Wednesday, January 20, 2010

more mummies

I'm pleased to report that "Hollow Places" survived the mummification process with it's bright whites intact. The matte medium will make weave structures recede if you use the brush like a brayer and stroke the fibers in one direction. Here, that technique has enhanced the mottled colors of the hand dyed pieces. I've posted this one for sale.      I've written to the folks at Golden about the UV protection aspect (or not) qualities of their matte medium and when they get back to me, I'll post their response.
"Firefly" also came out as I hoped for. This time, I only used the medium around the edges of the piece - wherever the black with gold spotted Japanese print is. This piece has a lot of wispy textured elements that I didn't want to obscure or change, so this one is a hybrid of sorts.  "Firefly" is the last piece I worked with my cat Jinx and I'm keeping it for myself as a memorial to her.


I really appreciate all the interest and input you've given me regarding this technique and these recent pieces. It makes me feel like I'm NOT talking to myself when I talk about these things.

6 comments:

arlee said...

Hollow Places is is... sheesh.... i'm loving your art more and more everyday...

Art by Rhoda Forbes said...

Firefly, wow! I love all the frayed edges and texture and the colors are fantastic.

Mandi said...

I like this technique and have messed about a bit in a similar vein (just on junk pieces to see how they felt). I took a class in silk painting about a year ago and one of things demonstrated was using Golden's Polymer Varnish UV to mount the silk. I am thinking of getting a jar to try on a mounted quilt. You might look into it as it comes in matte, satin and gloss and is supposed to provide uv protection.

Quilt or Dye said...

I haven't decided about the mummification of quilts yet. I read your justification of the process and am pondering it. There is a part of me that likes functional art and therefore am not bothered by quilted art being put to other uses. The hardness of the mummified piece and the loss of functionality I find disturbing to think about. I think I will have to try to mummy one of my pieces then actually touch and feel and smell before I can sort the thoughts out in my mind. Uh...that is called learning and understanding for me. Thanks for the opportunity!

magsramsay said...

Fascinating! I've been painting with acrylics over quilted pieces for a while now. Yes it alters the texture but I like how it gives a different emphasis to the stitching.
Are you varying the coverage of medium so that some areas are 'buried' more than others?

Deb Lacativa said...

Yes - some fabrics beg for more. I also vary the water/medium mix depending on the fabric I'm working on .