A lot of thought goes into each hand crafted art piece. I wanted to make richly colored, vibrant wall art that took advantage of the brilliant, deep colors of tinted resin. I have to admit, coming from a traditional art background I don't always "get" abstract art. I feel more comfortable creating recognizable art. The balancing act with resin is that it's kind of like herding cats... or painting with syrup. You can have an idea of shape and form, but you also have to go with the flow!
Each piece is poured on a 24" x 24" MDF canvas made in the studio. The MDF canvas is sanded and has two coats of white paint as a base. Tinted hot resin is poured onto the canvas and moved with popscicle sticks, gloved fingers, chopped with paint brushes, etc. The resin is flamed with a propane torch to raise and pop any air bubbles several times throughout the open process as the resin begins to harden. Details can be added by drawing oil based spray paints on stirring sticks through the open resin. Alcohol metallics can also be sprayed on the uncured resin to create circles of pigment that displace underlaying colors. Once the piece has fully cured, a second protect coat of clear resin is floated over the surface and sides. The surface of the pieces may have texture indicative of any hand made art.
Because Pen Studio is all about unique craftsmanship, I'm always looking for new ways to incorporate new materials and techinques to create one-of-a-kind pieces. Tinted resin art is different than art work that has be coated with a clear protective resin surface. Again, think, herding cats! Although this technique is much more trying for the artist, I think the depth and richness of color and interaction of pigments is worth the stress. Both pieces are currently available through Pen Studio for $450.00 each plus shipping.