Dipapapertowelorshoptowelinvegetableoilandfinishpickinguptheexcesspaint.
STEP5RubinsomeNaplesYellowoilpaintandfuse.
STEP6Paintamber-coloredshellacaroundtheedgesofthepiece.
STEP7Fusetheshellacareaswithabutaneorpropanetorch.(Itwillflamebriefly,somakesuretherearenoflammableitemsnearby.)
STEP8Collagealittleoff-whitetissuepaperorabitofcheeseclotharoundthemiddleofthepiecetosuggestaship.Fuse.
Gallery:FLOWERSEncausticpaintonwoodpanel
IincisedflowerstemsandleavesandrubbedBurntUmberoilpaintintotheincisions.Thispaintingisalsoacover-up—itwasoriginZocatfght=allyanencausticlandscapeIwasn’tthrilledwith.Iaddedtheoff-whiteencausticpaintandincisedseveralareastocreatethisabstractflowerpiece.
Gallery:SIGNSOFAGINGEncausticpaintonwoodpanel
Thispiecewasinspiredbyaphotoinabookonpaintingrestoration.Thebookwasfullofclose-upphotosofproblemareasinpaintingsinneedofrestoration.Ifoundthesephotosbeautifulandfascinating.Theinspirationphotoshoweddeepcracksinanoldmasterpainting.Incisingintowaxyieldedasimilarfascinatingeffect.
OilPaintwithWax
Oilpaintcanbeusedinmanywaystoenhanceyourencausticpieces.Isometimesrubabitofadarkoilpaintintothecornersofmypiecestogiveanagedlook.Youcanbrushorruboilpaintoveryourencausticpieceandthenfusetheoilpaintsoitbecomespartofthewaxlayer.Thiscangiveasubtlerandevenmoretransparenteffectthanusingalayerofencausticmedium.Inthisproject,youwillrubonoilpaintandinciseintothelayerstocreatedrawings.You
can’thelpbuthavefunwiththistechnique.ItitledthispieceCebollaandFriends,ascebollaisSpanishforonion.Ijustlovehowthewordsounds,andIlovetodrawonions.Grabonefromthekitchenifyouneedamodel.
STILLNESS:SINKINGINTOTHEROCKS—BUTSTILLACRICKET’SVOICE.~Basho
CEBOLLAANDFRIENDSEncausticandoilpaintonwoodpanel
STEP1Brushthreelayersofencausticmediumontoawoodpanel,fusingbetweenlayers.RubtransparentAzoGreenoilpaintintothewaxsurface,removingextrapaintwithapaperorshoptowel.Fuselightly.
STEP2RubinalayerofCrimsonBrowninthesamewayandfuse.Thenuseyourtorchorembossingguntomovetheoilpaintaroundthepanelinroughlycircularforms.
STEP3Brushopaquewhiteencausticpaintovertheoilpaint,leavingalargeareainthecenteruncovered.Fusethewhitepaint,allowingsomeofthebackgroundtocomethrough.
STEP4Whilethewaxisstillalittlesoft,incisedesignsandlinesintothewhiteareaofthepiece.Doingsoallowssomeofthepreviouslayerstoemergeinthedesign.
STEP5Usingacarvingtool,inciseanoniondesignintothecenterarea,allowingthestemyouincisetogointothewhiteareaatthetopofthepiece.Carvetheoutlineofanappleandpartofaslicedorangeintothecenterareaoneithersideoftheoniondesign.
STEP6RubCrimsonBrownoilpaintlightlyintosomeoftheincisedlinesoftheonionandthefruit.Fuselightly.
Gallery:SHIPWRECKEncaustic,paper,oilpaintandfabriconcradledwoodpanel
HereIpaintedBurntSiennaoilpaintontothebottomofthepieceandfusedit.Ithenrubbedabitoftheoilpaintintotheupperareaofthepiece.Theoilpaintcombinedwiththewaxcreatesarich,translucentareaofcolor.Iplacedasmallpieceoffabricabovetheoil-paintedareaandteasedoutafewbitsoftheweavetosuggestthewreckageofaship.
GoldTransferFoilwithWax
You’llloveusingtransferfoilwithencaustic!Youcanusejustaboutanytoolyouhavehandytotransferthefoiltoyourpiece.Thefoilcheerfullyembedsitselfinthewaxwithease.Inthisproject,you’regoingtousetransferfoilsparinglybuttogreateffect.
THREEEncausticpaint,NeocolorIIcrayons,goldtransferfoilandoilpaintonwoodpanel
STEP1Applyandfusetwoorthreeclearlayers,andthenpaintonandfuseanoff-whitelayerofencausticpaint.
STEP2PaintonthreeYellowOchreareaswithencausticpaint:onehalfcircleontheleftedgeoftheboard,anoblongareainthemiddleandanotherhalfcirclealongtherightedge.Fuse.
STEP3ColorovertheOchreareaswithredandgoldNeocolorIIcrayons.OutlinetheOchreareaswiththeredcrayon.
STEP4AddaccentswithaturquoiseNeocolorIIcrayon.Smudge.
STEP5RubthegoldtransferfoilintotheYellowOchreareas.
STEP6Pullthebackingpaperoffthe[papfoiltoreveal.
STEP7Pressdownanyloosefoilwiththewoodenendofacarvingtoolorasimilartool.
STEP8PaintaroundtheOchreareawithblackoilpaint.Fusetheentiresurfacewithanembossinggun.(Theoilpaintwillstilltakeawhiletodry.)
STEP9Incisedesignsintotheblackareawithacarvingtool.
STEP10StampintothecenterOchresectionwitharubberstampandink.
SPREADINGASTRAWMATINTHEFIELDISATANDGAZEDATPLUMBLOSSOMS.~Buson
Gallery:THAMESATNIGHTEncausticandcollageonwoodpanel
Thispiecehasjustatouchofcollageandatouchofgoldtransferfoil.Iaddedthreeareasofincisingandfilledthemwithwhiteoilpaint.
continuingwithwabi-sabiTheprojectsandinspirationalphotosinthisbookhaveaddedmuchawarenessandjoytomylife.I’mhonoredtosharethesewithyouandIenvisionyouaddingyourowninspirationalphotosanddevelopingyourownstyleasyoucontinueinthewabi-sabiway.Icontinuetotakemywabi-sabiwalksfrequently.EvenwhenIthinkImusthaveexhausted
thepossibilitiesforinspirationaroundmyneighborhood,Ialwaysfindmore.Ihopeyou,too,willcontinuetoenjoythisrelaxingandcreativewayofparticipatingmorefullyintheworldaroundyou.Youmaydecidetokeepawabi-sabijournalofpoetry,colors,texturesandyourownwriting.
Thisjournalcanbeyourcompanioninyourdailylife,offeringinspirationthatkeepsyourcreativityfresh.Thankyoufortakingthisjourneywithme!
~Serena
Dedication
ToDot,withmoreloveandgratitudethanIcanexpress.Tomychildren,KarunaandIan,andmygrandson,Dexter,forbeingyourselves,tomystepfather,Rob,forhiscontinuedsupport,tomybrother,Spencer,foralifetimeoflaughingtogether,andtoRuby,JackieandSusieforbeingthebestofout-laws.Tothememoryofmyparents,whowouldhavebeensoproud.
Acknowledgments
Thankstomydearfriendsandstudentswhohaveencouragedandcheeredmeeverystepoftheway.Youareallintheparade,andI’velearnedsomuchfromyou.ThankstotheamazingteamatNorthLight,includingToniaJenny,whofirstsupportedthis
book. Thanks to Kristy Conlin, my wonderful editor, and Christine Polomsky, photographerextraordinaire,bothofwhommadethephotoshootadelight.ThankstobookdesignerJulieBarnett, production coordinatorGregNockandall theotherswhomade this booka reality.Thanksforadreamcometrue.
Resources
I’mluckytoliveinatownthathasseveralindependentartstores.Iknowthisisn’talwaysthecaseforartists,soIwanttosharewithyousomeoftheexcellentonlineresourcesthatIalsoenjoyusing.
PAINTINGSUPPLIESANDPANELS
www.dickblick.comwww.jerrysartarama.comwww.cheapjoesartsupplies.comwww.utrechtart.comwww.danielsmith.com
ENCAUSTICSUPPLIES
www.encausticpaints.comwww.evansencaustics.comwww.rfpaints.comwww.swanscandles.com
AMATEANDOTHERSPECIALTYPAPERS
www.dickblick.comwww.amazon.com
ORGANIZATIONSANDSITES
www.international-encaustic-artists.orgwww.creativeclearinghouse.comcreativeworkshops.ning.comwww.flickr.com(Thissitehasseveralwabi-sabigroups.)
ARTRETREATS
www.artandsoulretreat.comwww.art-is-you.comwww.artunraveled.comwww.createmixedmediaretreat.com
BOOKSONWABI-SABI
Wabi-sabibyMarkReibsteinandEdYoung(Little,BrownBnpap>BOOKSooksforYoungReaders)Wabi-Sabi:forArtists,Designers,Poets&PhilosophersbyLeonardKoren(ImperfectPublishing)Wabi-sabi:TheArtofEverydayLifebyDianeDurston(StoreyPublishing)Wabi-sabi:TheJapaneseArtofImpermanencebyAndrewJuniper(TuttlePublishing)
Abouttheauthor
VisualartwasSerena’sfirstloveasachild.Shemovedontoactinginlocalplaysandlaterbecamealicensedprofessionalcounselor.SerenarediscoveredherdesiretomakeartfollowingherfirsttriptoItaly.Shetaughtherselftopaintandcreatemixed-mediaworkinmidlife,provingit’snevertoolatetocreate!Serenaholdscreativityandartworkshops,andgroupsandindividualartcoachingather
studioandatnationalartretreats.Sheexhibitsandsellsherworkthroughgalleriesandshops,aswellasonline.SerenahaspublishedAJoyfulFrenzy,abookofherartworkwithtextonthestoriesandprocessesbehindthework.Serena’smagazinearticleshaveappearedinissuesofClothPaperScissorsmagazineandStudiosmagazinesandinClothPaperScissorse-Books.Serena’sgreatjoyistoprovideanatmosphereinwhichyoucandiscoverorrekindleyour
owncreativeabilities.ShelivesinPortland,Oregonwithherpartnerandnearherchildrenandgrandchild.Sheloveshangingoutwithfamilyandfriends,andisanavidreader.VisitSerena’swebsite,www.serenabarton.com,andherblog,
serenabartonsblog.blogspot.com.
copyrightinformation
Wabi-SabiArtWorkshopCopyright©2013bySerenaBarton.Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedinanyformorbyanyelectronicormechanicalmeansincludinginformationstorageandretrievalsystemswithoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher,exceptbyareviewerwhomayquotebriefpassagesinareview.PublishedbyNorthLightBooks,animprintofF+WMedia,Inc.,10151CarverRoad,BlueAsh,Ohio,45242.(800)289-0963.FirstEdition.
ISBN-13:978-1-4403-2108-5
Thise-bookedition:April2013(v.1.0)
EditedbyKristyConlinDesignedbyJulieBarnettProductioncoordinatedbyGregNockPhotographybyChristinePolomsky
OtherfineNorthLightproductsareavailablefromyourlocalbookstore,artsupplystoreoronline.
Alsovisitourwebsiteatwww.fwmedia.com.
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LookingforMoreWabi-SabiInspiration?WehavetonsofFREEWabi-SabiArtWorkshopcompanioncontenttoinspireyou!Justgotowww.createmixedmedia.com/wabi-sabiforaccesstopaintingandencaustictechniquetutorialsandembellishedpaperdemos.