I Stand in Awe

I Stand in Awe

17 x 11

Journal Spread

Sometimes the idea for a piece of work is right there in front of you, waiting to be discovered. Two months ago I made an acrylic decal from a photo in a magazine of a young man looking into the distance...  The decal has been on my work table for ages, just pushed around as I needed to make space. After photographing this spread to show you last week I glanced down and saw the connection between the man and the painting.  Even the splotch of white on the left side page looked like a man's legs... hence the combination of man and nature. This is in my black journal.

Making a Decal:   Paint over an image which was cut from a magazine or a toner-based photocopy with acrylic gel medium. Don't get any acrylic on the back.  I use Golden brand but others work, too.  Let it dry completely and then repeat for 3 to 5 coats.  Turn it over and wet the back and start rubbing. As you rub the wet paper it will start disintegrating and come off the image, leaving the ink/image embedded in the layers of acrylic. Rewet as needed until you've rubbed off all of the paper from the back of the image. Trim around the image and glue it in place on your substrate.