September 2013, New Works

Ok, so the last few weeks I have been working on these pieces, while taking an art class with Oklahoma artist Thomas Stotts. Such a great class, one day I will show you the piece I did in the class (medium -oil, tool- palette knife) it will take two months for this piece to dry enough to handle, Stotts said it could take up to a year for it to dry complete. Wow! I know.

So this month has been fun so far with my art projects. What am I saying, I am always having fun with my art projects. Here are my latest works. Enjoy.


This first piece was a custom piece I did for Justine in Louisiana, she asked for something with and aquatic animal but with fantasy elements. The creature at the bottom, was what I thought was made up by me, but when Justine got the piece she knew right away what this actual sea creature was. Little did I know this thing actually existed somewhere. This was a piece that pushed me to explore a little bit, I had fun.



6"x6" canvas sheet. This "Raindrops" piece was inspired by a contemporary quilt maker. (sorry this photo just does not capture the background well)



6"x6" canvas sheet, mixed media.



6'x6" canvas sheet. This "Quilt Block", hints the title was also inspired by a contemporary quilt. I used a cold wax technique metallic jeweled tones.



8"x10 mixed media collage. "Daddy's Little Helper".

8"x10" mixed media collage. "Sabbatical".

8"x10" mixed media collage. "Bold Faith".

These collage pieces will be shown on the International Society of Assemblage and Collage website.

What Are The best Practices for Varnishing by Ed Brickler

Amena~"Here are two examples of my art work where I have used a high gloss self leveling varnish by DecoArt. In the article below Ed Brickler concentrates on oil painting medium, but varnishing/sealant practices are important with any medium you choose to use for your art. A good UV Varnish or Sealant is an important investment to make and a good practice to remember in "preserving" and marketing your work". 

I hope you can tell with this art piece that the varnish/sealant has to get through all the different levels and materials of my art work.

close up of self leveling thick gloss varnish, you can see how its getting into all the grooves of this piece

 

My two finished art pieces.

Amena~ "two other very good products are by Liquitex which has a permanent archival varnish/sealant and Golden Paints which offers a polymer varnish or the aerosol spray".




Courtesy of ArtistsNetwork.com

You may or may not know that after creating an oil painting, you must varnish it. In his book Making Art, which covers a variety of media for those who want to expand their knowledge, Ed Brickler explains the reason for varnishing, the two types of varnishes, and shares which type he prefers.

In preparation for varnishing, place the painting on a flat, dust-free surface in a well-ventilated area.


Making Art: Oils, by Ed Brickler
It's necessary to varnish an oil painting in order to protect the paint film. Since resin is the essential ingredient of a varnish, it's more convenient to purchase a varnish than to make your own. There are traditional varnishes made with traditional resins, the most common of which is damar. There are also modern varnishes made with modern resins.

Modern varnishes are also called picture varnishes, but there are many proprietary names when it comes to varnishes. The best way to distinguish between traditional and modern formulas is to check the label. If mineral spirits or petroleum distillate are listed in the ingredients, then it's a modern or picture varnish. I prefer modern varnishes because they don't yellow or become brittle, and they're removable with mineral spirits.

The first varnish that should be applied to an oil painting is the retouch varnish. Retouch is a traditional varnish that has a lot of solvent and a little bit of damar resin. It's applied as soon as the oil color is dry to the touch. It's meant to protect the painting and bring all the colors up to an even sheen. Retouch varnish can also be used between the layers of a painting.

After six to twelve months, depending on the thickness of the paint film, a final varnish will need to be applied. A final varnish is also a mixture of a resin diluted in a solvent, but it's much more concentrated than a retouch varnish.

Best Practices for Varnishing
• When using any type of matte varnish, make sure the varnish is at room temperature. Otherwise it could bloom, causing shiny and dull spots on your painting.
• Varnishes are also available in spray form. When using a spray varnish, lay the painting flat in a dust-free and well-ventilated area. To prevent puddles and runs, apply a light coat in one direction. Let that dry and then apply another light coat in the other direction.
• A final varnish should always be removable so that a painting can be cleaned or restored later on. After~EB