Collage 2

Mixed media by Mike Brennan, at LeMoyne Center for the Visual Arts, Tallahassee

Big lesson 1: Water causes wrinkles & warping.

Big lesson 2: Have several pieces going at once.

Part 1

I don't know the difference between mixed media & collage. April discussed it in our first class -- but I forget. Seems to me the line is thin: what you make is whatever you call it. Mike Brennan calls his horses mixed media, & I'm lucky I heard him talk at the LeMoyne last Saturday. His work is big. Here's how he described the process:

First he makes a supporting frame, a kind of shallow box from glue & boards, for a piece of Masonite. He dries this overnight. Then he brushes a layer of Elmer's glue & a little water on the Masonite. He takes a piece of paper -- maybe a page of an Asian newspaper; he doesn't ponder much -- & dips it into a bucket of water. He lets most of the water drip off. Then he lays the paper grid-like on the glued surface & leaves it overnight. By morning it's dry & smooth. Then he sands & paints over it with several layers of acrylics. He might project a horse image onto it, or draw one freehand. It could be something else (a fish maybe), but people appreciate horses. Brennan seems to do his art after work & on weekends. I missed the introduction, so all I know is that he has also worked hard developing his art, like his discovery that using water & paper in this way eliminates wrinkles, & his building of Masonite boxes so the water won't warp the board.

Part 2

In Sunday's class April showed us a way to use ordinary paper napkins as a collage element: You spread the napkin over something that has a pleasing texture. April used a big scallop shell. Rub it with charcoal. Move the things around. Rub again & again -- maybe using several colors -- until your napkin looks great. Then dampen the napkin & slowly pull the layers of paper apart. There will be at least two layers, or plies. Take the pretty one & glue it onto your collage. We also learned that white paper turns transparent when applied with glue. And here's April's bonus tip: set up stations in your studio so you can work on several pieces at the same time. I have projects on three separate corners of the table. Now to make them!

No class 31 July, but two sessions next weekend.