Friday 4 November 2016

Tendrils Of Excess Thought

Hello Everyone, Hello November!
Gayle has just created a new totally stunning piece of assemblage / collage...
Her metaphors will make you pause and her creative use of products and embellishments will surely make you want to try new things yourselves! Enjoy!
Hello lovely Finnabair friends.
I can hardly believe we’re in the second last month of the year and I am so happy to be back as part of Finnabair’s new Creative Team!

The idea for this assemblage piece came from a phrase that I read or heard somewhere and thought, now that could apply to me: “tendrils of excess thought”.

I am guilty of over-thinking everything. The piece is full of metaphors, mostly about getting older and trying to stay connected or “plugged in” to this fast moving world and life; along with the old saying of “you only get out of life what you put in”. Also, the face only has one eye - that’s because we can’t see around corners; we don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow, so we need to explore as much of life as we can, while we can.

I really enjoy working with wire and have used it in many projects. I like how you can add “linear movement” to a project in a 3 dimensional way with it. Here I’ve used heavy plastic tubing and leather cord instead of wire - one very plyable and easy to work with, the other very stiff with a mind of its own.
The tubing had to be beaten into submission with nylon thread and Art Basics Heavy Body Gel - an amazing art medium! Thank you Anna.

I’ve worked on a piece of heavy chipboard and then attached it to a wooden panel.The reason why I didn’t work directly onto the panel was because I knew the stiff plastic tubing I wanted to use was going to be difficult to keep in place. I had to “sew” the tubing in place, through the chipboard, putting a good dab of Heavy Body Gel under it first. Once the gel dried the tubing was stuck fast.

And here's the whole process step by step:
No.1 Gesso the chipboard using a Silicone Brush.

No.2 Apply Modeling Paste and press beautiful Finnabair Dream On Stamp into it to create some background texture.
No.3 Use same Dream On Stamp and black ink to add pattern detail to the background as well as the sides of the wooden board.

No.4 Add more pattern detail with paper napkin images adhered with Soft Matte Gel.
No.5 Add a little colour with acrylic paints.

No.6 All the metal embellishments were given a coat of Black Gesso first (pieces on the left) and then a coat of Art Alchemy Opal Magic Rose Gold Acrylic Paint (pieces on the right).
No.7 All the metal and stiff plastic tubing was then attached with Heavy Body Gel.

No.8 Some little bent wire “receptors” made with Mechanicals, Glass Beads and Heavy Body Gel.
No.9 Leather cord, twisted and glued into Mechanicals with Heavy Body Gel.

No.10 Glass Beads and Micro Beads tipped into the plastic tubing. For me, the beads represent the millions of tiny electric “sparks“ that go on within our brain. They also represent the millions of ideas and thoughts that we have going on in our head, as well as all the little gems of inspiration that flow to us from this amazing world that we live in.
No.11 Finally all the metal pieces were given a dry brushed finish of Teal Mica Powder mixed with Soft Matte Gel.

No.12 Soft Matte Gel and Copper Micro Beads bubbling out of the Mechanicals.

This chipboard piece was then adhered to the wooden board using Heavy Body Gel.
The sides of the board were covered with papers from Finnabair’s Sunrise Sunset range, the Dream On Stamp used again and a Word Sticker from 7Dots.
Detail of the texture created by pressing the Dream On Stamp into Modeling Paste, coloured and then the raised areas highlighted with White Gesso.
Glass Beads and Micro Beads flowing through the plastic tubing. You can see where the nylon thread has been used to initially hold down the very stiff tubing until the Heavy Body Gel dried.
I love the subtlety and softness of Mica Powder dry brushed over metal.
This small piece of mixed media is my daily reminder to not be complacent, to not limit myself to what I know and am comfortable with, but to look further afield, to “plug in “ to unfamiliar ideas and philosophies, to be open minded, flexible and adventurous and to fully explore life.

Gayle xx

Products used:


12 comments:

Olga Kolov said...

This is so COOL!!! Great job, Gayle!

Deborah Adams said...

Gayle this is a truly fabulous piece of art. Thankyou so much for your detailed step by step as well. Really inspiring. Deb

Unknown said...

Absolutely gorgeous, I love it and the sentiment it represents!!

Unknown said...

This is gorgeous, I absolutely love it!!

Patty O'Malley said...

Fantastic!

sandra de said...

Stunning piece of art... fabulous job Gayle.

P1nkNinja said...

Wow Gayle this is so Gorgeous.... I'm going to have to do one for me of me... LOL!!
Thanks heaps for sharing

Neet said...

I think this piece is one of the loveliest I have seen in a while. I love the thought process behind it, the story you have woven into it and just about everything there is on this canvas/board.
Thank you so much for sharing your step by step process. Utterly fantastic
hugs, Neet xx

Unknown said...

Loved it

Corrie Herriman said...

Very cool !
Corrie

Kathy Bradley said...

Wow, Gayle, your new assemblage is truly beautiful and amazing!

Anonymous said...

Such an amazing piece of art.
Wishes
Lynne

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