Layered Intersections

Notes taken directly from my reflection journal, uncut and unedited:

In an effort to increase the amount of depth I decided to paint each layer, I would normally have painted on top of each other on canvas or wood, on separate panes of glass. Oil paint would take too long to dry on glass (if it ever would completely and would it actually work?) so I used acrylic paints. There is little friction between the brush and the surface – it took a bit to get used to the slipperiness of the paint. The bristles of the brush completely show up, yet that also gives the illusion of movement which can be beautiful / elegant and satisfying as long as the strokes are continuous/flowing/smooth. Every little imperfection is evident. Each stroke will have to be done in one motion. I can see the visual benefits to multiple panes with a layer on each. This piece has 5 panes, yet could have been 7 or 8. Some layers cover too much of the previous ones. That could also be solved by reducing the pigments/making the paint more translucent, yet with less pigment more unsightly or random brush strokes and uneven paint distribution becomes a problem. This could be solved with an air brush in place of a brush, but I hate the constant clogging and cleaning an air brush requires. I also used some fluorescent acrylic paints – not sure I like them. They don’t mix well with the standard paint colors and if they aren’t mixed with them they scream fluorescent which feels cheap or like it lowers the value / it would read as amateur art.

5 panes of glass are heavy. I’d like to work larger, but am concerned about the weight both in working with them and for hanging – also for how to affix them together will be a challenge. This piece was small enough that cutting an 8th inch groove in the frame the width of all 5 panes works, but for a 3’ x 4’ piece??!

A dilemma also is whether to leave a gap between each pane or to stack them on top of each other as was done in this small piece.

Lighting will be an additional unknown for me. I have little experience here. This piece is lit with battery operated, craft/Christmas strung lighting. LED strips might work. I need something that will not show each light bulb so that there is no brighter spots. The lighting needs to be even. The middle of the painting needs to have just as much light as the edges where I imagine the strip to be affixed.