You may be wondering what in the world I am up to here today with these two images. Mind you, they are just cropped corners of some work I have been focusing on lately. At any rate, do you see the darker purple on the lighter in the above photo? Those are dried ink flecks. I use pre-stretched canvases a lot for a variety of reasons. These come wrapped in plastic which both makes me crazy and makes me glad. I hate the waste of the plastic, but I appreciate the protection, too. Recently, I have been carefully removing this plastic along the heat sealed seams. When I do this right, I can get a nice wide piece of sheet plastic which is double the length of the canvas (plus the depth). I like it because the plastic is strong and not as clingy as plastic kitchen wrap.So what, you say? Well, I have also been squirting acrylic ink on acrylic painted canvases and then mushing it under the plastic sheeting. This allows me to see the ink moving on the surface of the canvas and have some kind of control - sometimes. I found if I continue to do this the layers of ink will build up on the plastic sheeting. I mainly just leave it around to get the most use of it I can.
One day, I was moving a piece of this plastic and some flecks fell off. What? This is beautiful...it was all irridescent and beautifully caught the light. So I scrunched the plastic with the heavy, flaking, dry ink over wet ink and paint...beautiful. I just let it fall where it might. Then, I decided to see if I could peel it off in sheets. Yes, I could!
Here you can see where I have applied some of the sheets to this painting. If you look closely, near the top, just to the left of center there is a piece of this dried ink which is not lying flat. Do you see it? There are others, too.Now I can't toss out these sheets. I wonder how long I can get away with using them over and over...saving the dry ink...reusing the plastic? Now the ideas are flowing.
Do you have a good way to reuse plastic? I wonder if I painted thick enough, in reverse order, if I could pull entire paintings off this plastic and adhere it to another support? Do you think this might be messing up the archival qualities of the work...using this plastic like this?
As always I am interested in your thoughts.
Have a Great Day!
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8 comments:
Cool! it's like paint skins! or ink skins? I don't think you have to worry about archival if you are applying them with acrylic medium. I love how these look!!! makes me want to get back to experimenting! thanks for the inspiration.
re; recycycling this plastic-- I keep alot around too-- for printing and texturing-- it is also good for shipping/packing around work in spaces to keep it from moving around. namaste
I very much like how this looks.
Plastic wrap, bubble wrap, old plastic bags, strips of plastic often make their way into my art quilts and other multi media pieces. I did use ironed plastic ot make a purse once.
Hey Elis, thanks a lot! Your love of experimentation/process is very similar to mine. Of course, it doesn't do great things for creating bodies of work, uh?
I am really obsessed with the plastic issue. My husband has been on a campaign for years to stop the insanity with the plastic shopping bags! We save every bit humanly possible for recycling in some way, shape or form. Sometimes out house looks like a recycling center. He was thrilled when I told him what I was doing.
Good idea for packaging...which reminds me of those darn peanuts...oh, this is discussion for another blog.
Thanks Elis!
Love,
Kim
Tee Hee Lynn...seriously you ironed plastic to make a purse? That is the ultimate in recycling, isn't it? Was it see-through?
Thanks also for your kind words. I will be showing the full blown pieces here before too long. I have been working on the watermark today and think I have something which will work. Now, I have to figure out about uploading them from the program LOL...there are always the most amazing digital challenges for me!
Love,
Kim
Isn't plastic supposed to last forever? I wonder if you used a thicker plastic, could you eventually stretch it onto a frame???
Hmmmm
Michelle,
Now you are talking - or glue it to a board? Here is the key...I would need to do something to keep the acrylic from peeling off the plastic. Mmmm, I am going to begin playing with this idea of utilizing this stuff. Heck, it is like making art from garbage, isn't it?
Have you seen that heavy pouring of acrylic which is used as stand alone works? It could be similar.
Girl, you have my brain cranking here. Thanks!
Love,
Kim
I think it's a pretty trashy idea. (tease) Sounds like paint skins to me. Acrylic is plastic paint, right? Plastic should last, unless it's biodegradable, as some newspaper bags are.
The past few months I have been saving all cardboard, at home and work, for wrapping up and mailing art work.
Tee Hee! Chewy is is rather like paint skin, but it is ink...a lot thinner and lighter. More like very soft tissue. When I first pulled off a larger piece, it got away from me...it was so light. I had a ceiling fan going and had to turn it off. If there are not enough layers, this can literally turn to dust in your hand.
Good idea for saving all of that stuff...
Thanks Chewy!
Love,
Kim
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