Oil, Acrilic, Cloth and Stitch

What I like most about the creative process is the endless opportunity to experiment with materials.
I am just completing a six week oil painting class at CSN, our local community college ... given the concentration of time of four days a week and six hours a day, a sequence of related work developed ... some better than others ... the process of experimentation was the most important to realizing the art.

Art is determined by the composition, not the materials used.  It is freeing to have a plethora of techniques and media to make art.  I found a pod cast discussing "The Future of Fiber Art" to be of interest in defining what art is.   Recorded June 7, 2014 at Helikon Gallery and Studios in Denver's River North Art District: https://soundcloud.com/helikon-gallery/future-of-fiber-artist-panel

So on to the work completed.

Painted Rectangles #1

Painted Rectangles #2

Painted Rectangles #3

The process began by combining oil painted and silk rectangles onto one canvas (#1).  Top stitching was applied to the canvas to hold the pieces in place and to create a resist pattern for the next process.  The rectangles were coated with a sealer and then painted with oil paints.  The resin darkened the fabric, but did not create a base coat as I had hoped it would.  Instead most the oil paint soaked in to the fiber.  The most interesting textures were the paint on paint rectangles that developed during this second phase (#2).  I was able to scrap off extra paint so shadows of the first colors bled through the second coat of paint.  The technique did not work the same on the fiber rectangles.  Unexpected visual interest was created when where the paint covered the fiber rectangle and where it did not. The contrast in color was dramatic.

Using my trusty Iphone, I photographed the completed second step and then tweaked the colors using photoshop (#3). The colors and textures are more interesting now. The plan is to go back and replicate the color and lastly repeat color through top stitching.

Keep experimenting ... it is so much fun and good things seem to happen when you let go and enjoy the process!