Wabi-SabiArtWorkshop

Mixed-MediaTechniquesforEmbracingImperfectionandCelebratingHappyAccidents

SerenaBarton

createmixedmedia.com

contents

IntroductionFindingInspirationandBeautyintheOrdinaryToolsandMaterialsYou’llWant

1lookingforwabi-sabiandfindingitallaroundyou

Wabi-SabiColorsWabi-SabiTextureAWabi-SabiPhotoGalleryUseYourPhotoforInspirationUseYourPhotoforSettingaMoodInspirationHaikuMixingAcrylicsCreatingVisualTextureFinishingTouchesSealingYourPiecesTheLandscapeFormatPaintingwithRe-InkersAcrylicPaintandRe-Inkers

2patinaoftime:creatingtheeffectsofseasoning

Spattering,Sponging,DroppingandWipingScrapingandIncising

3strataoftime:creatinglayersoftexture

UsingaPaintingKnifePlasterItOnTissuePaperSpecialtyPapersVintagePaperandDressPatternGluingOnandTearingOff

4throwinthetowel:workingwiththeunexpected

UsingTeaBagsUsingStainedShopTowelsAmazingCheeseclothCoffee,MetalFlakes,YarnandStampsTheCover-Up

5abstractingfromthereal:thepowerofsuggestion

PlayingwithTornPaperABrushwithAbstractionCompositionTipsforAbstractWork

6translucence:creatingwabi-sabiinwax

MakingandApplyingEncausticMediumMakingEncausticPaint

PaintingWabi-SabiEncausticAddingCollageElementstoWaxHotSticksandanIron

7buriedtreasure:3-Dwaxartandotherenhancements

HuntingandGatheringEmbellishmentsAttachinganEmbellishmentEmbeddinginaNicheIncisingaFocalPointOilPaintwithWaxGoldTransferFoilwithWax

continuingwithwabi-sabi

DedicationAcknowledgmentsResourcesAbouttheAuthorCopyrightInformation

ONLYACHIRPINGINSECTTOLDMEITWASNIGHTTHEMOONWASSOBRIGHT.~Etsujin

Introduction

Welcome!I’mdelightedtohaveyoujoinmeonthiswabi-sabiadventure.Togetherwe’llcreatewithinspirationfromtheworldaroundusaswellasinspirationfromourfeelings,memoriesanddesires.Weallcometopaintingandmixed-mediaartviadifferentpaths.Here’smystory:Ilovedtodrawandcolorasayoungchild.Oneofmyfirstendeavorswastodecoratethe

butcherpaper“float”thatmyfatherattachedtomytricycleforachildren’sparadewhenIwasfour.Icoveredthepaperwithmermaids,fairyqueens,ballerinasandmaybeevenawitch.FortheparadeIwasdressedinjeans,asweater,ahaloandwings.Beingintheparadetvwasabigdealforme.Isawmyfirstparadeatagethree,andIremembercryingbecauseIwantedtobeintheparade,notjustwatchit.WhenIwasalittleolder,actingcapturedmyinterest.Beingonstagewasawonderfulcure

formyextremeshyness.InaplayIcouldbeanyone.AsanadultIbecameacounselorandmother.OvertheyearsIexperimentedwithvariouscrafts,suchasweaving,butIwasneverexactenoughformediawhereprecisionisimportant.In1995ItookmyfirsttriptoItalyandIwasoverwhelmedbythebeautyIsaw.Theplentiful

art,thecrumblingsurfacesofbuildings,thehillsofTuscanyandthecanalsofVeniceenchantedme.IvowedthenIwouldreturntomyrootsandlearnagaintocreateart.Ifoundinmyartexplorationthatmystrengthlayinexpressiveandintuitivework.Ibegan

withacrylicpaint,movedtooilpaintandfellinlovewithmixedmedia.Likemanyofyou,I’mnotcontenttoworkinjustonemedium.InthisbookI’veincludedseveralofmyfavoritessuchasacrylic,re-inker,oil,plasterandencaustic.Usemytechniques,mediaandprojectsasspringboardstocreatingartwithyourownuniquestyleandwiththecolorpalettesyouprefer.Whetheryouareabeginner,beginningagainoranestablishedartist,mymessagetoyouis

thesame.Experiment,enjoy,keepworking,embraceaccidentsandmistakesandtrustyourself.Inthisbookyou’lllearntodelightinaddinglayers,subtractingelementsandallowingyourselftolovetheprocessandtheresult!Remember,ifyou’remakingart,you’reintheparade!

CHILDREN’SPARADEOnceuponatime…

Gallery:DESIREEncausticonwoodpanel

Gallery:ZEITGEISTMixedmediaonwoodpanel

FindingInspirationandBeautyintheOrdinary

WhenIfirstheardthetermwabi-sabi,thesoundofthewordsintriguedme.Isetouttofindoutwhatthetermmeant.Afterfindingsomecluesinbooks,photographsand,yes,theInternet,Irealizedthetermreferstoakindofphilosophy,aestheticandfeelingIhadalreadyinternalized.Iwasexcitedbythisrealizationandwasinspiredtobegincreatingpaintingsandmixed-mediapiecesthatembodiedmyunderstandingofwabi-sabi.Thetermwabi-sabicomesfromtwoJapanesewordsandreferstothatwhichisimperfect,

impermanent,aged,humbleandauthentic.Bothnature-andhuman-madeobjectsmayhavewabi-sabiqualities.Wabi-sabiisanaestheticthatvaluesthepassingoftime,theseasoningoftimeandtheelements,thehandmadeandthesimple.Wabi-sabiisawayofbeingopentoemotionandacceptance.Wabi-sabiisastateofmindandastateoffeeling.Ifindthisstateofbeingexpressedintraditionalhaikupoetry,whichcanexpressaworldofseeing,listening,smelling,atiUtastingandfeelingintherecordingofasinglemoment.Inthesepages,I’llsharemyunderstandingandinspirationwithyou.Togetherwe’llexplore

themeaningandbeautyintheordinaryobjectsweseeeveryday.We’llhonorthehumbleandtheworn,theimperfectandthetransitory.I’llgiveyoutools,techniquesandideasthatyoucanusetoenterintotheessenceofwabi-sabi.Morethananything,I’llencourageyoutoworkfromyourheart.Whenyoumakewabi-sabiart,youallowtheprocesstounfoldandtoenvelopyouinthemoment.Wabi-sabiembracesserenity,joy,solitude,surpriseandwhateverelseyoumayexperienceinthemoment.WhenIwasinmytwenties,anacquaintancewhohadlivedinJapantoldmethatthe

Japaneseidealofbeautywasaflowerjustpastitsprime,aflowerbeginningtoturnbrownattheedgesofitspetals.Backthen,thisseemedastrangeideatome,butnowIunderstanditbetter.Wemixed-mediaartistsandartloversaredrawntoobjectsthatspeakofthepassageof

time.Wemayfeelbittersweetemotionaswethinkofthosewholivedbeforeus,andwemaywonderwhattheirliveswerelike.Welikenatureinitswilderstates.Thewabi-sabioutlookacceptsthatweareallimpermanentonthisearthandthatthemostimportantthinginlifeistobefullypresentinthemoment.Weareopentoanyandallofouremotionsinthismomentandacceptthemwithserenity.Iamalsodrawntotheidealofthehandmadeandtheimperfectionsthatmakeanobject

singularandmeaningful.Mywabi-sabiworkisexperimentalandinteractive.RatherthanplanningoutapiecebeforeIcreateit,Iworkwiththematerialsandletthemguideme.Imakealotof“mistakes”andhavealotof“accidents”whileI’mworking.Andthat’sexcellent!Inthisbook,Iwilltalkaboutthebeautyofimperfectionandsomeofthewonderfuleffectsofunintendedelements.I’llshowyouwaystoredopiecesyou’veputaside,andI’llletyouinonsomeaccidentaldiscoveriesthathaveinspiredmetousematerialsandtechniquesinnewways.Thisbookcovershowtouseyourownphotographsforinspirationandhowtocreatewabi-

sabitextureandcoloronyourpiece.You’llstartwithsimplelandscapecompositionsinacrylicandre-inkerglazeandendwithcomplexlayersofmixed-mediaelements.Wabi-sabicanembodythe“lessismore”aestheticaswellas“moreismore.”InmyworkIoftencombinesimplicityofcompositionwithcomplexityoflayering.Theprojectsinthisbookhaveincommon

thequalitiesofasymmetry,aseasonedlookandasenseofcontemplation.Tome,wabi-sabiislikeagardenthatissomewhatovergrown.Maybeasecretgardenthat

isallthesweeterfornotbeingperfectlymanicured.Wabi-sabiissubtle;itdoesn’thityouoverthehead.It’smysteriousandcomplex.Creatingwabi-sabiworkisfreeing—therearenorealmistakesandnowrongwaytodoit.Theprocessofinteractingwithyourmaterialsinanopenandexploratorywayisasimportantasthefinishedproduct.Beingavisualperson,IbelieveoneofthebestwaysIcanconveymywabi-sabioutlookis

throughphotographsI’vetakenandthroughmyartwork.Yourworkwillbefilteredthroughyouressenceasmyworkisfilteredthroughmine.Themoreyoucanremainintheprocess,themoreyou’llenjoythepiecesyoumake.Oneof

thelovelyparadoxesofartisthatthemoreweplayandexperimentanddon’ttrytoohardtogetacertainresult,themoresatisfiedweareintheend,whenweviewwhatwe’vecreated.

Toolsandmaterialsyou’llwant

Don’tfeellikeyouhavetoacquirealloftheseproductsatonce.Thetechniquesandprojectsinthisbookcanbemixedandmatchedtousewhatyouhave.Manyoftheprojectscallforrecycledmaterialsyou’llfindaroundthehouseorstudio.Ifyouhavesomeoftheitemsonthislistandafriendhasothers,gettogethertoexperiment.

AcrylicGelMediumThisinvaluableproductcomesinseveralfinishesandinregularandsoftformulas.Allaresuitableforprojectsinthisbook.Gelmediumisusedtoextendandstrengthenyourpaintfilm.Italsomakesanexcellentglueandsealantforcollage.

AcrylicGessoThisisaprimercoatthatprovidesanabsorbentandsmoothbaseforyourwork.We’llbeusingwhiteandblackgessoforsomeofourprojects.Ifyoubuyapre-gessoedcanvasyoudon’tneedtoaddadditionalgesso,althoughyoucanchoosetoifyouwantasmoothersurface.

AcrylicGlazeMediumGlazemediumismorefluidthangelmedium.We’lluseittocreatetransparentglazesofpaintandre-inkercolor.

AcrylicPaintThismodernpaintismadefrompigmentsuspendedinanacrylicpolymeremulsion.Inotherwords,it’sapeople-madeproduct.Youcanuseacrylicpaintslikewatercolorsorlikeoils.Theyarefastdryingandworkwellinmultiplelayers.Irecommendyouuseartist-graderatherthanstudent-gradepaints.Thestudentgradeshavelesspigmentsotheydon’tgoasfar.

AlcoholInksLikere-inkers,alcoholinkscomeinrichcolorsandcanbeusedinavarietyofways.We’llusethemtoaddbothsubtleanddramaticeffectstoourpieces.

AluminumFoil

BeeswaxYou’llwantnaturalyelloworclearfilteredbeeswaxforseveralprojects.Beeswaxcomesincakes,pelletsorgrains.ChecktheResourcessectionforsources.

ButaneorPropaneTorchorEmbossingGunIusuallyuseatorchwithmyencausticwork.Otherartistspreferaheatorembossinggun.Oneprojectinthisbookrequiresatorch.Youcanuseacrèmebruléetorchoratorchfromthehomeimprovementstore.Theotherencausticprojectsgiveyouachoiceofembossinggunortorch.Ifyoudiscoveryouloveusingatorch,youcaninvestigateothertorches,suchasmyfavorite,theIwatani.

Camera

You’lluseyourcamerafortakingwabi-sabiinspirationphotos.Iuseaninexpensivedigitalcamerasetatitshighestresolutionformostofmyinspirationphotos.Usewhateveryouhaveandwhateverfitsyourpresentphotographyabilities.

Cheesecloth

ColdWaxMediumColdwaxmediumismadefrombeeswax,alkydresinandmineralspirits.Itismostoftenusedforanoilpaintmedium,butitalsomakesagreatfinalcoatforpiecesinanymedium.

CollagePaperTheseareavailableatartandcraftstoresandonline.IpreferalighterweightpaperforcollagesoIlookforthat,aswellasdecorativenapkinsandspecialtypapers.

ColoredTissuePaper(RedandMagenta)testrong>Again,looklocallyoronlineforarttissuepaper.

ConstructionPaper

DamarResinThisisanaturalproductfromtrees.Itusuallycomesinsmallcrystalsandisusedtostrengthenbeeswaxmedium.

DressPatternPaperThriftstoresareanexcellentsourceofoldpatterns.Itdoesn’tmatterwhatkindofgarmentthepatternisfor.

DriedTeaBagsSavethoseusedteabags(thekindwithastapleandatag).Letthemdryoutandkeepthemforaprojectinthisbook.

EmbellishmentsEmbellishmentsarethestapleofmixed-mediaartists.Youcanfindmetalandpaperembellishmentsandephemeraatvintagestores,garagesalesandonetsy.comandotherwebsites.SeeHuntingandGatheringEmbellishments.

ElectricSkilletandElectricGriddleWe’llusetheseforourencausticprojects.Youcanbuythemneworfromasecond-handstore.It’simportantthatthetemperaturecontrolsareingoodworkingordersothatyourwax-resinmixtureorencausticpaintwillmeltwithoutsmoking.

EncausticIronSeveralcompaniesmakeanironespeciallyforusewithencausticmediumandpaint.

FauxFinishCombYoucanpickoneoftheseupatyourlocalhardwarestore.TheoneIuseistriangularwith

teethonallsides.

HotSticksMadebyEnkaustikos,thesearepigmentedsticksofbeeswaxanddamarresin.Imeltthemonanencausticironandthenapplythemtomypiece.

InstantCoffee

MetalFlakesThesesmallflakesaregreatforaccents.IusevariegatedmetalflakesfromMonaLisa.

MexicanAmateLaceMarblePaperThislovelypaperismadebytheOtomiIndianartisansofMexicoinaccordancewithalongtradition.Thepaperismadefromthebarkoftheamateplantandcomesinavarietyofdesigns.We’llusethelacemarblevariety,whichcanbeteasedapartforstunning3-Deffects.You’llfindthispaperinseveralonlineshops.

MulberryPaperThispaperismadefromthebarkofthemulberrytree.We’llbeusingthisasthebasisforourwabi-sabiembellishedpapers.

NeocolorIICrayonsThesedense,highlypigmentedcrayonscanbeusedalone,blendedwithwaterorsmudged.

Off-WhiteTissuePaperArttissueworksbest.I’vefoundthatregulartissuecanbetooweakforsomeprojects.Sometimesyou’llgetsomegreatoff-whitetissueinyourshoppingbag.

OilPaintThisisaslow-dryingpaintconsistingofparticlesofpigmentsuspendedinadryingoil.We’llbeusingoilpaintswithourencausticmediumforcreatingcoloredwaxpaintandforrubbingintothesurfaceofanencausticpiecrscaustice.Aswithacrylics,theartist-gradecolorswiththeirhighpigmentloadareabetterdealinthelongrunthanstudent-gradeoils.

OilPastelsThesesmallsticksaremadefrompigmentcombinedwithanoilandwaxbinder.Theyworkwonderfullyoverencaustic.Theycanbefoundatartstoresandsomevarietystores.

PaintbrushesI’veneverbeenoneforexpensivebrushesforwabi-sabiwork.Ilikenylonbrushes,mostlyflat,andIuseafanbrushinsomeprojects.

PanPastelsTheseyummypowderedpigmentsarepackedincakeformsotheycanbemixedandappliedlikepaint.Wewillusethemforlightglazesandaccents.

PaperorShopTowels

You’llbeusingpapertowelsnotonlyforcleanupbutalsoascollagematerialinoneofourprojects.IliketheheavypapershoptowelsbyScottforthispurpose.

Plaster(JointCompound)Youcanpurchasethisbuildingmaterialinapowdertobemixedwithwaterorpre-mixedinatub.Jointcompoundtakeslongertodrythansomeplasterproducts,soallowplentyoftimefortheplasterprojectinthisbook.

PotteryScraperandCarvingToolsThesetoolsaredesignedforclayworkbutarealsousedbyencausticartists.Asimplebeginner’scarvingsetworksfine.Iuseapotteryscraperwithanoval-ordiamond-shapedblade.

Re-inkersRe-inkerswereoriginallydesignedtorefillinkinrubber-stamppads.Throughoutthisbookyou’llfindprojectsthatrequirere-inkersandacrylicglazemediumtocreatearichlycoloredpaintglaze.

RubbingAlcohol

RubberStampsandInkPad(Bothalphabetanddesignstamps)

SilkSariYarnYoucanbuythislovelyvariegatedsilkyarnfromseveralonlinesources.Italsocomesinarecycledyarnvariety.

SmallPlasticSprayBottle

SoyWaxUsesoywaxtocleanyourbrusheswhenyouuseencausticpaint.Dipyourbrushinthemeltedsoywaxwheneveryouwanttochangecolors—thenyouwon’tneedanewbrushforeachencausticcolor.Soywaxisavegetableproductmadefromtheoilofthesoybean.Itistooweakawaxtouseinencausticmediumorpaintexceptinthiscapacity.

SpongeSeaspongesareespeciallyniceforartprojects,astheyhavevariegatedandnaturalsurfaces.

TransferMetalLeafThismetalleafcanbetransferredwithoutthemessinessofmetalflakes.IuseMonaLisaSimpleLeafingold.

VintageBookandExtraVintagePagesYoucanfindtheseatthriftstores,garagesalesandpubliclibrarysales.

VintagePostageStampsChecketsy.com,aswellasotherartifactandembellishmentsites,forthese.

Water

WaxBrushesNylonorotherfinebrushesdon’tworkwellwithwax.Youcanpickupcheapbristlebrushesatahomeimprovementstore.Nocleanupisneeded.Letthewaxdryonthebrushanduseitinasimilarcolornexttime.

WoodorCanvasBoardSupportsYou’llneedwoodpanelsfortheencausticprojectsinthisbook.Theotherprojectscanbedoneonpanels,canvasboardsorstretchedcanvas.IpreferrigidsupportswhenI’musingmixedmedia.

1

lookingforwabi-sabiandfindingitallaroundyou

Gallery:AIDE-MEMOIREAcrylicandre-inkerglazeonwoodpanel

Ifindthatlookingforwabi-sabiremindsmetoreallypayattentiontowhatIseeandfeel.Thewabi-sabisearchinvolvesslowingdownandobservingsmallpiecesoftheworld.Ilovegoingonwabi-sabiwalkswithmygrandsonorsomeofmyyoungstudents.Childrenareexcellentteachersforadultswholiveinahurriedworldwhereitishardtoseethetreesandtheforestisablur.Herearesomewaystorelearnhowtolookwithwonderandopenness.Exploreyourhomeandyardoryourneighborhood.Lookatbothnatureandhuman-made

objectsfor:

•Aging•Seasoning•Humbleform•Simplicity•Peelinglayers

•PlantlifegrowingthroughobjectsorpavementGotoanoldpartofyourtownandseewhatgloriousruinedfeaturesyoucanfind.Explorethriftandsecondhandstoresforobjectsthatspeaktoyouofliveswelllived.Takelotsofpicturesofwhatyoufind,especiallyclose-ups.I’mnotatrainedphotographer,

butIfindthatwithmytrustydigitalcameraandknowledgeofafewphoto-editingtechniques,Icantakephotosthatinspiremetocreate.Thephotosprovideagoodjumping-offpointforcolor,textureandlinethatIcanuseinmywabi-sabiwork.Besidessight,othersensesmayhelpyoufindwabi-sabi:

•Thesmellofdistantwoodsmokeonanautumnevening•Thesmellofnew-mowngrassthatmakesyoumomentarilylongforchildhood•Fragrantflowersattwilightonasummernight•Thesmelloftheseaenvelopingyouonadesertedbeach•Thesoundofbamboowindchimesatdusk•Hearingthecrashingofthesurfonafoggydayonthecoast•Hearingthecallofanowlwhileyouaresleepingunderthestars•Touchingthepittgepedsurfaceofaclaybowl•Strokingthewrinkledfaceofanelder•Feelingthecoldsurfaceofanoldmetalteakettle•Theearthytasteoffreshmushrooms•Thesweet-and-sourtasteofmisosoup•Thetasteofhome-cookedbrownriceandvegetables

Memorycanalsohaveabiginfluenceonyourwabi-sabiart.Iwillalwaysrememberthe

senseofpeaceandcontentmentIhadwhenIvisitedmygrandmother’shouse.Shedecoratedwithcalmingcolorsandlotsofinspirationalartwork.Attheloweredgeofherlargegardenwasaslough.MygrandfatherusedtotakemeoutinhisrowboatandencouragemetopretendthesloughwastheMississippiRiver.Irememberfamilyvisitstothebeach.Ifoundlotsofshellpiecesandagatesthatseemed

magicaltomeatthetime.Ifindthecolorsofmygrandmother’shouseandgardenreappearinmyartwork,aswellasmistyoceanandriverelements.Byallowingourselvestoremember,wecanvisitthoseplacesthatfilleduswithwonder.

whatyou’llneedforthischapter

AcrylicgelmediumAcrylicgessoAcrylicglazemediumAcrylicpaintin:white,TitanBuff,Payne’sGrayandyourfavoritecolorsColdwaxmediumDistressinkpadPaintbrushesPaperorshoptowelsRe-inkersinseveralshadesRubbingalcoholSmallplasticspraybottle

WaterWoodorcanvassupports

Wabi-SabiColors

ColorsthatIassociatewithwabi-sabitendtoberich,mutedandcomplex.Awarmpalettemightcontainred-browns,BuffWhite,yellowgold,yellowgreenandUltramarineBlue.Nature’sautumncolors,thoseofthefallingleavesanddecayingvegetation,maybethemostwabi-sabicolorsofthepalette.Youcancreatewabi-sabipieceswithacoolerpaletteaswell.Silver,mauve,pastelyellows,coolblues,graysandblackcanevokewinterandalsotheagedlookofoldmetal.Ioftenusebrightcolorsforaccentsinmypieces,astheycancreate“sweetspots”of

emphasisinamoremutedpalette.OthertimesImaystartwithabrightcolorandputtransparentlayersofamoremutedtoneoverthebrightone.Thissuggeststheagedandburnishingeffectoftimeandthontp"@paeelements.Duringalltheseasons,Ienjoytakingphotosthatsuggestwabi-sabicolorstome.I’mhappy

tobeabletosharesomeofthesephotographswithyou.Foreachseason,IhaveincludedaphotothatI’vetakenalongwithatraditionalhaikuthatevokesthatparticularseason.

FallNOONETRAVELSALONGTHISWAYBUTI,THISAUTUMNEVENING.~Basho

WinterAMOUNTAINVILLAGEUNDERTHEPILED-UPSNOWTHESOUNDOFWATER.~Shiki

SpringTHELILIES!THESTEMS,JUSTASTHEYARETHEFLOWERS,JUSTASTHEYARE.~Basho

SummerSPRINGAIR—WOVENMOONANDPLUMSCENT.~Basho

Wabi-SabiTexture

IthinkoftextureassomethingIcanseeandthatIcanimaginefeelingwithmyhandsevenifI’mjustlookingataphotograph.Wabi-sabitextureisvaried,rough,stimulatingandalive.Childrenareoftenencouragedtoexploretexturebyplungingtheirhandsintolargecontainersofrice,lentils,sandandclay.Ifindthattextureisstimulatingtoadultsaswell!Itookthephotosbelowinawalkaroundmyneighborhood.Onthewaytomylocalcoffee

shop,Ilookedfortexturesthatinspiredmewithqualitiesofcomplexity,age,contrastanddepth.I’malwaysdelightedwiththemanyinterestingtexturesIcanfindwhenIpayattentiontowhatisaroundme.

Density

Iwasentrancedbythisweboflinesandcircles.Ienhancedthecolorofthisphotousingthe“oldphoto”filterinmyphoto-editingprogram.

Grate

Gettingclosetothisgrateproducedaphotoofarichraisedtexture.Ialteredthephototoasepiacolorinmycomputertogiveanagedeffect.

ce,p"DvSidewalkCrack

IfoundthetexturesandlinesinthissectionofsidewalksointerestinginthemselvesthatIdecidedtodeletethecolorviamyeditingprogram.

WebofBranches

Iconvertedthisphototoblackandwhiteinordertofocusontheintricatewebofbranchesandtheshapesofthetreegrowthsatthebottomofthisimage.Thisimageinspiresmetocreateapiecewithanetworkofcrackslikeinoldpaintings.

Wabi-SabiFence

Thisneglectedspotattheedgeofthegardencontainsafascinatingvarietyoftextures.Theroughagedwood,pileofstraw,brambles,longgrassandivyproduceasenseofpeaceandrefuge.

OldTreeTrunk

Thisimagecontainsbothswirledandsharpshapesandlines.Iloweredthesaturationtobetterfocusonthetexturealone.

AWabi-SabiPhotoGallery

TintorettoHouse

Crumblingbrick,peelingpaintanddisintegratingwoodcharacterizestheformerhomeofaVenetianRenaissancepainter.

RedBranches

Atangleoftreesinmyneighborhood.

Mary’sKettle

Mygreat-grandmother’sdentedteakettlesittingonahand-builtpotterystand.Amonkey-puzzlepodcompletestheimage.

Cemetario

OnthecemeteryislandinVenice.Anairofpeacefulwildness—humancreationintersectingwiththenaturalworld.

OntheStreet

InOaxacaCity,Mexico.Afascinatingabstractcreatedbytimeandneglect.

Fresco

Adecayingfresco,pas"1ep"TeseddailybyshoppersononeofBologna,Italy’smainstreets.

Incarnations

AnartorhistorystudentmayhavebeentheonetodocumentthelayersofpaintonthewallofthisbuildingbelongingtotheUniversityofBologna.Thebuildingdatesbacktomedievaltimesandwasoriginallyamonastery.

Rifugio

AWorldWarIIbombsheltersigninBolognatakesusbacktoatimewhen,formostpeopleoftheworld,hopewasfightingwithdread.

MysteryHouse

Adesertedhouseonthecoast—weatheredandmysterious.

UseYourPhotoforInspiration

Itookthispictureonmyfirstwabi-sabiwalkaroundtheoutsideofmyhouse.Onmybackporch,twobrokenpotssatatopapaint-stainedtable.Theburntorangestuccoareaatthetopofthepictureispartofanexteriorwallofthehouse.Thepotdirectlyontopofthetablehassomepottingsoilinit.Ormaybeit’sjustplaindirt!Really,thisisapictureofjunk.Orisit?There’sstillbeautyintheshardsofhandmadepotteryandintheglisteningcolorsofwhatusedtobemypainttable.Tomethewaythecolors,shapesanddesignsarejuxtaposedgivesmewabi-sabi

inspiration.Thecolorsofthisphotohaveinspiredseveralofmyautumnpieces.IhadputthisarrangementtogetherbeforeI’deverheardthetermwabi-sabi.ButIknewthearrangementspoketomeofaccidentalbeautyarisingfromimperfectionandevendecay.Takeyourownphotoofanarrangementthatinspiresyou.Chooseacolorschemefromthe

arrangement.FromthephotoaboveIchoseterra-cottared,turquoiseandBurntUmberforoneofthepiecesbelow,Between,andtheshapefortheotherpiece,Chalice.Whichcolorsandshapesmightyouchoose?

Gallery:BETWEENEncausticonwoodpanel

Thispieceborrowscolorsandanagedlookfromthepotteryshardsphotograph.

Gallery:CHALICEEncausticandmixedmediaonwoodpanel

InthispieceIborrowedtheroundnessofthebrokenbowls,creatingthetoppartofthechalice.

UseYourPhotoforSettingaMood

width="0"align="center">

ItookthisphotoonthecemeteryislandofVenice,again,longbeforeIknewthetermwabi-sabi.Tome,thispicturespeaksofthecycleoflifeanddeathandthechangesthatarewroughtbytime.Thetombintheforegroundhasstartedtocrumble,thebrickofthebuildingisdiscoloredandthegravelisunevenlydistributed.Theold-fashionedbroomaddsapiquantnotetothispictureofchangeinprogress.Eventhoughthepicturewastakeninthecemetery,thesunseemswarmandtheoverallfeelingisoneofpeaceandacceptance.

Gallery:LITTLEFLYEncausticandcollageonwoodpanel

Thispieceusescolorsfromthephotoaboveandcontainsasimilarsenseofpeaceamidendings.

InspirationHaiku

Inadditiontogettinginspirationfromimagesandfromwhatweseearoundus,wecanalsogetinspirationfrompoemswrittenbythehaikumastersofJapan.Theseexquisitewritingshavetaughtmemuchaboutwabi-sabi.IntheoriginalJapanese,eachhaikuusesonlyseventeensyllablestocaptureamomentinawaythatengagesallofoursensesandemotions.Ahaikupinpointstheemotionsandmindstateofthewriterinagivenmoment.Injustthree

lines,ahaikucanmakeusfeelasthoughweareintheexperiencewiththewriter.Haikucanbefunny,sad,nostalgic,briskandalloftheseatonce.Readingahaikuandsittingwiththefeelingsandmentalimagesthepoemevokescanbeavitalstartingpointtocreatingapiece.Tryreadingoneofthetraditionalhaikuinthisbookorlookonlineforhaiku.Findonethat

speakstoyouandthinkofitasyoucreateapiece.Thehaikuandyourworkcanbecomeadialogueofexpressiveness.

Here’sahaikuIrecentlycontemplated:

IT’SCOLD—ANDIWAITFORSOMEONETOSHELTERMEANDTAKEMEFROMHERE.~Basho

Here’sthepieceImadeinresponse:

Gallery:IT’SCOLDHEREAcrylicandpaperonwoodpanel

MixingAcrylics

Nowthatwe’veexploredphotosassourcesofinspiration,we’regettingreadytostartcreatingourart.Forthepiecewe’llmakeinthischapter,I‘mgoingtousetheautumncolorsfoundinmyinspirationphotographofpotteryshardsonapaint-stainedtable.ThereareacoupleofwaysIcandothis.IcanusepaintsthatarealreadyjustthecolorsIwant,orIcanmixmyowncolors.ForthispieceI’llgoforsometransparentcolors,suchasNickelAzoGold,RedIronOxideandGreenGold.OthertransparentcolorsIsuggestareUltramarineBlue,Payne’sGray,ViridianorPthaloGreenandBurntUmber.MEthertgoI’llalsochoosesomeopaquecolors,suchasTitanBuff,TitaniumWhite,YellowOchre,RawUmberandastrongred.Usingbothtransparentandopaquecolorscreatesvibrantcontrasts.IfIdon’thavethecolorsIwant,ImixthemasIgo.Herearesomeexamplesofcolorsyou

canmixforwabi-sabiart.(Firstcheckthebackofthepainttubeorjartoseeifitistransparent,opaque,semitransparentorsemi-opaque.)

Addwhite

totransparentcolorsforbrightnessand/orcoveringpower.

Makewabi-sabigreen

bymixingyellowandPayne’sGray.

Makewabi-sabigold

withyellow,redandBurntUmber.

Makearustyred

withbrightredandBurntUmber.

Addbufftocolors

tomakethemmoresubtleandopaque.

CreatingVisualTexture

Visualtexturereferstoanillusionoftexture.Yoursurfacemaybesmoothalloverbutyoucangivetheappearanceoftexturebyusingthetechniquesbelow.IlovetoexperimentandseewhathappenswhenIblotlayersandthenusemywetpapertoweltogooveranotherarea.Mixingituplikethisaddstotheagedandimperfectwabi-sabieffect.Drybrushingisanothergreatmethodforaddingtextureandforbringingyourpiecetogether.

Thistechniqueisdonejustthewayitsounds.Takeadrybrushandputthecoloronyoursupportwithascrubbingstroke.Yourpreviouslayerwillbecoveredunevenly,aneffectthataddsthelookofatexturedsurface.Ifyouhave,forexample,alargeblueareaandalargegreenarea,drybrushabitoftheblueoverthegreenandviceversa.Thisunifiesthepiecewhileretainingseparateareas.

Blotlayerswithapaperorshoptowel.

Rubincolorwithapaperorshoptowel.

Drybrushoverapreviouslayer.

wabi-sabiwisdom

Nomatterwhatmethodyouchoose toaddvisual texture, vary thepatternandamountof the textureyouuseon the

piece.It’simportantfortheeyetobeabletorestinless-texturedareasandtobestimulatedinmore-texturedareas.

USINGRUBBINGALCOHOLPlainoldrubbingalcoholcanaddalotofinteresttoyourwork.You’llgetsomeinterestingeffectswherethealcoholhasmovedthepaintaroundorhasremovedsomeofit.Ifyouhavetakenoffmorethanyouwantedto,justgooverthesprayedareaswithmoreoftheoriginalcolor.

STEP1Putthealcoholinaspraybottleandspritzverylightlyonthesurfaceofyourpiece.

STEP2Blotgentlybeforethealcoholdries.

USINGWATER

Ibecameenamoredwiththistechniquefollowingahappyaccident.Ioncecarriedaslightlywetpiecefrommydetachedstudiointothehouse—intherain!Theraindropscreatedahighlyinterestingsurface.NowIoftenaddafewwaterdropsonpurpose.Doingsocreatessubtlesurfacetextureandcanalsosuggesttheeffectsofalandscapeseenthroughawindoworthroughamist.

STEP1Dropwaterontothepieceusingyourfingers.

STEP2Blotthewatergently.

FinishingTouches

Toaddanagedlook,bringtheeyemorecloselyintothepictureandmakethepieceappearmorecomplete,trythesefinishingtouches.

Useadistressinkpadtogoaroundtheedgesofthepiece.

Addalittleinkfromthepadtothecornersofthepiece.Thisproducesasenseofbeingclosertothepiece.

SealingYourPieces

Trustme,youwanttowaituntilyourpieceisthoroughlydrybeforeyoueventhinkaboutsealingit.Onceitisdry,youcanconsiderafewoptions.Sealinghelpsprotectyourpiece,andthemethodsbelowwillbothdothat.Beyondthatit’suptoyouwhatkindofeffectyouwant.Ifindthatsomepieceslookgoodwithashinysurface.FortheseIuseacrylicgelglossmedium.Othersseemtocallforamattelook,soIuseacrylicgelmattemedium.Myfavoritesealant,though,iscoldwaxmedium.Coldwaxmediumisdesignedforusewithoilpainttocreateimpasto(raisedpaint)andto

provideamoremattefinishthanotheroilpaintingmediums.Thegreatnewsisthatacrylicandmixed-mediaartistscanalsousecoldwaxovertheirwork.Itgivesabeautiful,organic,satinylooktothepieceandcanevenmakethecolorsrice="ingthn="lefther.

Option1

Withanacrylicgelmedium

Option2

Withacoldwaxmedium

wabi-sabiwisdom

Forinterestingtexture,youcanaddfine-grainedsandorgroundteatoyouracrylicorcoldwaxsealantbeforeyoubrushitonyourpiece.

TheLandscapeFormat

Thelandscapeformatisthesimplestcompositionforyoutostartwith.Itssimplicitydoesn’tmeanthatitisalessercompositionform,however.Lotsofartistshavecreatedmasterpieceswiththisformat.Youmaydothesame!Alandscapeformatmeansthatyourartworkconsistsoftwoormorehorizontalareas.Youcansuggestareallandscapeoryoucanworkmoreabstractly.LotsoftimesI’vestartedoutwithwhatIthoughtwasanabstractinalandscapeformatonlytofindthatmymindcreatesapicturethatrepresentsaspectsofareallandscape.Landscapepiecesdon’thavetobedoneinthetraditionallandscapestylewithwidthgreaterthanheight.Youcanalsouseasquaresupportoronewithaheightgreaterthanitswidth.Creatingabasiclandscapeisagreatwaytofocusyourexperimentsoncolors,colormixtures,paintsandre-inkersandothertechniquescoveredinthischapter.

MISTYMORNINGMOUNTAINSAcryliconwoodpanel

STEP1Startingwithapre-gessoedwoodpanel,putdownalayerofNickelAzoGoldoranothergoldcolormixedwithTitanBuff.Coverthewholepiece.

STEP2PutdownalayerofUltramarineBlue.Patgentlywithapapertowelorrag.

STEP3WhenthelayerofUltramarineisdry,addalayerofViridianovertheblue,intheshapeofmountains.Patthislayergentlywithapapertowelorrag.

STEP4Mixabrightredwithalittlecrimson.Addwaterorglazemediumtobrushtheredmixtureoverthemountainareas.MoveabitoftheredintotheTitanBuffareawithyourbrush.

STEP5MixTitanBuffwithabitofwhite.Usingadrybrush,workthisintotheareaoverthemountains.Makethisareaunevenintextureandcolorandbringitdownintothemountainarea.

STEP6Withthehandleofapaintbrush,inciseintothemountain-shapedlayersofpaint.Addasmalldesigninthelowerrightcornerusingthesamemethod.

ACLUSTEROFSUMMERTREES,ABITOFTHESEA,

APALEEVENINGMOON.~KoboriEnshu

Gallery:GHOSTRIVERAcryliconwoodpanel

Asimplecompositioncancarryalotofinterestandmeaning.

PaintingwithRe-Inkers

Iloveusingre-inkersmixedwithacrylicglazemediumasmypaintinwabi-sabiwork.Idiscoveredre-inkersseveralyearsagoandwasamazedattherichcolorstheyprovided.Iimmediatelybeganpaintingwiththemonsmallwoodpanels.Idiscoveredafterawhilethatthere-inkerstendedtosinkintothewoodandthatthecolorsdidn’tstayvivid.AfterIrecoveredfrommydisappointment,Icameupwiththeideaofmixingthere-inkercolorwithacrylicglazemediumtomakethepaintfilmstronger.Itworked!Thecombinationofthemediumandre-inkerproducedgorgeouspaintlayersthatdidn’tfade.FromnowonwhenIrefertore-inkerglaze,that’smyshorthandforre-inkersmixedwithacrylicglazemedium.You’llfindthatthere-inkercolorsaresorichthatyouneedtouselessthanyoumightthinkwhenyoumakeyourre-inkerglaze.Experimentwithearthcolors,brightcolorsandlightre-inkercolors.Aspotofvividcolorcanbringanearth-tonedpiecetolife,whileacontrastinglightcolorcangiveasubtleglowwhenappliedoveralightareaofyourpiece.Inthefollowingprojectyou’llcreateanatmosphericpiecereminiscentofanoldoilpainting.

Grabyourfavoritere-inkercolors,glazemediumandbrushes—andgo!

FIELDATNIGHTRe-inkerglazeonwoodpanel

STEP1Startwithapre-gessoedcanvasorboard.PaintthesurfacewithalayerofSlatere-inkermixedwithacrylicglazemedium.Blotwithapapertowel.

STEP2WhentheSlatelayerisdry,addalayerofDenimre-inkermixedwithacrylicglazeovertheslate.Blotgently.

STEP3Towardthecenterofthepiece,yodbrushonRustre-inkerandglazemediumtoresembleagroveoftrees.

STEP4Afterthepreviouslayersaredry,brushonaglazeofLettucere-inker.

STEP5Inciseintothebottomofthisareawithanarrowbrushhandle.

STEP6Belowtheincisedarea,brushonalayerofButterscotchre-inkerglazeandwipewithatoweltoremoveexcessandaddabitoftexture.

STEP7Inciseverticallinesinaloosezigzagpatternoverthebottomofthepiece.

STEP8BrushonandblotabitoftheSlatere-inkerinvariousplacesoverthetreearea.

STEP9BrushanarrowbandofPlumre-inkerglazebelowtheincisedtreearea.Blotasmallamountofthiscolorontotheareabelow.

STEP10MixalittleDenimre-inkerwithalittlegessoandpaintoverthetreeareaontheleftsideofthecanvas.

STEP11AddSlatere-inkermixturetothebottomcornersofthepiece.Gentlyblotasmallamountofeachre-inkercolorinrandomareasoverthepiecetocreateanagedlook.

wabi-sabiwisdom

•Remembertousetheglazemediumwiththere-inkercolor.•Leteachlayerdrybeforeyouaddthenextone.•It’sfinetomixre-inkercolorstocreatecustomcolors.•Startwithalight-coloredlayer;youcanalwaysmakeitdarker.•Alternatingwarmandcoolcolorsyieldsaricheffect.

EVENINGBREEZE…WATERLAPSTHELEGSOFTHEBLUEHERON.~Buson

Gallery:NOMORETOBESAIDht=rsRe-inkerglazeonwoodpanel

Gallery:ZEITGEISTMixedmediaonwoodpanel

Ipaintedvibrantre-inkersandglazemediumoverthislayeredcollage.Noticetheetherealtransparencyofthere-inkerglaze.

AcrylicPaintandRe-Inkers

Re-inkerglazeworkswonderfullywithliquidorregularacrylicpaint.Ioftenaddbufforwhiteacrylicpainttoare-inkercolorusedinoneareaofthepieceinordertomakeastrongercontrastwiththepartofthepiecedoneonlyinre-inkerglaze.Youcanalsoaddre-inkerandglazeoveranareapaintedwithacrylicpaint.Addingwhitetoare-inkercolorbrightensthecolorandmakesitmoreopaque.InthisprojectIhaveevokedacloudydayatthecoast,withthehintofashipatthehorizonline.I’vealsousedseveralagingandblottingtechniquestoinstillafeelingofmystery.

DISTANTFREIGHTERRe-inkerglazeandacryliconwoodpanel

STEP1Useapre-gessoedboard.BrushalayerofCaramelre-inkeronthebottomofthepainting.Usethepapertoweltoblotandrubinthepaint.

STEP2AbovetheCaramelarea,brushalayerofStreamre-inkerglaze.SprayabitofrubbingalcoholtobrushsomeoftheStreamglazeontothetopoftheCaramellayer.

STEP3BrushlayersofButterscotchandHazelnutre-inkerglazeovertheCaramelarea,blottingasyougo.

STEP4CoverthetophalfoftheStreamareawithTitanBuffacrylicpaintandbrushtheBuffovertheareaabovetheblue.

STEP5BrushovertheStreamcolorwithDenimre-inkerandglaze.AddalittlewhiteacrylicpainttotheDenim-glazedareainthecenterofthebluearea.

STEP6AddalittleRaspberryre-inkerglazeabovetheblueareaonboththeleftandrightsides.

STEP7Tounifythepiece,brushandblotsmallamountsofHazelnutandCaramelre-inkerglazesovertheBuffarea.RubinsomeRustre-inkerglazeonthebottomofthepieceandrubinjustatouchonthetop.

STEP8Addabitofdarkpaintorre-inkerglazetothebottomleftarea.

THEFIRSTSOFTSNOW!ENOUGHTOBENDTHELEAVESOFTHEJONQUILLOW.~Basho

Gallery:LANDSCAPEOFDREAMSRe-inkerglazeandacrylicpaintonwoodpanel

Layersofre-inkersblottedwithaseaspongegivethemountainshapesdimensionalinterest.Thesweetspotofbluebetweenthemountainsandthesnowmakesthepiececomealive.

Gallery:ROBERT’SWOODSRe-inkerglazeandacrylicpaintonwoodpanel

ACranberryre-inkerglazecastsaneveningglow.Ispongedre-inkerglazethroughthecentertocreatethemysteriouswoods.

2

patinaoftime:creatingtheeffectsofseasoning

Gallery:MOVEMENTOFTIMERe-inkerglaze,aluminumfoilandacryliconwoodpanel

Myinspirationfortheprojectsinthischaptercomesfromtheeffectoftimeandweatheronnaturalandcreatedobjectsandstructures.Ifyou’reamixed-mediacreatoryouprobablyloveseasonedandlayeredsurfacesandshapesthatspeakoftimepassingandtheinevitabilityofchange.Inspirationfortheworkinthischaptercomesfromrustedandtarnishedmetal,time-

distressedwood,pit-firedpottery,peelinglayersofpaintandpaperadorningoldbuildingsanddriftwoodbythesea.Ithinkit’swonderfulthatmanyorganicandfabricatedobjectsbecomemorebeautifulas

theyage.Theseasoningoftimeaddsextrameaninganddepthtothingsandtopeople,aswell.There’srandomnesstotheeffectsofpatinathatyoucanreproduceintheprocessofcreatingthepiecesinthischapter.Yourexperimentationwillresultinsurprisingandpleasing

outcomes!Asyoucreate,enjoytheprocessofchangethatyourworkwillundergo.Inthischapter,I’llshowyouseveralwaystouseacrylicpaintandre-inkersalongwithan

unusualingredient—aluminumfoil—tocreatethelookofagedmetal.You’lldosomeincisingintoyourpiecestosuggesttheravagesoftimeonapaintedsurface.You’llusewhatyou’velearnedaboutwabi-sabitextureandcolortocreateworkthatismeaningfulandexpressive.Youmaynoticethatinmanyofmycompletedblyeonapaiprojectsandmygallerypictures,

Ihaveaddedmoreagingandpatinathanareshowninthestep-by-stepdirections.Sometimesthiscomesaboutbyhappyaccidentwhenmyhandshavepaintonthemthatgetsonthepieceinapleasingway.Herearemoredeliberatemethodsforaddingpatinaandseasoningtoyourpieces:

•RubSlateorMushroomre-inkerinvariousareasaroundthepiece.•Spongeonacrylicpaintinaneutralorbrowncolorandwipeoff,asdesired.•Collageafewspecksofdryteaontothesurfaceofyourpiece.•Rubyourfingersoratowelontoaninkpadandrubabitofinkontothepiece.•Rubsomeinstantcoffeeflakesintothepiece.

TRAVELERBOWLbyDorothyHearn,wood-firedceramic

whatyou’llneedforthischapter

AcrylicgessoAcrylicpaintAlcoholinks

AluminumfoilCarvingtoolGelmediumGlazemediumPaintbrushesPanPastelsPapertowelsPencilRe-inkersRubberstampandpadRubbingalcoholSpongeWoodorcanvaspanelsorcanvases

Spattering,Sponging,DroppingandWiping

I’vebeentalkingalotaboutblotting,wipingandsoforth.It’stimetotakealookatwaysthesetechniquesandotheralterationstoyourpaintandinklayerscansuggestpatinaandage.You’regoingtoblot,sponge,spatter,dropandwipewhenyoucreateyourversionofthe

followingpiece.Inadditiontoalcoholinkandrubberstamps,you’regoingtousesomehouseholdproductssuchasrubbingalcoholandaluminumfoil.Youcanpaintyourfoilpiecesbeforeorafteryouapplythemtothesupport.Addinggel

mediumtoyouracrylicpaintmakesthepaintstrong

WHITEBLOOMAluminumfoil,acrylic,alcoholinkandstamppadonboard

STEP1Onapre-gessoedboard,applylayersofNickelAzoGold,TitanBuffandPayne’sGrayacrylicpaint.Waitforeachlayertodrybeforeaddingthenext,wipingbackaseachlayerisapplied.

STEP2SqueezeSlatealcoholinkhorizontallyandtheninverticalcircles.

STEP3SqueezeWatermelonalcoholinkoverpartoftheSlateareas.Blendtheseareasgentlywithapaintbrush.

STEP4RubinacoupleofsmallareasofbluepaintbelowthehorizontalWatermeloninkline.SoftentheseareaswithalightapplicationoftheNickelAzoGold.

STEP5Tearoffapieceofaluminumfoil.Isometimesusefoilforapalette,soifIhaveapaint-stainedpieceoffoil,Iusethat.Usegelmediumtogluedownthefoilwhereyouwantitonyourpiece.

STEP6Whenthefoilisglueddown,coatitwithgelmediummixedwithNickelAzoGold.AddasmallareaofTitanBuffpaintasahighlightonthefoilflower.

STEP7MakeastemusingPayne’sGrayandUltramarineBlue.SpongetheTitanBuffandNickelAzoGoldmixtureoverthestemwhenit’sdry.

STEP8Dabalittlerubbingalcoholinafewplaces.

STEP9PutWatermelonalcoholinkonasmallbrushandspattersomeinkoverthesurface.

STEP10Rubtheedgesandafewareasofthepiecewithadarkbrowninkpad.

11Applyasquarerubberstamptoonearea.SmudgethestampedareaSTEPandbrushoveritwithglazemedium.

STEP12GentlyspongeabitoftheNickelAzoGoldoverthestampedarea.

LOTUSLEAVESINTHEPONDRIDEONTHEWATER.RAININJUNE.~ShikiMasaoka

Gallery:YOUSHINEPaper,re-inkerglaze,aluminumfoilandacryliconwoodpanel

Tomakethispiece,Ifirstglueddownalayeroftissuepaper.Ipaintedlayersofre-inkerglazesinSlate,Rustandblack.Irubbedandwipedeachlayer.Iaddedpiecesofaluminumfoilandgluedthemdownwithgelmedium.Igluedavintagebookfragmentinthecentertosuggestaflowerbloom.Iaddedverticallinestothebookfragmentwithasmallbrushdippedindarkpaint.Iaddedre-inkerglazecolors(Butterscotch,CaramelandRedPepper)overthefoil.

ScrapingandIncising

Ilovethetermforetchingmarksintoapaintedsurface:sgraffito.ThisisanItalianwordforatechniquethatdatesatleastbacktotheRenaissance.You’llrecognizethistermastheparentofourmodernword,graffiti.Thistechniquemimicstheprocessofwearandtearovertime.There’ssomethingbothplayfulandpowerfulaboutusingacarvingtool,adentaltool,anawl

orothersharptooltoscratchthesurfaceofyourpiece.Youcanusethistooltocreatearepresentationaldesign,toaddtextortogiveyourpiecea“street”look.Inthisproject,you’regoingtousesgraffitotomakeaframedimageinthecenterofthe

piece.ForthisprojectIsuggestthatyoumakeyourlinesanddrawingssimpleandevenprimitive,inkeepingwiththewabi-sabistyle.You’llbeusingre-inkerglazeandacrylicpainttoaddtotheseasonedlook.You’lladdtouchesofPanPastels,smallcontainersofpurepigmentthatarepressedlikefacepowderinacompact.

WAITINGTOBEFILLEDAcrylicpaint,re-inkerglaze,PanPastel,graphiteandinkonwoodpanel

STEP1LayerMicaceousIronOxideacrylicpaintontoapre-gessoedsurface.

STEP2WhenthelayerofMicaceousIronOxideacrylicpaintisdry,addalayerofNickelAzoYellowacrylicpaint.

STEP3AddonemorelayeroftheMicaceousIronOxideandoftheNickelAzoYellow.

STEP4AddtouchesofViridianainkm">

STEP5BrushdownalayerofGingerre-inkermixedwithglazemedium.

STEP6Squirtblackacrylicpaintontothesupportinasquareshape.Flattenthepaintdownandtakeupanyextrawithapapertowel.

STEP7Inciseintotheblacklineswithacarvingtool.

STEP8Withapencil,drawadesign,suchasacup.Incisearoundthedrawing,addingincisionsforshading.

STEP9AddalayerofPayne’sGrayandgoldtothebackgroundoftheincisedsquare,andrubalittleBurntSiennaPanPastelintothedrawnarea.Inciseagain—orscrapeincisedareas—fordefinition.

STEP10PaintanotherareaofGingerre-inkermixedwithglazebelowtheincisedarea.Wipetheareaandfinishbyblackeningtheedgesandcornersofthepanelwithastamppad.

wabi-sabiwisdom

•YoucanfillintheincisionsyoumakewithPanPastels(asIdidhere),re-inkers,permanentdarkinkoracrylicinks.

•Themorelayersofcoloryouhaveputonyourpiece,themorecolorwillshowintheincisions.

CHERRIESBLOSSOMANDTHENFALLDOWN—ALLTHISISTHEWAYOFTHINGS…~EnomotoSeifu-Jo

Gallery:SALMONSKYAcrylicandre-inkerglazeonwoodpanel

Thispieceremindsmeofsunsetandmist.Irubbedthere-inkerglazeintothesupportforasofteffect.Iusedmybrushhandletoinciselinesinthecenterofthepiece,andIaddedrubberstampinginthelowerrightcornerasafinishingtouch.

3

strataoftime:creatinglayersoftexture

havface=Gallery:PIERAcryliconwoodpanel

WhenIlayeronthetexturewithvarioustechniquesandmaterials,IfeellikeI’mdoingmybesttoimitatewhatnaturedoes.Layersofpeelingplasteronbuildings,layersofweatherdamage,layersofgeologicalstrataandthelinesofexperienceonanolderperson’sfaceareallvisibletestamentstothepassingoftime.Timepassesandstoriesevolve,waitingtobediscoveredorimagined.Formerownersofourhouse,builtin1905,addedanextralayerofdrywalltothewallthat

separatestheentryhallfromthelivingroomsothatthedoorwaybetweentheroomswasnolongervisibleonthelivingroomside.Weremovedtheextradrywalltorestoretheopening.Whenweremovedthedrywall,wefoundtheoriginalwallpaperaroundthedoorway.Wekeptmeaningtocoveritoverbutfinallydecidedwelikethewayitlooksasis.Beingabletoseeabitoftheoriginalwallpaperislikeseeingthehistoryofthehouseandthosewhohavelivedinit.

Layersoftexturesuggesthistoryinasimilarway.Tome,layersoftexturealsosuggestthecomplexityoftheworldandtheobjectsandbeingsintheworld.Withtexture,evenyoursimplestpiecescanbefullofmeaningandbeauty.Feelfreetousemytexturephotosfromearlierinthebookforyourinspiration,orbetteryet,gooutandtakeyourown.Inthischapter,you’llexploremanymaterialsandmethodstoevokewonderatlife’stenacity,

complexityandmystery.Avarietyofpapers,plaster,deliciouslygooeyacrylicmediumsandpaintingkniveswillallowyoutocreatewithabandon!

whatyou’llneedforthischapter

AcrylicpaintArttissuepaperCarvingtoolColdwaxmediumConstructionpaperCraftknifeGarmentpatternGelmediumGlazemediumGoldtransferfoilJointcompoundMedium-sizedpaintingknifewithadiamond-shapedtipNeocolorIIcrayonOilpaintPaintbrushesPanPastelsPapertowelsPre-gessoedpanelsorcanvasboardsRe-inkersRubbingalcoholinaspraybottleSpongeTexturedpackingmaterialorothertexturetoolTrowelVintagebookpage

UsingaPaintingKnife

Iloveworkingwithapaintingknifeinplaceofabrush.Pushingpaintaroundwithaknifeiswonderfullyfreeing.You’llfindyoucanuseyourknifetolayeronpaint,tosmoothoutpaint,tocreatepeaksinpaint,toinciseorscrapeoffpaintandtomixcolorsonyoursupport.Usingapaintingknifeforcesyoutosimplifyyourcompositionsandtoemphasizecolor,textureandforminsteadofdetail.Youmaywanttoexperimentwithpaintingknivesofdifferentsizes.Inthisprojectyou’llcreateasimpledesignthatwillbemadecomplexandinterestingthroughthickapplicationsofpaintandthroughdeepincising.

THECROWHASFLOWNAWAY:SWAYINGINTHEEVENINGSUN,ALEAFLESSTREE.~SosekiNatsume

COLORADOWINTERAcryliconwoodpanel

STEP1PaintalayerofPayne’sGrayacrylicpaintonapre-gessoedpanel.Whenthegraylayerisdry,layeronwhiteacrylicpaintwithapaintingknife.

STEP2Addredacrylicpaintwiththepaintingknifetoformmountains.

STEP3LayerPayne’sGraypaintovertheredmountainareawithapaintingknife.Leavealittleoftheredshowing.

STEP4Usingthepaintingknife,inciseverticallinesontheleftandrightsidesofthepainting.

STEP5Rubinalittleochrepaintinvariousareasofthepiece.

Gallery:AFTERMATHAcryliconwoodpanel

Layersofdifferentcolorsappliedwithapaintingknifeaddarichandglowingeffecttothissimplecomposition.

PlasterItOnRememberthosepicturesfrommyphotogalleryofmysteriousoldwallswithlayersofhistoryintheformofplaster?You’regoingtousejointcompound,aformofplaster,tocreateyourownfresco-likewallsofmemory.You’llfindthatplayingwithplastergivesyouthatchildlikefeelingofplayinginwetsandatthebeach.Inthisprojectwe’lluseoilpaint,re-inkerandtransferfoiltoaddtotherichnessoftheplasterlayers.Youcanuseacrylicpaintaswellasoilpainttocoloryourplasterpieces.Plasterlovesbothacrylicandoil.

PACEMPlaster,oilpaint,oilpastel,re-inker,goldtransferfoilandcoldwaxonwoodpanel

STEP1Applyjointcompoundtoawoodpanelwithatrowel.

STEP2Afterthecompoundhassetforabouttenminutes,usetexturedpackingmaterialtotexturetheplasterinafewareas.

STEP3Useapotterycarvingtooltoinciselines.

STEP4Whentheplasterisdry,rubinNaplesYellowoilpaintmixedwithcoldwaxmedium.

STEP5RubinAzoGreenoilpaintmixedwithcoldwaxinafewareas.

STEP6RepeattheprocesswithBurntUmberoilpaintandcoldwax.

STEP7Inciseanoblongshapeabouttwo-thirdsofthewaydownthepiece.Acraftknifeworkswellforthis.

STEP8ApplyCrimsonre-inkerintheshape.

STEP9OutlinetheCrimsonsquarewithaniridescentgoldoilpastel.

STEP10Applygoldtransferfoilontotheshape.

STEP11Applyanotherlayerofjointcompoundalongthebottomedgeofthepieceandunevenlyoverotherareas,leavingtheshapeandawidebandoftheoriginallayershowing.

<=""imgrecindex="00128"alt=""/>STEP12Inciseinafewareasandre-incisewhereneeded.

STILLNESS.OUTOFTHERAINABUTTERFLYROAMSINTOMYBEDROOM.~EnomotoSeifu-Jo

Gallery:WAXMEETSPLASTERPlaster,acrylic,goldtransferfoilandbeeswaxonwoodpanel

TissuePaper

Thishumble,fragilepaperhassomanyusesbesidesaddinghefttoshoppingbags.Tissuepapercomesinrichcolorsnow,notjustthepastelhuesIrememberfrommychildhood.Ifyousavewrappingandtissuepaper,thisisanidealprojectforyou.Tissuepapernaturallywrinkleswhencollagedtoasupport.Thewrinklingaddsvitalinteresttoyourpiece.Toenhancethistexture,youcancrumplethetissueevenmorebeforeyoucollageitdown.Inthisproject,we’llcreateanimaginarystilllifewithtissuepaper,constructionpaper,rubberstampsandalittleacrylicpaint.Thewrinklesandtouchesofdarkpaintaddtothewabi-sabifeelofthepiece.

SPRINGRAIN—ALLTHINGSONTHEEARTHBECOMEBEAUTIFUL.~Chiyo-ni

FIGUREFIVEPaper,acrylicandacrylicglazeonwoodpanel

Inadditiontothestepsontheright,Iaddedafinaltouchusingrubberstamps.TheFig.5atthebottomofthepieceisareferencetoscientificandbotanicaldrawings.

STEP1Collagetornlightweightpaperandbluetissuepaperrandomlytoapre-gessoedpanelorcanvas.

STEP2Collagetornlightlavendertissuepaperandmagentatissuepaperdowninarandompattern,overlappinglayersasdesired.

STEP3Cutcirclesofconstructionpaperorcardstock—onesmallerthantheothers—andcollagethecirclesdownsothesmallercircleandoneofthelargercirclesarepartiallyhiddenbyoneofthelargercircles.

STEP4ColorthecircleslightlywithRustre-inkerandyellowacrylicpaintmixedwithlotsofglazemedium.RubofftheRust,yellowandglazemixtureononesidetoindicatealightarea.Ruboffthemixtureinasmallarea,whichw,sheigerif">

STEP5MakestemsandbranchesforthefruitusinganarrowbrushdippedinPayne’sGrayacrylicpaint.Inciseintothepainttorepresentlightareas.Usingasmallbrush,addanarrowPayne’sGraylinebetweenthefruits.

STEP6Addbluepainttoareasoneithersideofthepanel,andinciseintothewetpaintwithabrushhandle.Sealwhendrywithalayerofglazemediumtomakesureallthepaperstaysdown.

Gallery:CHOSENEncausticandstampedtissuepaperonwoodpanel

Iusedtranslucentlayersofencausticpaintwithtissuepaperprintedwithahand-carvedstampinthissimplebutrichpiece.

SpecialtyPapers

IgowildwhenIvisitmylocalpaperstore.It’ssohardtochoosejustafewofthehundredsofpapersavailable.Itendtogoforpaperswithrich,mutedcolorandinterestingtextureforwabi-sabipieces.IfIseeamoreelaboratedesignIwanttouse,I’lluseonlyasmallamountofitinoneofmypieces.Igetjustasexcitedbythevintagepapersavailableatfleamarketsandsecondhandstores.Inthischapter,Ishowyouhowtousesomeofmyfavoritepapersforwabi-sabiwork.Theseincludelacepaperanddresspatternpaper.(We’lluseanotherofmyfavorites,MexicanAmateMarbleLacepaper,inalaterchapter.)AtouchofPanPasteladdsinterestanddepthtothisproject.

SHELTERLacepaper,NeocolorIIcrayon,re-inker,acrylicpaintandPanPastelsonwoodpanel

STEP1CoatagessoedorungessoedwoodpanelwithBuffpaint.Addthreepiecesofalacyspecialtypaperinawaythatsuggestsarockformation.

STEP2AddbrightredpaintovertheBuffpaintandlacypaperandwipe.Addalittleblue-greenpainttotheupperpartofthepiece.AddBuffoverthepainttosoftenit,ifnecessary.

STEP3UseaNeocolorIIcrayontoaddhandwrittentextintheareawheretheBuffandbluepaintsmeet.

STEP4SpongelightlyoverthetextwithBuffpaint.

STEif">STEP5Mixbrightredpaintwithalittlewaterandspatteroverthelowerportionofyourpiece.

STEP6BrushDenimre-inkernearthebottomoftherockformation.

STEP7Sprayrubbingalcoholonthetopthirdofthepaintingandblotit.

STEP8RubgrayandsiennaPanPastelsintovariousareasofthepiece.FinishthepiecebyaddingadditionallayersofpaintandPanPastels.Rubinandscrapebackuntilyouaresatisfiedwiththeresults.

wabi-sabiwisdom

Goaheadandkeepitsimplewhenyouwanttocreatelotsoflayersandwhenyouwanttouseseveraltechniquesinonepiece.Thecolorandtextureyou’llcreatewillmakeevenasimpledesignrichandinteresting.AGIANTFIREFLY:THATWAY,THISWAY,THATWAY,THIS—ANDITPASSESBY.~Issa

Gallery:FAERIEAcrylic,re-inker,dresspatternandlacepaperonwoodpanel

Iputlotsoflayersonthispieceandinciseddeeplyinthecenterarea.

VintagePaperandDressPattern

You’regoingtoincorporatetwoofmyfavoritepapermediaintothisre-inkerglazepiece.Forthisproject,Iusedafragmentofanoldpharmacopeiaaswellasdress-patternpaper.IlovethepliabilityofpatternsandIlovethelines,textandarrowsonthepattern.Andvintagebookandnewspaperpages—wheredoIstart?Ilovethecoloroftheagedpaper,thelookofvintagetypesetting,thechancetofeatureaforeignlanguageandthechancetochoosewordsthataddmeaningtomypieces.

ETHERPaper,acrylic,re-inkersandglazemediumonboard

STEP1Onapre-gessoedboard,applyalayerofButterscotchre-inkerandglazemedium.Withyourbrush,scrubsomeBuffintotheButterscotchlayer.

lleD>STEP2Collagepiecesofpatternpaperontotheboard.

STEP3Tearoffsomeofthepatternpaperandrubwhiteacrylicpaintintotheareawherethepaperwasremoved.Addapieceofavintagebookpagejustoffcenterinthewhitearea.

STEP4AddalayerofRustre-inkerglazetoallbutthewhitearea.

STEP5WhentheRustlayerisdry,addalayerofGingerre-inkerglaze.

STEP6AddButterscotchre-inkeroverthetextarea.

STEP7AddPayne’sGrayacrylicpainttosuggestashadowoverthetextarea.

STEP8AddtouchesofButterscotchoverthetopareaandblendalittleintothewhitearea.

Blottheseareas.

Gallery:ONTHERIVERBANKRe-inker,vintagepaperandacryliconwoodpanel

IusedwrinkledtissuepaperatthebottomofthepieceandvintageAsianpaperinthemiddlearea.Thepaintwentonafterthat,creatingasenseofmysteryinthisabstractscene.

Gallery:FOLLOWYOURCALLINGRe-inkerandpaperonwoodpanel

Herethepaperelementsincludedriedusedteabagsandasnippetofvintagetext.

GluingOnandTearingOff

WhenpeopleaskwhatmediaIworkin,IoftentellthemthatIdon’tdoanykindofartthatcan’tbereworked.AfterIgotthatCineighth-gradeartforfailingtodrawanaccuratefloorplan,I’veprettywellacceptedthatexact,perfectworkisnotmyforte.Ilovetolayer,paintover,scrapebackandtearoff.I’lldothesethingswhenIwanttomakechangestowhatI’vedone,butsometimesI’lldothemonpurposefromthebeginningofapiece.Inthefollowingprojectyou’lltearsomestuffoffandputsomestuffon.You’lltransformyourless-favoredworkintosomethingnew.

CANYONSUNRISEPaper0"T,acrylicandre-inkeronboardSTEP1Topreparethesupports,takeanoldcollageyoudon’tcarefor,andtearandscrapeoffallthepaperyoucan.(Wettingthepaperhelps.)Gluedownanyremainingpaperwithgelmedium.Collagelacypaperovervariousareaswithgelmedium.

STEP2AddPestore-inkerglazetothebottomhalfofthesurfaceandallowtheinktodrycompletely.

STEP3Addadditionalre-inkerglazesinvariouscolorstothesurface,lettingeachdrybeforeaddingthenextone.

STEP4MixBuffandUltramarineBlueacrylicpaintoverthetophalfofthepainting,leavingthebottomofthisareauneven.Letsomeofthere-inkercolorsshowthrough.

STEP5LightenthecenteroftheblueareawithBuff,lettingthebrushstrokesshow.

HARVESTMOON:AROUNDTHEPONDIWANDERANDTHENIGHTISGONE.~Basho

Gallery:AUTUMNATLOSTLAKERe-inker,paperandacryliconwoodpanel

ItoreoffpaperI’dcollagedontothecenterofthepiece.Thiscreatedamottledareawheresomeoftheoriginalpaperremained.IwentovertheareawithglazemediumtosealitandthenIaddedabitofcolor.

4

throwinthetowel:workingwiththeunexpected

Gallery:THETIMEBEFOREMixedmediaonwood

Giveyourinventivenessfullreinasyouexperimentwiththetechniquesandideasinthischapter.Yourguidingmantramightbewhatif…whenitcomestoaddingunusualmaterialstoyourpiece.Myonlycaveatistolookfororganicmaterials,ratherthan,say,plastic.

Searchyourworkareaforstainedpapertowelsorpaperrags,scrapsofvibrantpaperandthatoldteabagsittinginyourcupfromyesterday.Wabi-sabisuggeststhetransformationofordinarythingsandthat’sjustwhatwearegoingtodointhischapter.You’llexplorethe“oldpaper”lookyoucanachievewithusedteabags.Likeme,onceyou

discoverthissimpleandeleganttechniq,sont>ue,you’llstartdrinkingalotmoretea!You’llalsostartsavingsomeofyourstainedpaperorshop towels for use in textural collages. I’ll introduce you to some ofmy favorite specialtypapers,includingonepaperthatmimicsthelookofstrawbutisactuallymadefrombark.You’lllearnhowtousecheeseclothtocreatemysteriousandgorgeouseffects.

I’llshowyouhowyoucangivenewlifetooldbookpagesanddresspatternsandhowtomutecolorandinfuseinterestusingthem.You’llseehowyoucanaddsilkyarn,instantcoffeeandvintagestampsforminimalistworkwithmaximumpunch.Thechaptertitlealsoreferstoknowingwhenitistimetochangedirection.I’llshowyouhow

tofindnewpurposeinold,forgottenpieces.OurinspirationforthisprocesswillbeKali,theHindugoddessofdestructionandcreation.AnotherinspirationcouldbethePhoenix,themythicalbirdthatburnsthenrisesfromitsownashes.Asartistswearecalledontoadd,subtractandaddagain,untilwereachthepointoffallinginlovewithourcreation.

whatyou’llneedforthischapter

AcrylicgelmediumAcrylicpaintAlcoholinkBlackgessoCheeseclothFauxmetalflakesGlazemediumIncisingtoolInstantcoffeeMexicanAmateBarkMarbleLacepaperNeocolorIIcrayonOldpaintingPaintbrushesPapershoptowelsorragsPermanentfine-pointmarkerPre-gessoedwoodpanel,canvasorcanvasboardsRe-inkersSilksariyarnUsedteabags,driedVintagebookpagesandnewspaperVintagepostagestampWater

UsingTeaBags

Old,driedteabagscanaddmagictoyourartwork.It’snojoke.Eachteabaghasadifferentpatternofstaining.Someteastainsaresubtle,whileothersaremoreobvious.TeabagscontainingberryteasareparticularfavoritCculesofmineduetotheirrichcrimsonstains.Iuseteabagstocreateanagedlook,tomuteatoo-brightcolorandtoaddtexture.IliketotearoffthetelltaleedgesoftheteabagsbeforeIusethem.Oncethey’reonapiece,theywon’tlookliketeabagsatall,butratherlikeamysteriousvintagesurface.Inthisprojectyou’llgettoplaywiththisinventivetechnique.

NEWYEAR’SDAY—THESOUNDOFWATERFROMACREEK.~Raizan

CASADELASPALABRASMixedmediaonboard

STEP1Usingapre-gessoedpanel,canvasorcanvasboard,paintalayerofGreenTurquoiseacrylicpaintoverthetopofthepiece.

STEP2PaintalayerofBuffacrylicpaintoverthebottomofthepiece.

STEP3Collageavarietyoftext:piecesfromvintagebooks,newspapersanddictionarypages.Usepagesthathavesmallillustrationsonthem.

STEP4PaintalayerofNickelAzoGoldpaintandglazemediumovertheentirepieceandblotit.Whenthegoldlayerisdry,addalayeroftransparentRedIronOxidepaintandglazemedium.Wipethearealightlywithapapertowel.

STEP5MixsomeRedIronOxidewithgelmediumandpaintanunevenhorizontallineabovethetextarea.

STEP6Takeadryusedteabagandcutoffthetopunderthestaple.Ifyouhavealotofpatienceyoucanremovethestaplewithneedle-nosedpliersinstead.Openuptheteabagattheseamandemptytheteaintoacontainer.Repeatwithotherteabagsasneeded.Collagetheteabagsandtornpiecesoverthetopareaofthepiece.Lookforinterestingteastainstoinclude.

STEP7Withasmallbrush,dashdownasmallareaofbrightredacrylicpaintonthelineacrossthepiece.

STEP8Brushonashortlineofskybluepaintbelowtheredarea.

STEP9Hand-writetextintheuppergoldareawithawatercolorcrayon.Rubgentlytopartiallyobscurethetext.<Bculaext.<Bc/font>

Gallery:TEAHOUSEEncausticandcollageonfoundwoodpanel

Iusedpartofanoldshelfforthispiece’ssupport.Youcanfindinterestingwoodlikethisatrecyclingandreusestores,garagesalesoreveninafreepileoutsideasecondhandstore.Usedteabagsformthe“house”inthisstylizedmixed-mediapiece.

UsingStainedShopTowels

IactedonimpulsethefirsttimeIusedthistechnique.Thepaint-andink-stainedpapershoptowellyingnexttomelookedsoprettyandinterestingthatIjustthought,Whatif…?Iaddedtheshoptowelcourtesyofathickapplicationofgelmedium,anditworkedjustfine.WhenIuseathickertowel,Iliketoaddotherthickelementsaswell.ThispieceiscalledKabuki,namedafterahighlystylizedformofdramaanddancetheaterinJapan.Thestainedshopragusedhereremindsmeofahighlypatternedkimono.

RIGHTATMYFEET—ANDWHENDIDYOUGETHERE,SNAIL?~Issa

KABUKIStainedshoprags,pen,MexicanAmateBarkMarbleLacepaperandacryliconwoodpanel

STEP1Paintalayerofwhiteacrylicpaintoveralight-coloredwoodpanel.Patwithapapertowel.Tearastainedshoptowelandusegelmediumtocollageapiecenearthecenter.

STEP2TearoffapieceofMexicanAmateBarkMarbleLacepaperandloosenthethreads.SecuretheAmatepaperwithgelmedium.

STEP3Gooverthepaperareasrandomlywithawashofblueacrylicpaintandglazemedium.Thenbrushonamixtureofpinkandbeigeacrylicpainttomakeapartialsquareintheupperleftofthecollagedarea.

STEP4Withafine-pointmarker,drawahorizontallineacrossthepiece,aboutaquarterofthewayfromthebottomofthepanel.

STEP5Writeasmallamountoftextwiththesamemarkerinthemiddleoftheareaandunderthehorizontalpenline.

Gallery:CONTEMPLATIVECHAOSMixedmediaonwood

Inthispiece,stainedpapershopragsformarichframearoundthecentralimages.

AmazingCheesecloth

Cheeseclothisn’tjustforthekitchen.Itdoesamazingthingsforwabi-sabi.Youcanstretchit,paintoveritandcompletelydisguiseit.Gelmediumwillsealandsecuretheclothwhileallowingtheholepatternstoshowthrough.Goaheadanduseplentyofmediumunderandoverthecheeseclothtoholditonthesupport.Inthisprojectyou’llelevatehumblecheeseclothtoHighArt.

THREESUNSAcrylic,re-inkerglaze,alcoholinkandcheeseclothonwoodpanel

STEP1ApplyabasecoatofSunsetOrangere-inkermixedwithglazemediumontoasmoothpre-gessoedboardorpanel.Blotunevenlywithapapertowel.AddPastelYellowandMediumYellowpaint,rubbingthecolorsintotheboard.Collagedownapieceofcheesecloth,stretchingtheclothacrossthepanelandshapingittoresembleamountain.

STEP2PaintSunsetOrangeandBottleGreenre-inkerglazesoverthecheesecloth.Addasmallamountofblackre-inkerglazeinvariousareas.

STEP3PaintthebottomareawithLettuceandblackre-inkerglazes.

STEP4Incisedesignsintothebottomarea,wherethesurfaceisnotcoveredbythecheesecloth.

STEP5AddthreecirclesintheupperareaofthepaintingbysqueezingWatermelonalcoholinkoverthewetpaint.

STEP6Dipapieceofpapertowelinglazemediumanduseittowipeoffsomeofthecoloraroundoneofthecircles.

STEP7PaintanarrowlineoftheSunsetOrangere-inkerglazeacrossthetopofthecheeseclotharea.

STEP8Withawidebrush,addathickwashoftheorangere-inkerglazeoverthewholepiece.Useapapertoweltopatupsomeoftheglaze.

wabi-sabiwisdom

Toaddanagedlooktocheesecloth,soaktheclothincoldstrongcoffeeortea.CROSSINGTHESUMMERRIVER,SANDALSINMYHAND.~Buson

Gallery:TRISTENTristenCollinsandSerenaBarton;Acrylic,re-inkerglaze,cheeseclothandteabagsoncanvas

Thispieceismostlytheworkofoneofmywomen’sartgroupmembers,TristenCollins.She’sresponsibleforthegorgeousre-inkercolorandtheinventiveuseofcheeseclothandteabags.Atherrequest,Iworkedonthebackground,addingthePayne’sGrayandBuffandothertouchestomaketheyellowsandorangespop.Wetookturnsworkingonthepieceforquiteawhile.Atonepointwerealizedwehadgottentoo“picky”andhadtakensomeofthelifeoutofthework.Ithenwentatthepiecewithaspraybottleofrubbingalcoholandabigbrushuntilitcamebacktovibrantlife.Workingasateamwasalotoffunforus.

Coffee,MetalFlakes,YarnandStamps

Inthisprojectyou’llusealittleofthisandabitofthat—elementsyoumaywellhavearoundyourhouseorart-makingarea.IlovetodrinkqualitybrewedcoffeewhenIwakeupinthemorning.However,I’velearnedtokeepsomeinexpensiveinstantcoffeearoundatalltimes.Instantcoffeecrystalsmixedwithalittlewatermakearichburntumbercolorthatlooksgreatonagessoedpanel.Anycrystalsthatdon’tdissolveallthewayaddtexture.Ilovehowthinmetalflakeslendexcitementtoasimplepiece.Vintagepostagestampsaresomeofmyfavoritesforaddingthosesweetspotsthatbringthepiecetogether.Yarnsuppliesfascinatingtextureandcolor.InthisprojectIusesilksariyarn.Ifyouhaveotherkindsofsilkyyarnavailable,feelfreetousethat.

BEGINNER’SMINDCoffee,yarn,metalflakesandacryliconwoodpanel

STEP1Startwithapre-gessoedpanelorcanvasboard.Dipadamppaintbrushintoinstantcoffeecrystals.Brushaclumpofcoffeeontothepanel.

STEP2Brushgelmediumthicklyontothecoffeearea.Tilttheboardupandtowardyousoalittleofthecoffeedripsdowntothebottomofthepanel.

STEP3Useyourbrushtosmearabitofthecoffeeoutward.

STEP4Sprinkleasmallamountofmetalflakesintotheareaofthepiececoveredwithgelmedium.

STEP5Collageavintagepostagestampintheupperrightcornerofthepanel.Brushwhitepaintoverthestampandblottheexcess,partiallyobscuringthestamp.

STEP6Collagetwostrandsofmulti-texturedyarn,placingonestrandoneachsideofthecoffeearea.

STEP7Brushasmallamountoflightredpaintundertheyarnlinetotherightofthecoffeearea.

STEP8Brushalittleoftheredpaintnearthebottomofthecoffeearea.

STEP9UseaNeocolorIIcrayontolightlysketchintextintheupperpartofthepiece.Useapapertoweltorubinandtakeupmostofthetext,leavingonlyahintofit.

AUTUMNMOONLIGHT—AWORMDIGSSILENTLYINTOTHECHESTNUT.~Basho

Gallery:PORTALPlaster,PanPastels,coffee,teaandvintagebuttononwoodpanel

Iaddedinstantcoffeeandgrainsofteatothisplasterpiecetogiveitanatural,agedeffect.

TheCover-Up

Whenyouhearthephrase“involvedinacover-up,”youknowitisn’tagoodthing.Butthecover-upwe’llbeinvolvedinisawonderfulthing.ItworkssowellthatIhopeyouhavesomeoldpaintedpanelsorcanvasesaroundthatyoudon’tcaremuchfor.Digthemoutnowsoyoucanparticipateinour“GreatCover-up.”Thisactivityinvolvestakingthatunwantedpieceandcoveringuppartofitinordertostarta

newpiece.It’srecyclingatitsmostartistic.Thelayersthatarecoveredstillhavetheirsayandaddrichnesstothefinishedpiece.

LANDINVIEWAcrylic,re-inkersandpaperonwoodpanel

STEP1Startwithanoldpainting.Minehasacrylicandre-inkeronit.Spraysomealcoholonthesurfaceinrandomareas.TheComnpaintblackgessoovertheoldpainting,exceptinthetoparea.That’swhereyou’llleaveasquareshape.

STEP2Incisearoundthesquarearea.

STEP3Asthegessoisdrying,rubitinnearthebottomofthepiecesotheoldpaintcolorsshowthrough.

STEP4Incisearoundthebottomarea,revealinglightlayersunderthegesso.

STEP5Tearoffasmallpieceofvintagenewspaperorbookandcollageitinthemiddleofthesquare.Paintredre-inkerglazeoverthetext.BlendCaramelre-inkerglazeoverthesquareareainanunevenpattern.Finishthepiecebyincisingafewlinestotheleftandrightofthesquare.

wabi-sabiwisdom

Ifyoudon’thaveoldpanelsorboardsthatyouwanttocoverup,shopforoldacrylicpaintingsatthriftstoresorgaragesales.Suchartworkcanserveasinspiringjumping-offpointsforanewcreation.

Gallery:BURSTINGAcryliconwoodpanel

ThispiecebeganasthepaletteIusedwhilepaintinganotherpiece.IwentoverthepaintwithafewlayersofcolorandmanylayersofwhiteandBuffacrylicpaintappliedwithapaintingknife.Theformerpalettebecameavividpieceinitsownright.It’safavoriteofvisitorstomystudio.IthinkthispiecesucceededsowellbecauseIwasn’ttrying—justenjoying.

5

abstractingfromthereal:thepowerofsuggestion

Gallery:SOUTHTissuepaper,magazinefragmentsandacryliconwoodpanel

Whatmakeschildren’sdrawingssodelightful?Certainlypartoftheappealistheevidentjoywithwhichtheycreateandtheirlackofself-criticism,whichresultsinlivelywork.Ithinkanotheraspectofchildren’swork(orisitplay?)isthatchildrentendtoreducecomplicatedobjectsandpeopletothemostessentialelements.Childrenputdownwhatismostimportanttogettheirvisionsacross.ThetermabstractartisoftenusedtodescribenonrBt="ctingf>SomeoftheartIhavecreatedforthisbookdoesn’trepresentanythinginthematerialworld,

thoughthisartmaywellrepresentemotionsandthoughts.Theprojectsinthischapterareworkingwithabstractionabitdifferently—takingthebasiclines,shapesandcolorsofwhatweseeandusingthesetorepresentthewholeimage.Whenwelookattheexternalworld,ourbrainsdosomeofthework,fillinginblankswhere

oureyescan’tfocusorwheresomeoftheelementsaremissing.Wedothiswhenwelookat

artaswell.Thisiswhysuggestioncanbemorepowerfulthanminutedetail.TheImpressionistsshockedviewerswiththeirwork,whichusedtheeffectsoflighttosuggestratherthantospellout.Peoplewerenotusedtomakingtheirbrainsworksohardalongwiththeireyes.About150yearslaterwehavenoproblemfillingintheblanksleftonthecanvasbyanartistwhoonlysuggestsandwholeavessomeoftheinterpretationtotheviewer.Likethehaikusprinkledthroughoutthisbook,abstractiongivesthepotentialforalarge

responsetoaminimumofsuggestion.Abstractionisinteractive;itallowstheviewertoprojecthisorherownideas,feelingsandresponsesontotheartpiece.Inthischapteryou’llcreateacollagethatisanabstractionofthereal,andthenwe’llmove

ontoanevenmoreabstractedpainting.Abstractionsvarywiththeartist,sohavefuncreatingyourownversionsofthefollowingprojects.

whatyou’llneedforthischapter

AcrylicpaintConstructionpaperGelmediumGlazemediumPaintbrushesPre-gessoedwoodpanelsorcanvasesRe-inkersStamppadTissuepaper

PlayingwithTornPaper

IrememberthedayImademyfirsttornpapercollage.IwasinspiredbysomeaccidentallystainedtissuepaperI’dfoundatadiscountartsupplystoreandbythehydrangeasinmybackyard.Tearingthepaperwasveryfreeingandfun.Isoondiscoveredthatthestainingonthetissuepaperallowedmetocreateeffectsoflightandshadow.Thatpaperislonggone,alas,sonowIcreatelightandshadowwithdifferentshadesofthesamecolor.

SEEKONHIGHBARETRAILSSKY-REFLECTINGVIOLETS…MOUNTAIN-TOPJEWELS.~Basho

EASTTissuepaper,constructionpaperandacryliconwoodpanel

STEP1Useseveralpiecesoftissuepapertocoverawoodpanel.Putanothercoloroftissuepaperverticallyontherightsideofthepanel.

STEP2Tearsmallpiecesofdarkpinkandmagentatissuepaper.Collagepiecesinanabstractstyletorepresenthydrangeas.Varythecolorstorepresentlightandshadow.

STEP3Paintmetallicgoldacrylicoverthebackground.Paintaroundtheflowersandthestripeatright.

STEP4Tearthreenarrowstripsofconstructionpaper.Collageoneontheleftandtwoontheright.

STEP5Rubsomeacrylicpaintandgelmediumintotheyellowstripsforaddedcolor.

Afewfinalstepstounifythisproject:

•Withdarkpaint,addstemsonthetwoflowersintheforeground.•Addthedarkpaintinsmallareasoftheflowerstoenhanceshadows,asdesired.•Rubalittleofthedarkpaintintothegoldstripeandthepurpletissueareaontheright.•Addtouchesofthemetallicgoldpainttothesamearea.•Addtwoofthemagentatissuepiecesonthefarrightofthepiece.

Gallery:WESTTissuepaper,wallpapersampleandacryliconwoodpanel

Thispiecealsousesasimplified,abstractedversionofflowersagainstavariegatedbackground.

ABrushwithAbstraction

Putonsomecatchymusicandcutloosewiththenextproject.It’smyexperiencethatabstractpiecesarebestdonebyanartistwho’sbeenboogyingaroundthestudio,singingatthetopofherlungs.Remember,it’simpossibletodothistechniquewrong.Ifyoudon’tlikeit,scrapeitofforcoveritover.It’sallabouttheprocess.

INMYOLDHOMEWHICHIFORSOOK,THECHERRIESAREINBLOOM.~Issa

THEOLDHOUSERe-inker,acryliconwoodpanel

STEP1Startwithapre-gessoedpanel,canvasorboard.MixGreenre-inkerwithwhiteacrylicpaintandapplyittothebottomthree-quartersofthepanel.Wipethepaintin.Thenpaintgreenre-inkermixedwithglazemediumonbothsidesoftheupperquarterofthepiece.

STEP2Withawidebrush,painttwowideoblongswatchesofYellowOchreacrylicpaintinthecenteroftheupperpartofthepiece.

STEP3Lightentheupperoblongareawithwhiteacrylicpaintmixedwithgelmedium.

STEP4Withcrimsonacrylicpaintandanarrowbrush,makeathinlineundertheoblongsandovertothegreenareaontheleft.Addalittlecrimsonpainttotherightoftheoblongarea.

STEP5Mixalittleofthecrimsonpaintwithwhitepaint.Paintaboveandaroundtheoblongareasbetweenthegreenareas.

STEP6Withdarkacrylicpaint,addasmallsquareinthecenteroftheloweroblong.

STEP7Addathinwashofgreenundertheoblongandunderthetopoblongontheright.

STEP8Addathinwashofcrimsonpaintoverthelargegreenarea.Blotanyexcess.

STEP9Tapabrowninkpadontheedgesofthepiece.Rubalittleoftheinkontothetopandbottomcornersofthesurfaceofthepieceforanagedeffect.

wabi-sabiwisdom

Animportantpartofcreatingyourpieceisknowingwhentotakeabreak.Youcangetsocaughtupinmakingyourpiecegoodthatyoudotoomuch.Haveacupofteaandputyourpiecewhereyoucangetagoodlookatitfromadistance.SipyourteaandcontemplateyourworkJidt0ascaughtup.Thepiecewilltellyouwhatitneedsorifitiscomplete.Italsohelpstohaveasupportivefriendyell,“Stop!”whenyouareabouttogotoofar.

wabi-sabiwisdom

Here’safunandeffectivewaytogetinspirationforanabstractpiece:You’llneedanoldmagazineandscissors.Cutintothecenterofastackofpagesandcutoutsmallsquaresoroblongs.Gothroughtheseimagesandpickouttheonesthatappealtoyou,whetherit’sthecolorordesignorsomeotheraspect.Chooseyourfavoriteastheimpetusforyourpiece.

Gallery:WINTERRICHESAcryliconwoodpanel

Imadethispieceusingarandomoblongpiecefromamagazineforinspiration.Istartedwiththegeneralshapesandcolorsfromthemagazinefragment.Ithenwentontodevelopmyownintuitiveversionoftheoriginaldesign.

CompositionTipsforAbstractWork

WhenIwasfirstrelearningtomakeart,Ifoundthatworkingwithcolorwasfairlyintuitiveforme—notsowithcomposition.IhadtolearnsomeessentialconceptsbeforeIcouldcomposeintuitively.Hereareafewthathelpedmethemost,particularlywhenworkingwithabstraction:

•Tearyourpapersandimagesratherthancuttingthemalloutneatly.•Usecolor,textureandshapetocreatesubtlerepetitioninyourdesign.•Leavesimpleplacesfortheeyetorest,especiallywhenyouhaveabusierdesign.(Iknow,Isaidthisbefore,butitbearsrepeating.)

•Ifyoucreateanabstractionofanobject,makesureitdoesn’tfloatinspace(unlessthatisyourintention).Asuggestionofasurfaceorspacethatholdsuptheobjectisallyouneed.

Belowyou’llfindsomecommoncompositionstyles.Oftenapiecewillhavemorethanone,

butthisisagoodtooltostartlookingatcompositioninyourworkandinotherartworkyouobserve.Theseimagesshowsomeofthepiecesinthisbookconvertedtoblackandwhiteforeaseofviewingthecompositionallinesandshapes.I’vechosensomecompositionstylesthattendtobepleasingtotheeye.Ioftenliketocombinecompositions;forinstance,Imightaddafewverticallinestoalandscapepiece.

MOVEMENTOFTIMECircle

AUTUMNATLOSTLAKEHorizontal

ZEITGEISTVertical

LASTRESORTPyramid

AFTERMATHDiagonal

6

translucence:creatingwabi-sabiinwax

Gallery:LASTRESORTEncausticonwoodpanel

Iwaxpoeticwhenitcomestotalkingaboutworkingwithamixtureofmeltedbeeswaxanddamarresin,whichiscalledencaustic.Thismediumisunlikeanyother.Encausticlayersbecomeinstantlyfirm,yetthepiecescanbereworkedanytime,evenyearslater.Inthischapter,I’lldemonstratehowtomakeencausticmediumwithasimplemethodyoucanreplicateinyourstudioorartarea.Whenyouaddacoloranttothemedium,youmakeencausticpaint.I’llshowyouseveralwaystomakethisdeliciouspaint:withoilpaints,oilpastelsandpowderedpigment.Thetranslucentqualitiesofthewaxmediumandwaxpaintcreatedepth,mysteryand

complexity.Encausticworksshinewithanaturalglow,especiallywhenyoubuffthem.Anoldnylonstockingmakesagreatbuffingtool.Youcanpurchaseyellowbeeswax,whichisunfilteredandretainsitsnaturalcolor,oryou

cantryfilteredbeeswax,whichisclearer.Trybothkindstoseewhichyouprefer,orforwhichofyourprojectseachkindofwaxisbestsuited.It’sprettyeasytolearnthebasicsofworkingwithencausticmediumandpaint.Afteryou

learntomakethemediumandpaint,youcanspendtherestofyourlifehappilyplayingwithvariationsontheencaustictheme.Studentsoftenaskmeiftheyneedtoworryabouttheirfinishedencausticworkmelting.

Unlessyouleaveapieceinaveryhotcarforafewdays,asIoncedid,orunlessyourhouseisonfire,youdon’tneedtoworry.Youdon’twanttoleaveyourpiecesinfreezingtemperatureseither,ofcourse.Otherwise,encausticworksareverystrong.Weknowthisbecausewehavewonderfulexamplesofthefirstknownencausticworks,doneinancienttimesbyGreco-RomanEgyptians.Theycreatedbeautiful,lifelikeportraitsofpeoplewhohaddied.(Ifyouareinterestedinseeingthese,checkoutFayumportraitsonline.)Fusingeachlayerofencausticmediumtothesupportortothepreviouslayerisanessential

partofbuildingupyourencausticwork.Youneedtofuseeachlayerorstrokeofpaint.YoucanuseanembossinggJidt0@ʽun,aheatgunormyfavorite,apropaneorbutanetorch.Whenworkingwithencausticyouwanttohavesomecrossventilationinyourworkareaand

asmallfireextinguishernearby,justincase.Observethebasicprecautionsandyou’llbefine.Infact,there’sagoodchanceyou’llfallmadlyinlovewiththeencausticprocessandthesmellofbeeswax.

whatyou’llneedforthischapter

BonefolderBristlebrushesCatfoodortunatinsCollagepapersDamarresincrystalsElectricgriddleElectricskilletEmbossinggun,heatgunorpropaneorbutanetorchEncausticironHotSticksintwocolorsOilpaint,oilpastels,powderedpigmentsand/orpremadeencausticpaintPotteryscraperRespiratorormaskWoodpanels

MakingandApplyingEncausticMedium

Gettingstartedinencausticisfairlyeasy.Tomaketheclearmediumyouneedanelectricskillet(thatyou’llnevercookinagain),beeswaxanddamarresincrystals.That’sall.You’llbeamazedathowquicklythemediumcoolsonyourwoodpanel—you’llquicklybereadytofuseandapplythenextlayer.Tip:Makesureyourskillet’stemperaturecontrolisingoodworkingorder.Youwanttokeep

thetemperaturenohigherthan200°For93°C.Ifyourmediumstartstosmoke,turndowntheheat.

EncausticEssentials

Clockwisefromtopleft:damarresincrystals,unfilteredbeeswax,filteredbeeswax.

STEP1Meltdamarresinandbeeswaxinanelectricskilletinaratioofaboutonepartresintosixpartsbeeswax.

STEP2Whentheresinandbeeswaxaremelted,applythismediumtoawoodsupportwithawidebristlebrush.Brushinonedirection,onelayeratatime.

SheiSTEP3Usingapropaneorbutanetorch,oranembossingorheatgun,heatthepaintedareainaback-and-forthmotiontofusethemediumtothesupport.Whenthefusedwaxlayercools,repeattheprocessthreemoretimes,allowingthewaxtocoolforacoupleofminutesafteryouapplyittoyourpanelandfusing.

MakingEncausticPaint

Inadditiontobuyingpremadeencausticpaint,youcanaddcolortoyourencausticmediuminseveralways.Addingoldbrokenpastelsisagoodchoiceifyouhavealotofthemaround.IhaveabunchofoldoilpaintsthatI’musingup.Powderedpigmentscanbeexpensiveasaninitialinvestment,buttheyareveryeconomicalinthelongrun.

Method1

Addoilpainttothemedium(whichiskeptinaliquidstateinatinonanelectricpancakegriddle).Putasmallamountofpaintinasmalltinandaddtheclearmedium.Stiruntilblended.

Method2

Dipyourbrushintheencausticmediumandthenintothepigment.Carefullyaddthepowderedpigmenttothemedium.Weararespiratorormasktoavoidbreathinginthepigmentpowder.Stirthepowderandmediummixture.(Doingthisinanareawithgoodventilationisalsorecommended.)

Method3

Usepremadepaint.Meltitinatin,addingclearmediumifyou’dlikethecolortobemoretranslucent.

Method4

Addsomeofyouroldbrokenpastelstotheclearmediumandstiroccasionallyasthepastelsmelt.

PaintingWabi-SabiEncaustic

Inthisproject,you’llcreateavisualtributetothewonderfultranslucenceofwaxmedium.Feelfreetoexplore,add,scrapebackandotherwiseinteractwiththesmoothandrichlayers.Youmaywanttotrythisprojectseveraltimeswithdifferentcolorcombinationseachtime.I’vechosenasimplepalettefortheprojectsoyoucanseehowinterestingthewaxmediumandpaintareontheirown.

APRIL’SAIRSTIRSINWILLOW-LEAVES…ABUTTERFLYFLOATSANDBALANCES.~Basho

PROPERTIESOFLIGHTEncausticonwoodpanel

<S="1/data-AmznRemoved>

wabi-sabiwisdom

•Regularacrylicgessoisnotsuitableforencausticwork,asitisn’tabsorbentenough.Useanungessoedboard,ortrytheseexcellentproducts:

•R&FPaintsEncausticGessogivesyouabrightwhitebaselayerandmakesasmoothsurfaceforyourwaxlayers.

•AmpersandEncausticbordisapanelthatcomeswithaspecialgessoalreadyappliedtoit.

•Remembertofuseeachtimeyouputpaintdown.IknowIkeepsayingthis,butit’seasytoforgetwhenyouarefiredupwithinspiration!

•Ifyoudecideyoudon’tlikethelookofsomethingyou’veputdown,useyourpotteryscrapertoremoveitandstartagain.Usedgently,thescraperwillalsosmooththesurfaceofyourpiece.

•Itwilltakesomeexperimentingwiththetorchorembossingguntodiscoverthevariouseffectsthatarepossible.Beopentosurprises.

•Youdon’thavetofusethewholepieceifyouhaveonlyworkedinonearea.Justfusethenewarea.

•Youdon’thavetoputdownalayerofclearmediumaftereachpaintedlayer,butyoumightchoosetodothistogettheeffectofdepth.

STEP1Applyandfusethreelayersofencausticmedium.

STEP2Brushonalayeroftransparentyellow-goldencausticpaintandfuse.Whenbrushingonthepaint,makesomeofyourstrokeshorizontalandsomevertical.Varythesizeofthebrushstrokes.Fuse.

STEP3BrushontwolargeoblongshapesofverytransparentUltramarineBlueencausticpaint.Addencausticmediumovertheblueareasandfuse.

STEP4Addanotherlayeroftheyellow-goldencausticpaintandfuse.Addalayerofencausticmediumandfuse.

STEP5Makeseveralhalfcircleswithopaquelightyellowencausticpaintandfuse.

STEP6Brushawidestripoftranslucentyellowpaintnearthebottomofthepiece.Fuse.

STEP7Lightlybrushonclearencausticmediumoverthehalfcircles.Thiswillmakethemrecede,addingasenseofdepthtothepiece.Fuse.

STEP8Useyourpotteryscrapertoscrapeawayanyexcesswaxandtorevealabitofpreviouslayers.

STEP9Paintthehalfcirclesagainwithopaqueyellowencausticpaint.Theprevioushalfcircleswillstillshowandwillappeartobebehindthenewones.Fuse.

wabi-sabiwisdom

Ifindthatseveralsymbolsoftenemergeinmywork.YoumaynoticethatIfavorcupsandcontainers,abstractships,mountainsandwater.Whatimagesrecurinyourwork?Youcanalwaysreturntoyoursymbolswhenyouneedinspiration,asthereareinfinitewaystousethesamesymboldependingonyourmoodandmaterialsavailable.

Gallery:ALWAYSFULLEncausticonwoodpanel

Thispiecefeaturesoneofmyfavoritesymbols,thecup.Ideliberatelyletsomeoftheencausticpaintdripdownthefrontofthepieceandusedincisingforaweatheredeffect.

Gallery:BLOOMEncausticonwoodpanel

Iusedanembossingguntoblowthewaxaroundandcreateshapesthatsuggestflowers.

AddingCollageElementstoWax

Ilovecollagingwithwax.Noglueneeded.Thewaxservesastheglueandthesealer,andyourcollageelementsbecomepartofthelayeringofwax.Youcandoastraightforwardcollageandthenapplyencaustic,orusecollageandencausticpainttogether,layerbylayer.Iespeciallyliketocollagepaperelementsintodifferentlayersofwax,sosomelookclosertothesurfacethanothers.Inthefollowingprojectyou’llusesomehand-decoratedpapersandcollagepapersandanaturalyellowbeeswaxtomakeapiecethatsoars.

INTHETWILIGHTRAINTHESEBRILLIANT-HUEDHIBISCUS…ALOVELYSUNSET.~Basho

TAKEFLIGHTEncausticandpaperonwoodpanel

STEP1BrushontwocoatsofclearencausticmeSenpdium.Fuseaftereachcoat.PutonalayerofNaplesYellowencausticpaint.Fuse.

STEP2Tearapieceofflexiblecollagepaper.Holditatoneendanddiptherestintheencausticmedium.

STEP3Placethepaperontothepiece.Addclearencausticmediumoverthepapertokeepitinplace.

STEP4Teartwostripsofflexiblecollagepaper.Usingthepreviousmethod,attachthesepiecestothesupport.Fuse.

STEP5Burnishthepaperdownwithabonefolderorbrushhandletomakesureit’sflat.Fuse.

STEP6Brushtransparentgrayencausticpaintinthreeplaces.Fuse.

STEP7Scrapeoffabitofthegrayplacedtowardthebottomofthepiece,usingapotteryscraper.

wabi-sabiwisdom

•Youcanmakeencausticmediuminlargebatchessoyoudon’thavetomixthemediumsofrequently.Takeafewhourstomakelotsofmediumandpourtheliquidintomuffintins.Popoutcakesofmediumasneeded.

•Lightweightpapersworkbestinencausticcollages.Ifyoucanfindoldonionskintypingpaper,usethisinyourprintertocreateencaustic-friendlyimages

Gallery:PALIMPSESTEncausticandmixedmediaonwoodpanel

Palimpsestsareareasinapaintingwherelayerspreviouslycoveredshowthrough.Iusedmanydifferentpapersinthisencausticcollagetosuggestawallcoveredwithpeelingpaint,billboardsandnotices.

HotSticksandanIron

I’vefoundthatIcanachievesimpleandeleganteffectswithacoupleofHotSticks(madebyEnkaustikos)andaspecialencausticiron.Youcanfindmanykindsofcraftironsthatwillworkforfusingyourencausticpieces:Quiltingirons,minicraftironsandsealingironsallworkwell.TheencausticironIusedintheTriptychproject,atright,islargerthantheotherironsI’velistedhere.Tryseveralironsandseewhichyoulikebest.I’veneverbeforerevealedhoweasythisprojectis.DotrythisatSothome!Choosetwo

HotSticksincolorsyouloveandironaway.

INTHEDARKGARDENOFTHENIGHT,THEPEONYREMAINSQUIET…~Shirao

TRIPTYCHEncausticonwoodpanel

STEP1Putdowntwoorthreelayersofclearencausticmedium,fusingbetweeneachlayer.Thenputalayerofwhiteencausticpaintoverthepanelandfuse.

STEP2MeltthetipofaHotStickbyrubbingitonyourencausticiron.

STEP3Quicklyruntheironoverthebottomofthepaintinginarandompattern.

STEP4Wipeexcesswaxoffyourencausticiron.

STEP5RepeatthepaintingprocessinSTEP3withadifferentcoloredHotStickandyouriron.

6Dipabristlebrushintoblackencausticpaintandmakearandomdesignnearthecenterofthepiece.Fuse.

Gallery:SPRINGTOLIFEEncausticonwoodpanel

Thisisanothersimplepiecewithabigpunch.ImeltedaHotStickontheencausticironandfusedthewaxwiththeencausticiron.Irepeatedtheprocesswithanoilbar,whichprovidedtheiridescenteffect.

7

buriedtreasure:3-Dwaxartandotherenhancements

Gallery:RULETHEWAVESEncaustic,vintagebookandmixedmedia

Whenyouadd3-Delementstoencausticpieces,youmakethemcomealive.Beforeaddingtheembellishments,youmustusepapersaRota0253xt="1em"windmanypaintlayerstocreateathickandtexturedpiecethatcanholduptothefinal3-Dtouches.Makingthiskindofworkisexciting—akindofarchaeologicalexcavationinreverse.Eachlayerbecomesavitalpartofthepiece.Inthischapter,I’llshowyouhowtocreateprimalandmysteriousworkthatinvitestheviewertoimagineastorywovenintothepiecewitheachlayerandeachelement.I’llshowyouhowtoaddlayersofwaxandspecialtypapersandhowtoinciseintothework

toshowwhathascomebefore.Asyouaddandscrapebackyou’llbecomeintimatewithyourmaterialandexpressyourdeepestself.It’ssaidthatallofourartpiecesareinsomewayself-portraits.With3-Dwaxart,yourcapacityforexpressingyourownvisionandvoiceknowsnobounds!InthischapterI’llsharemyexcitementforhuntingandgatheringbatteredembellishments

andunusualpapers.Inthefirstprojectyou’lllearnhowtoattachanembellishmenttoyourencausticpieceinawaythatenhanceswithoutoverpoweringthepiece.Inthesecondprojectyou’llgetadventurouswithavintagebook,embellishmentsandencausticmedium.Sortthroughyourtreasuresforyourfavoriteembellishments,heatupthewaxandtakeoff!

whatyou’llneedforthischapter

AmbershellacBeeswaxBristlebrushesCarvingtoolCheeseclothCraftknifeDamarresinDarktwineFauxmetalflakesGoldtransferfoilHeatgun,embossinggunortorchLightweightcollagepaperNeocolorIIcrayonsOilpaintOldnewspaperPapertowelsPotteryscraperRubberstampandpadSmallmetalembellishmentsTissuepaperVegetableoilVintagebooksWoodpanels

HuntingandGatheringEmbellishments

Ilovet[efthethrillofthehunt;thatis,chasingdownweatheredandfascinatingobjectstoputinmyart.Ifrequentgaragesaleswhentheweatherisnice.Istayinspiredinthewinterbyvisitingmylocalantiquesmall.And,ofcourse,etsy.comisacontinualsourceofdelightandcoolstuff.Herearesomepicturesofmystashtoinspireyou.

EmbellishmentDrawers

Ifoundthishomemadecabinetatasecondhandstore.Intendedforstoringsmallelectricalparts,therewerestillafewleftinsomeofthedrawers.Thisisaperfectplaceformybitsandbobs.

VintagePaperDisplay

Thismetalbox,anotherthrift-storefind,holdsadisplayofvintagepapers,letters,sheetmusicandbooks,hand-decoratedpaperandspecialtypapers.Justlookingatthiscornucopiagives

meamixed-mediabuzz!

TreasureTrove

I’vestrewnthetopofagarage-salebookcasewithinspiringitemsfrommystash.TheseincludemyFrozenCharlottedollcollections,carvedandpapier-mâchéhands,mygreatgrandmother’spurse,avintagedollheadandatarnishedsilverdishfilledwithfishvertebrae.

VintageRubberStampDisplay

Thisvintagestampsetisanantiquemallfind.Ilovetheold-styleletters,numbersandsymbols.Iusethesestampsfrequentlyinmixed-mediaworktogiveasenseoferasgoneby.

CurioCabinet

I’vefilledothershelvesofmygarage-salebookcasewithmorespecialtreasures.Mybuttonsreposeinmygrandmother’spinkicebucket.Theshelvesalsoholdoldbuttoncards,vintagephotos,alteredbooksandbunchesofcostumejewelry.ThiscabinetputsmeinacreativemoodassoonasIenterthestudio.

TeaBagCollection

Deliciouslystainedusedteabagssitinahandmadebox.Iusetheseteabagsfrequentlyinmixed-mediaartandIalsojustliketolookatthem.

AttachinganEmbellishment

ThemetalpiecesinmyworkareintegralelementsandnotjustthingsIstuckonasanafterthought.Inthisproject,you’llusetwineandacircularpieceofvintagemetaltocreateadreamworldthatevokespeaceandjoy.Thetwineliterallyandmetaphoricallyattachesthemetalinanorganicway.

TEMPLEBELLSDIEOUT.THEFRAGRANTBLOSSOMSREMAIN.APERFECTEVENING!~Basho

TEMPLEEncaustic,collagepapers,twineandembellishmentonwoodpanel

STEP1Afterapplyingandfusingfourlayersofencausticmediumtoawoodpanel,tearastripfromanoldnewspaperandcollageittothebottomofthepanelwithencausticmedium.

STEP2PaintastripofCeladonencausticpaintabovethenewspaper.Fuse.

STEP3Paintthreehorizontalstripeswithbrownishredencausticpaintinthecenterofthepiece.Fuse.

STEP4Usethepotteryscrapertovarytheedgesofthestripesbyremovingalittleofeachstripe.

STEP5Tearthreestripsoflightweightcollagepaper.Collageoneoneithersideoftheredstripsandoneabove.Fuse.

STEP6PaintaroundthecollagedstripsabovetheCeladonareawithblackencausticpaintandfuse.

STEP7DipapieceoftwineintotheencausticmediumandcollageitfromthelowestredstriptojustbelowtheCeladonarea.Fusegently.

STEP8Brushencausticmediumonthebackofaroundpieceofvintagemetal.

STEP9Attachthemetaltothepiece.

STEP10Brushencausticmediumaroundthemetalpieceandfuse.Repeattwoorthreetimesuntilthemetalisfirmlyinplace.

Gallery:FREIGHTEREncausticonwoodpanel

Thispieceispaintedonasurfacethatisactuallyanoldoilpainting.Intheareasinsidethemetalrings,IbuiltupenoughencausticlayerZn=""0""width=stobeabletothendigdeeplyintothewaxandexposetheoriginalpainting.

EmbeddinginaNiche

Youcanembeda3-Diteminlayersandlayersofwaxonyourwoodsupport.Inthisproject,you’llbedoingsomethingmoreoutrageousandfun:embeddingyour3-Dembellishmentinawaxedbook.Youshouldknowthatanaddictiontowaxcancreateadesiretowaxeverythinginsight.AwhilebackIhadanotherwhatifdayanddecidedtowaxsomevintagebookstocreateencausticassemblagesfullofspecialtreasures.That’swhatwe’regoingtodonow,sodipintoyourstashofoldbooksforonethatisripefortransformation.

SWIFTS

Encaustic,paperandfoundobjectsonvintagebook

STEP1Withacraftknife,cutoutasectionofthebookontherightside.Thisshouldbethesize,shapeanddepthoftheobjectyouaregoingtoembed.

STEP2Coatthefrontandsidesofthebookwithencausticmedium.Fuse.

STEP3Addanothercoatofencaustictothefrontandsidesofthebookandfuseagain.

STEP4Brushencausticmediumontheinsideoftheniche.

STEP5Pressyourobjectintotheniche.

STEP6PainttwoormorelayersofCeladonencausticpaintaroundtheobject.Fusebetweenlayers.

STEP7Ontheleftsideofthebook,brushonalayerofBurntSiennaencausticpaint.Fuse.

STEP8PaintovertheSiennapaintlayerwithalayerofdarkbrownencausticpaint.Fuse.

STEP9PaintalayerofCeladonencausticpaintoverthedarkbrownlayer.Extendthepaintintothecenterareabetweenthepages.Fuse.

STEP10Usingapotteryscraper,scrapebacktheupperareaoftheleftpage,creatinga

squareareathroughwhichsomeofthe[soDarkSiennaandalittleofthebooktextshowthrough.

STEP11Useacarvingtooltoincisethreedeeplinestotheleftofthescraped-awaysquare.

STEP12Underthesquare,useencausticmediumtocollageanoblongpieceoftextfromanotherbook.Fusegently.

STEP13Withthecarvingtool,incisetwolinestotheleftofthetextpieceandthreelinesbelow.

STEP14Teartwopiecesofcollagepaperwithasimpleblack-and-whitedesign.Collageonenearthetopoftherightpageandoneatthebottomofthepage.Fuse.

STEP15Brushencausticmediumoverthenichedobject.Pressfauxmetalflakesintotheobjectsotheystick.Fusegently.

STEP16Incisetheoutlineoftheobjectwithyourcarvingtool.Incisetwooverlappinglinesbelowtheobject.

STEP17Takeanoldpinorbuttonwithasharpshankontheback.Pressitintothewaxabovetheembeddedobject.PaintaroundtheedgesofthepinwithCeladonencausticpaint.

STEP18Withyourcarvingtool,incisedeeplyintothecenterbetweenthetwopages.

STEP19Highlightaroundthecollagedareaswithalightbrushingofblackencausticpaint.Fuse.

STEP20Brushblackencausticpaintovertheedgesofthebookpages.Fuse.

Gallery:DEMETERWEPTEncaustic,metal,plantmaterial,ceramicfigure,netting,ink,rustedmeshandraffiaonvintagebook

IwasinspiredbythemythofDemeterandPersephonewhenImadethispiece.Thepiecehasalotoflayersofwaxwithvintagepaperembeddedinseveralofthelayers.Thoughitisdense,theoverallcompositionisfairlysimple.

IncisingaFocalPoint

You’vedonesomeincisinginafewofyourpreviousprojects.Forthisproject,incisingwillbethefocalpointof[ocathepiece.Andyou’lluseoilpainttobringoutthedramaoftheincisedarea.Yourinspirationwillbethelegendofaghostship,endlesslysailing.TheprojectIdidwas

actuallyinspiredbythewreckofashipalongacoastoverthemountainsfromwhereIlive.Theshipranagroundin1906,and,fortunately,everyoneonboardsurvived.Theromanticwreckisstillthere,surroundedbyplayingchildrenandloungingadults.

AMONGTHEGRASSESOFPASSINGAUTUMN,THESTREAMHIDESITSELF.~Shirao

GHOSTSHIPEncaustic,tissuepaper,cheesecloth,shellacandoilpaintonwoodpanel

STEP1Afterapplyingandfusingthreelayersofencausticmedium,paintontwolayersofwhiteencausticpaint.Fuseeachlayer.Thencreateafree-formdesigninthewaxwithasharpcarvingtool.

STEP2Rubblackoilpaintintotheincisedareas.Makesurealloftheincisionsarefilledwithpaint.

STEP3Rubofftheexcessblackoilpaintwithapapertowel.

STEP4Dipapapertowelorshoptowelinvegetableoilandfinishpickinguptheexcesspaint.

STEP5RubinsomeNaplesYellowoilpaintandfuse.

STEP6Paintamber-coloredshellacaroundtheedgesofthepiece.

STEP7Fusetheshellacareaswithabutaneorpropanetorch.(Itwillflamebriefly,somakesuretherearenoflammableitemsnearby.)

STEP8Collagealittleoff-whitetissuepaperorabitofcheeseclotharoundthemiddleofthepiecetosuggestaship.Fuse.

Gallery:FLOWERSEncausticpaintonwoodpanel

IincisedflowerstemsandleavesandrubbedBurntUmberoilpaintintotheincisions.Thispaintingisalsoacover-up—itwasoriginZocatfght=allyanencausticlandscapeIwasn’tthrilledwith.Iaddedtheoff-whiteencausticpaintandincisedseveralareastocreatethisabstractflowerpiece.

Gallery:SIGNSOFAGINGEncausticpaintonwoodpanel

Thispiecewasinspiredbyaphotoinabookonpaintingrestoration.Thebookwasfullofclose-upphotosofproblemareasinpaintingsinneedofrestoration.Ifoundthesephotosbeautifulandfascinating.Theinspirationphotoshoweddeepcracksinanoldmasterpainting.Incisingintowaxyieldedasimilarfascinatingeffect.

OilPaintwithWax

Oilpaintcanbeusedinmanywaystoenhanceyourencausticpieces.Isometimesrubabitofadarkoilpaintintothecornersofmypiecestogiveanagedlook.Youcanbrushorruboilpaintoveryourencausticpieceandthenfusetheoilpaintsoitbecomespartofthewaxlayer.Thiscangiveasubtlerandevenmoretransparenteffectthanusingalayerofencausticmedium.Inthisproject,youwillrubonoilpaintandinciseintothelayerstocreatedrawings.You

can’thelpbuthavefunwiththistechnique.ItitledthispieceCebollaandFriends,ascebollaisSpanishforonion.Ijustlovehowthewordsounds,andIlovetodrawonions.Grabonefromthekitchenifyouneedamodel.

STILLNESS:SINKINGINTOTHEROCKS—BUTSTILLACRICKET’SVOICE.~Basho

CEBOLLAANDFRIENDSEncausticandoilpaintonwoodpanel

STEP1Brushthreelayersofencausticmediumontoawoodpanel,fusingbetweenlayers.RubtransparentAzoGreenoilpaintintothewaxsurface,removingextrapaintwithapaperorshoptowel.Fuselightly.

STEP2RubinalayerofCrimsonBrowninthesamewayandfuse.Thenuseyourtorchorembossingguntomovetheoilpaintaroundthepanelinroughlycircularforms.

STEP3Brushopaquewhiteencausticpaintovertheoilpaint,leavingalargeareainthecenteruncovered.Fusethewhitepaint,allowingsomeofthebackgroundtocomethrough.

STEP4Whilethewaxisstillalittlesoft,incisedesignsandlinesintothewhiteareaofthepiece.Doingsoallowssomeofthepreviouslayerstoemergeinthedesign.

STEP5Usingacarvingtool,inciseanoniondesignintothecenterarea,allowingthestemyouincisetogointothewhiteareaatthetopofthepiece.Carvetheoutlineofanappleandpartofaslicedorangeintothecenterareaoneithersideoftheoniondesign.

STEP6RubCrimsonBrownoilpaintlightlyintosomeoftheincisedlinesoftheonionandthefruit.Fuselightly.

Gallery:SHIPWRECKEncaustic,paper,oilpaintandfabriconcradledwoodpanel

HereIpaintedBurntSiennaoilpaintontothebottomofthepieceandfusedit.Ithenrubbedabitoftheoilpaintintotheupperareaofthepiece.Theoilpaintcombinedwiththewaxcreatesarich,translucentareaofcolor.Iplacedasmallpieceoffabricabovetheoil-paintedareaandteasedoutafewbitsoftheweavetosuggestthewreckageofaship.

GoldTransferFoilwithWax

You’llloveusingtransferfoilwithencaustic!Youcanusejustaboutanytoolyouhavehandytotransferthefoiltoyourpiece.Thefoilcheerfullyembedsitselfinthewaxwithease.Inthisproject,you’regoingtousetransferfoilsparinglybuttogreateffect.

THREEEncausticpaint,NeocolorIIcrayons,goldtransferfoilandoilpaintonwoodpanel

STEP1Applyandfusetwoorthreeclearlayers,andthenpaintonandfuseanoff-whitelayerofencausticpaint.

STEP2PaintonthreeYellowOchreareaswithencausticpaint:onehalfcircleontheleftedgeoftheboard,anoblongareainthemiddleandanotherhalfcirclealongtherightedge.Fuse.

STEP3ColorovertheOchreareaswithredandgoldNeocolorIIcrayons.OutlinetheOchreareaswiththeredcrayon.

STEP4AddaccentswithaturquoiseNeocolorIIcrayon.Smudge.

STEP5RubthegoldtransferfoilintotheYellowOchreareas.

STEP6Pullthebackingpaperoffthe[papfoiltoreveal.

STEP7Pressdownanyloosefoilwiththewoodenendofacarvingtoolorasimilartool.

STEP8PaintaroundtheOchreareawithblackoilpaint.Fusetheentiresurfacewithanembossinggun.(Theoilpaintwillstilltakeawhiletodry.)

STEP9Incisedesignsintotheblackareawithacarvingtool.

STEP10StampintothecenterOchresectionwitharubberstampandink.

SPREADINGASTRAWMATINTHEFIELDISATANDGAZEDATPLUMBLOSSOMS.~Buson

Gallery:THAMESATNIGHTEncausticandcollageonwoodpanel

Thispiecehasjustatouchofcollageandatouchofgoldtransferfoil.Iaddedthreeareasofincisingandfilledthemwithwhiteoilpaint.

continuingwithwabi-sabiTheprojectsandinspirationalphotosinthisbookhaveaddedmuchawarenessandjoytomylife.I’mhonoredtosharethesewithyouandIenvisionyouaddingyourowninspirationalphotosanddevelopingyourownstyleasyoucontinueinthewabi-sabiway.Icontinuetotakemywabi-sabiwalksfrequently.EvenwhenIthinkImusthaveexhausted

thepossibilitiesforinspirationaroundmyneighborhood,Ialwaysfindmore.Ihopeyou,too,willcontinuetoenjoythisrelaxingandcreativewayofparticipatingmorefullyintheworldaroundyou.Youmaydecidetokeepawabi-sabijournalofpoetry,colors,texturesandyourownwriting.

Thisjournalcanbeyourcompanioninyourdailylife,offeringinspirationthatkeepsyourcreativityfresh.Thankyoufortakingthisjourneywithme!

~Serena

Dedication

ToDot,withmoreloveandgratitudethanIcanexpress.Tomychildren,KarunaandIan,andmygrandson,Dexter,forbeingyourselves,tomystepfather,Rob,forhiscontinuedsupport,tomybrother,Spencer,foralifetimeoflaughingtogether,andtoRuby,JackieandSusieforbeingthebestofout-laws.Tothememoryofmyparents,whowouldhavebeensoproud.

Acknowledgments

Thankstomydearfriendsandstudentswhohaveencouragedandcheeredmeeverystepoftheway.Youareallintheparade,andI’velearnedsomuchfromyou.ThankstotheamazingteamatNorthLight,includingToniaJenny,whofirstsupportedthis

book. Thanks to Kristy Conlin, my wonderful editor, and Christine Polomsky, photographerextraordinaire,bothofwhommadethephotoshootadelight.ThankstobookdesignerJulieBarnett, production coordinatorGregNockandall theotherswhomade this booka reality.Thanksforadreamcometrue.

Resources

I’mluckytoliveinatownthathasseveralindependentartstores.Iknowthisisn’talwaysthecaseforartists,soIwanttosharewithyousomeoftheexcellentonlineresourcesthatIalsoenjoyusing.

PAINTINGSUPPLIESANDPANELS

www.dickblick.comwww.jerrysartarama.comwww.cheapjoesartsupplies.comwww.utrechtart.comwww.danielsmith.com

ENCAUSTICSUPPLIES

www.encausticpaints.comwww.evansencaustics.comwww.rfpaints.comwww.swanscandles.com

AMATEANDOTHERSPECIALTYPAPERS

www.dickblick.comwww.amazon.com

RE-INKERSANDALCOHOLINKS

www.blockheadstamps.com

ORGANIZATIONSANDSITES

www.international-encaustic-artists.orgwww.creativeclearinghouse.comcreativeworkshops.ning.comwww.flickr.com(Thissitehasseveralwabi-sabigroups.)

ARTRETREATS

www.artandsoulretreat.comwww.art-is-you.comwww.artunraveled.comwww.createmixedmediaretreat.com

BOOKSONWABI-SABI

Wabi-sabibyMarkReibsteinandEdYoung(Little,BrownBnpap>BOOKSooksforYoungReaders)Wabi-Sabi:forArtists,Designers,Poets&PhilosophersbyLeonardKoren(ImperfectPublishing)Wabi-sabi:TheArtofEverydayLifebyDianeDurston(StoreyPublishing)Wabi-sabi:TheJapaneseArtofImpermanencebyAndrewJuniper(TuttlePublishing)

ALSOBYSERENABARTON

AJoyfulFrenzy(availablefromblurb.com)

Abouttheauthor

VisualartwasSerena’sfirstloveasachild.Shemovedontoactinginlocalplaysandlaterbecamealicensedprofessionalcounselor.SerenarediscoveredherdesiretomakeartfollowingherfirsttriptoItaly.Shetaughtherselftopaintandcreatemixed-mediaworkinmidlife,provingit’snevertoolatetocreate!Serenaholdscreativityandartworkshops,andgroupsandindividualartcoachingather

studioandatnationalartretreats.Sheexhibitsandsellsherworkthroughgalleriesandshops,aswellasonline.SerenahaspublishedAJoyfulFrenzy,abookofherartworkwithtextonthestoriesandprocessesbehindthework.Serena’smagazinearticleshaveappearedinissuesofClothPaperScissorsmagazineandStudiosmagazinesandinClothPaperScissorse-Books.Serena’sgreatjoyistoprovideanatmosphereinwhichyoucandiscoverorrekindleyour

owncreativeabilities.ShelivesinPortland,Oregonwithherpartnerandnearherchildrenandgrandchild.Sheloveshangingoutwithfamilyandfriends,andisanavidreader.VisitSerena’swebsite,www.serenabarton.com,andherblog,

serenabartonsblog.blogspot.com.

copyrightinformation

Wabi-SabiArtWorkshopCopyright©2013bySerenaBarton.Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedinanyformorbyanyelectronicormechanicalmeansincludinginformationstorageandretrievalsystemswithoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher,exceptbyareviewerwhomayquotebriefpassagesinareview.PublishedbyNorthLightBooks,animprintofF+WMedia,Inc.,10151CarverRoad,BlueAsh,Ohio,45242.(800)289-0963.FirstEdition.

ISBN-13:978-1-4403-2108-5

Thise-bookedition:April2013(v.1.0)

EditedbyKristyConlinDesignedbyJulieBarnettProductioncoordinatedbyGregNockPhotographybyChristinePolomsky

OtherfineNorthLightproductsareavailablefromyourlocalbookstore,artsupplystoreoronline.

Alsovisitourwebsiteatwww.fwmedia.com.

Look.Make.Meet.VisitCreateMixv>edMedia.comfordailyinspiration.

LookingforMoreWabi-SabiInspiration?WehavetonsofFREEWabi-SabiArtWorkshopcompanioncontenttoinspireyou!Justgotowww.createmixedmedia.com/wabi-sabiforaccesstopaintingandencaustictechniquetutorialsandembellishedpaperdemos.