Day 238: Into the white
You may remember Little Big Blue, these pieces from the other day. I described how I’d pressed yarn into a thick layer of gesso. I did the pressing with drafting film, a matte, frosted, plasticky sheet, thinking originally that I might layer them back over on the painting like I did with day 222 & 223.
Gesso on drafting film, 16" x 24" on wood frame
But then when I started to think of illuminating the sculptures, it suddenly occurred to me that this transparent thing would look a lot cooler lit up than layered over the canvas. So today I built a frame and affixed the film to it, threw a bulb behind it, et voila!
The bulb I photographed this with is brighter than the one I intended to use for it (which was broken, a fact I discovered around 8:30 pm), so it’s hard to see the detail in some of these images.
And I have to admit, I’m kind of in love with this illumination thing. Then again, it’s not the first time I’ve had a crush on artmaking materials. So we’ll see where it goes. Here are a couple of detail shots:
Marianne Bland's Art Blog 
I really like this. The textures created in the gesso are so interesting and the illumination is such a great way to showcase them.
And after seeing your sculpture, I wish I has a real studio to work with plaster. No way I’ll do it in my apartment so it’ll just have to wait…
Hugs,
Sophie
LikeLike
Thanks Sophie! You know, I used plaster wrap (rigid wrap), which is plaster-impregnated fabric. You just dip it in hot water and form it on to a mold covered with petroleum jelly or saran wrap. It does get dusty and is probably better to use in a garage or outside than in the house, but then again, they use it on children’s faces to make masks. So I would say if you’re really itching to use it, you can do so with a minimal mess. 🙂 Just put down some newspaper. Oh and don’t pour the water down your drains because the plaster dust can get stuck in there… okay so maybe it’s not the easiest thing to do in an apartment. I’m just encouraging you because I’d love to see what you can do with it! 🙂 Have a good weekend!
LikeLike