Other Possibilities

Field Tree, 14x11, 2006

Since this whole bokusho/ricepaper/ink thing came about because of trees, a natural morphing into other possibilities is also going on in the studio. The image here is of a tree that at least six other artists will recognize as it was a lone sentinel in an open field near our quarters at Cat'Art... doubt that any of us came away without at least one photo of this windward beauty. Wish I'd taken many more.

In an earlier life, about five-six years ago, I was heavy into encaustics, and still hope to get back to them at some point. But would also like to create some waxy looking images without the wax... and I think that happened here. The manipulated photo was printed on rice paper, then applied to a small canvas. Lots of layers of various gels and mediums, some tinted with ocher or white, and a few landscape and gestural lines... and here ya go. Now to figure out how to use this technique on larger canvases and that's where the real challenge is. Since I only have a standard size printer, I suspect I'll be printing large squares and piecing them back together in some fashion. Will have to depend on daughter with her monster camera to get some good high res tree pics for me.

I've never had a desire to do collage as most do it. I want my paper additions to the canvas to be part of the paint, not sitting on top with cut or torn edges unblended into the whole. That's someone else's art... not mine. I've used commercial rice papers and liked the effects possible, but began to notice the same papers used in other artist's works. Immediately decided that I would have to make my own paper designs for collage, so there you have another root cause for these procedures.