Deconstructing a Commission: Part Two

RESOLVING THE BACKGROUND ISSUE
It’s often difficult for me to give up on a design idea which has become firmly rooted in my mind’s eye. That’s why it took me so long to fully acknowledge that the notion of having the leaves floating up from the bottom of the piece into white space just wasn’t going to work. Once I finally did acknowledge it, I was free to explore other possibilities. Here are two of several solutions I tried.

Grey experiment: too dull and flat.

Seeing that neither grey nor black worked, I was free to explore other options, and finally considered a gradation of warm gold to yellow. Recalling the inspiration piece, I wondered if its background was part of what attracted my collector? Figuring that was a good bet, I took the plunge, and painted the background rich gold on the bottom up to a light yellow at the top. Once I placed the leaves on the painted surface, the piece ‘came together’ in a way it never had before! Hooray.

THE ADHESIVE ISSUE AND ITS SOLUTION
All issues resolved (or so I thought), I was finally ready to glue the Yupo paper leaves to the painted and textured surface. I had done some testing on a small MDF board which I’d treated with gesso, tissue paper and paint just like the large piece. Using matte medium, I attempted to glue the leaves to the surface. No matter how much medium I used, I could not achieve a fully glued Yupo paper leaf (and the irregularly ridged substrate texture certainly didn’t help). So, to the Internet I went, and discovered that Legion, the manufacturer of Yupo does not recommend using water-based adhesives because the paper is non absorbent (the very feature which made it the perfect vehicle for alcohol inks was causing the problem). Doing a bit more digging, I discovered Talas, an online source for bookbinding supplies. Their product, “Gudy Mounting Adhesive” turned out to be just what I needed. Here’s its description: “The strongest double-stick adhesive on a thin paper carrier especially suitable for use on rougher surfaces and heavier weight materials. It is often used to mount prints, photographs, and silk on mats without the need for a dry mounting press.” Once my 33’ roll arrived, it was time for more experimenting since I’d never used a product like this before. It was also time to consult my art partner in crime(!) and business, Penny Weaver, knower of all things in the realm of bookmaking. She talked me through the process of placing the leaves on the sticky side, using tracing paper to protect the painted leaf surface while burnishing (twice: once to get the leaf onto the sticky surface, then again to adhere the leaf onto the substrate), and using titanium scissors to ensure smooth cuts through the adhesive. Thanks to Penny, and some additional experimenting (see below), I was ready!

Two leaves correctly adhered, and one “oops”, where I forgot to remove the tracing paper before the final burnishing. I was happy to have made that mistake on the test board!

THE COMPLETED PIECE: “LEAF DANCE: UNDULATION”

The final placement of the leaves went well; as always, I make decisions as I go along. The adhesive did not allow for much leeway in repositioning, but I learned that if I just gently placed it on the surface, I could move it a bit if necessary before final burnishing, which allowed good adhesion to the textured surface.

Here’s what the almost finished piece looked like on the drawing table, and finally, on our wall:

Leaf Dance: Undulation

THE SHIPPING DRAMA
Stan did his usual job of excellent packing, and we shipped it via FedEx. It was scheduled to arrive in California 4 days later. What we didn’t count on were the massive storms which disrupted everything in the Midwest and Texas. Shipping came to a grinding halt, and the only tracking information available for many days was that the box was spending a long, frigid time in Chicago. But, things eventually got moving again, and it was finally delivered safe and sound, two weeks after its original delivery date. We all breathed a sigh of relief.

LEAF DANCE: UNDULATION IN ITS NEW HOME
My newest collector is thrilled with how it came out, and he sent the photo below. I’m happy that he’s happy, and I count this among the most challenging projects I’ve done. Commissions are always an adventure! On this one, I learned a great deal which I can apply to future work, and I’m eager to put that knowledge to use.

Thanks for coming along with me on the journey of deconstructing this commission.

Until next time,

Michelle

Dry brush black tone experiment: made it just look dirty.