Created Through Chemical Reaction
PLANNING
The chemical reactions used for this piece include alcohol reacting with water-based acrylic and salt. When water comes in contact with alcohol they instantly repel one another. Thus, when acrylic is mixed with water and then splattered with alcohol, the reaction becomes visible. I start off with a base layer of acrylic. When that has dried I mix about 80% water with acrylic to heighten the reaction with alcohol. Next, I take a brush and dip it in a 70% solution of rubbing alcohol and splatter or squeeze droplets onto the canvas. After I have added the amount of splatter according to my preference I let the canvas dry. I repeat this sequence until the painting has reached my preferred look.
In this piece, the plan is to show the beauty in disorganization. Originally, the idea was to have this be an abstract piece but as I was working through it more ideas came to me and I wanted to have a subject in the piece; a focal point. I toyed with the idea of having a portrait or flower within the piece and finally settled on a combination of both. However, the first idea was to paint my shoe to contribute to my concentration idea. Later, I scrapped it due to the unpredictable mediums I was using.
The mediums I am using are acrylic wash, rubbing alcohol, and salt. The color scheme consists of blues and yellows. Contemporary colors. I added white to accentuate the details of the other colors.
This piece was extremely unplanned and I think that it took away from the final piece. This project had SO MUCH POTENTIAL but I butchered it. I would totally redo this piece in a heartbeat because this chemical reaction required more practice to control its outcome. If I could change one thing about this piece I wouldn't have done the face with the flowers. It completely throws off the abstract look and it makes the piece seem unfinished and messy. The color scheme could also be more defined. To be honest, the trial piece looks better than this and that's frankly disappointing. This piece reminds me of graffiti on an abandoned warehouse building and that could be a good thing or a bad thing.
During the creation of this work, there were several moments of doubt because I would add another layer and wonder if that was enough or if it needed more. I would have to ponder over it for so long in order to come to a final decision; which should have been a red flag that this piece was heading for disaster. Unfortunately, I am a fool and hoped for the best when I tried something new to experiment with the design. It was definitely an experience to learn from.
Regardless of all its flaws, this piece was enjoyable to create and I would love to work with this chemical reaction again in another piece. Perhaps with a stronger alcohol as well, because this rubbing alcohol was only 70% concentrated. I would also like to have a more solidified idea of what I wanted to create rather than an "abstract" piece where I see what happens when I throw paints together.
The chemical reactions used for this piece include alcohol reacting with water-based acrylic and salt. When water comes in contact with alcohol they instantly repel one another. Thus, when acrylic is mixed with water and then splattered with alcohol, the reaction becomes visible. I start off with a base layer of acrylic. When that has dried I mix about 80% water with acrylic to heighten the reaction with alcohol. Next, I take a brush and dip it in a 70% solution of rubbing alcohol and splatter or squeeze droplets onto the canvas. After I have added the amount of splatter according to my preference I let the canvas dry. I repeat this sequence until the painting has reached my preferred look.
SHOE IDEA
In this piece, the plan is to show the beauty in disorganization. Originally, the idea was to have this be an abstract piece but as I was working through it more ideas came to me and I wanted to have a subject in the piece; a focal point. I toyed with the idea of having a portrait or flower within the piece and finally settled on a combination of both. However, the first idea was to paint my shoe to contribute to my concentration idea. Later, I scrapped it due to the unpredictable mediums I was using.
The mediums I am using are acrylic wash, rubbing alcohol, and salt. The color scheme consists of blues and yellows. Contemporary colors. I added white to accentuate the details of the other colors.
TRIAL PIECE
IN-PROGRESS
ARTIST REFLECTION
This piece was extremely unplanned and I think that it took away from the final piece. This project had SO MUCH POTENTIAL but I butchered it. I would totally redo this piece in a heartbeat because this chemical reaction required more practice to control its outcome. If I could change one thing about this piece I wouldn't have done the face with the flowers. It completely throws off the abstract look and it makes the piece seem unfinished and messy. The color scheme could also be more defined. To be honest, the trial piece looks better than this and that's frankly disappointing. This piece reminds me of graffiti on an abandoned warehouse building and that could be a good thing or a bad thing.
During the creation of this work, there were several moments of doubt because I would add another layer and wonder if that was enough or if it needed more. I would have to ponder over it for so long in order to come to a final decision; which should have been a red flag that this piece was heading for disaster. Unfortunately, I am a fool and hoped for the best when I tried something new to experiment with the design. It was definitely an experience to learn from.
Regardless of all its flaws, this piece was enjoyable to create and I would love to work with this chemical reaction again in another piece. Perhaps with a stronger alcohol as well, because this rubbing alcohol was only 70% concentrated. I would also like to have a more solidified idea of what I wanted to create rather than an "abstract" piece where I see what happens when I throw paints together.
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