Gel Printing

I started experimenting with my gel plate & this is the best thing I produced, "colorful fingers".

One thing I discovered with this brief first attempt at gel printing is that the plate cleans up very easily.

Colorful Fingers

I've Discovered Gel Printing

I consider myself a printmaker; I've been working, almost exclusively, in printmaking (Clayprinting) for the last six years.

I found gel printing online recently, and confess to viewing hours of youtube videos on the subject. I was ready to invest in some gel plates (Dick Block has a good assortment at the best price) when I discovered recipes for DYI gel plates.

The following recipe looked promising: few ingredients that I already had & simple procedure.

1 1/2 c glycerine
1 1/2 c water 
7 pkgs. unflavored gelatin

So here we go!

equipment

I used a small cookie sheet & a flower cake pan that I borrowed from the library. The pot was to boil the water.

Ingredients

I had the glycerine; I use it to seal my clayprints. I bought the cheap house brand of gelatin.

gelatin sprinkled on the glycerine

First goes in the glycerine, then sprinkle the gelatin on top. The two came together very quickly and smoothly.

after the addition of the hot water

Next slowly add the hot water and keep stirring. I doubled the recipe, and as you can see it barely fit in the bowl. I stirred it with the wisk trying not to introduce too many bubbles. BTW I was stirring while I watched Doctor Who: the Destiny of the Dalecks (the Tom Baker movies). After a couple of minutes it wasn't as clear as I thought it should be so I put the bowl in the microwave for 45 sec. & then again. I was finally happy with its clarity.

poured into the cookie sheet & cake pan

I poured it into the pans. I had enough for both pans. I used a toothpick to puncture a few air bubbles then let it set on the counter overnight.

All done!

Wow. Here is the finished product. I carefully turned it out onto a piece of acrylic that fit just fine. I was a little apprehensive about the recipe & process because I don't like to waste things (particularly my precious glycerine), but the whole thing came together without a hitch.

Now I need to try to make some prints on it. Maybe soon! Keep watching.

Quote of the Week

"It's easy to paint when you don't know how, and difficult when you do."     Edgar Degas

Southwest Cubism

On Wednesday I went to the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa to see the Rockwell Exhibit (that's Norman Rockwell for anyone under 50 who doesn't know who he is). I was disappointed. I want to see art, original art, not displays about art. This exhibit was about the journey from photograph to sketch to finished work, and as I recall only 2 finished works in the whole exhibit.

Now in the Helmerich Hall was the exhibit entitled Landscapes of the American Southwest, art from the Gil Waldman & Christy Vezolles collection.                                    This is the work that really caught my eye because of it's Cubistic style.

Quote of the Week

I was looking up something in an old journal and I found this quote.

"Abstraction allows man to see with his mind what he cannot see physically with his eyes...Abstract art enables the artist to perceive beyond the tangible, to extract the infinite out of the finite. It is the emancipation of the mind. It is the exploration into unknown areas." 
                        Arshile Gorky
                        1904-1948
                        Abstract Expressionist