Visability

I have some images of my latest series! These aren't the final documentation photos, and some of the colors may be a touch off, but they are decent for the most part and I can't resist sharing. I debated it for awhile, but finally caved. Do keep in mind they look much better in person. I know, I know, people say that all the time, but there are a lot of sculptural details in the wax (hand carving and layering) that simply don't show up in these photos.

Visability - Mounted photos, ink on rice paper, wax 17.5x11.5

The process is... interesting to say the least. I printed the images off and then mounted them on hardboard/masonite, requesting the guy at the hardware store (Derek) to, essentially, cut the board on the inseam so that my photos would not potentially have problems covering the full space, which turned out to be a solid move.

I knew I didn't want a clean cut on the rice paper, since the look falls into the grunge aesthetic. The solution to that was simple enough - a clean brush dipped in water and traced around the figures allowed me to tear the paper in various ways without risking the images. I thought of the idea when I remembered a line of water as the easiest way to break off segments from the roll (if you didn't care about it being smooth, that is).

I found out through experimentation that if I rushed things and applied any wax coating before the rice paste had completely dried after applying the ink drawings to the photo that instead of enhancing the paper's ethereal qualities it instead actually made it more opaque (rice paste is a traditional tool used for mounting ink drawings done on rice paper, or for various kinds of collage work - very handy stuff. The ink is indelible after drying, as opposed to, say, watercolor). Having to work over the course of days killed me, as I am not known for being patient.

After heating the wax in a crock-pot until liquid, I applied it using a very thin fan brush, creating a light layer to start with over the entirety of the paper parts. I then built it up by adding more wax in sections and creating textures with drips, brush-strokes, and splatters.

When the wax had cooled (which takes no time at all), I used a tool that resembled a hair stick (which resemble chopsticks or skewers) and carved into the wax which always remains relatively soft, creating accents, detail, and figural relief. I could have worked deeper, but I wanted enough thinness to let the ink show through without the wax obscuring. If I do something like this again, I might also use woodcut stamps to add design work into the piece.