Week 33 – Series of large rectangular practice pieces before final submission!

As my deadline approaches, I realised I had not created any larger abstract alcohol ink pieces to fit with what I intended my final paintings to resemble. I needed to test this out to see how the 3 pieces would work as a series and if the size and materials used achieved what I wanted them too.

Using the wood workshop, I made x3 67cm x 24cm rectangular MDF boards and continued to prime them 3 times and then apply the acrylic grey/white base on top. I preferred painting this way on a larger scale as I could really mix the colours creating gradients and mark marking more visible than on the smaller experimental pieces I had previously been using. I didn’t want to make 3 oval pieces yet as this is what I want to create for my final pieces so thought to try out a slim narrow rectangle just to see what a final look using these would come out like.

I used the same techniques whereby I used the alcohol inks overtop of the acrylic base, however, due to the back garden area of my University house being very uneven, I wanted the wind to be able to control the ink rather than gravity pushing it all into one corner (as in my previous 3 oval experiments in week 29-30). I didn’t like that outcome so tried my best using a spirit level to make sure where I placed my boards was as even as possible, this way the key element could take control creating the more even patterns on the MDF. Due to having painted 4 layers on each board, the MDF was more impermeable therefore allowed the ink to sit on the surface for much longer creating much more interesting patterns. I have attached the 3 outcomes below:

By using mostly dark, earther tones such as the rust, greens and brown allowed for the ink to be on display but also merge into the background, I also used a few drops of white ‘middle’ ink which created some of the highlighted areas such as in images 5 and 6 below. I decided not to create any rust on these pieces just to see how they would look without. Although I loved the outcome, I feel the rust added a key element that I definitely want to keep using into my final pieces. I have included some close-up images so the detail can be seen more clearly:

Out of curiosity, I also put all 3 pieces I had created next to one another as they would be shown in a gallery. I feel like these paintings work a lot better as a series, so will definitely be creating something similar to this for my final project.

Creating these 3 works allowed me to visualize and decide which elements I would want to keep and to change for when I create my portfolio. I will still be making the ovals I experimented previously with as I feel they enhanced the alcohol ink and concept, however, I do love the rectangular pieces as well. Overall, forming all these experiments have proven so valuable in coming to conclusions and editing the ideas I have had in regards to materials and concepts. I am excited to begin creating my final project very soon having learnt so much this year about me and my style!