Glazed surfaces always catch my eye. Seeing a photo, stamp or drawing under a translucent layer of color adds a rich, dimensional aspect to any project. If things are whitewashed or have a sepia glaze they look more “vintage.” That’s why I was compelled to pick up the Tin Bucket Perfect Glazes™ set from USArtQuest. With colors like Ochre, Verde Gris, Rust, Sepia, Black, Metallic Gold, Whitewash and Clear, how could I go wrong?
I saw a call for entries for a contest called “Columbus Compositions” at Utrecht and decided this would be the perfect opportunity to use these glazes. Why not layer images that remind me of Columbus, Ohio to create a piece that says “Columbus Is My Hometown!” while celebrating its bicentennial.
I started by taking the 5×7 Artist’s Canvas they supplied and covering it with Metallic Silver Perfect Pigment® Pure Liquid Acrylic. Once it dried, I applied Black Perfect Glaze. To me, the result looks old – almost like a soot covered piece of metal.
I wanted the next layer to be a map and have it break the borders of the frame. So I cut out a piece of corrugated cardboard in the familiar shape of Ohio and collaged it with a map I printed on tissue paper using Perfect Paper Adhesive (PPA) Matte. Once it was dry, I glazed it with the Rust Perfect Glaze.
Most of the embellishments I selected were photos of Columbus past and present. I fussy cut them out using my Zing electronic cutting machine and then covered them with Clear Perfect Glaze. The glaze made them feel more durable – even flexible. I think they will hold up much better than cardstock alone. I bet PPA (Matte or Gloss) would have worked equally well.
Downtown Columbus is the home to a huge ART sculpture than spans a street near the Columbus Collage of Art and Design (CCAD). To duplicate that sculpture, I cut the shapes out of cardboard 4 times, glued them together with PPA and then painted the resulting pieces with Napthol Red Perfect Pigments.
The “EST. 1812” plate was created using cardboard cutouts glued to a rectangle using PPA , aluminum tape and Mars Black Perfect Pigments. Once the paint was dry, I removed some of the paint on the raised areas using steel wool. The result looks like old steel! The nailed the finish plate to the frame under the canvas.
Using a Cut Bond Create double-sided adhesive sheet and Mica D’Lights and the same technique I shared on an earlier post (Red-eyed Tree Frog Box With Mica D’Lights and Cut • Bond • Create ), I created the “200 Columbus” billboard. It’s literally the high point of the project! To elevate it above the frame, I drilled two small holes in to the frame under the canvas, inserted kabob skewers and adhered the billboard to the skewers with PPA .
The Ohio State University and Columbus Zoo logos are paper piecings. I love how you can take paper and create just about any logo.
The map and images were layered on to the final project using different thicknesses of adhesive foam tape. Lastly, the ART sculpture was adhered at an angle, crossing several layers, using PPA .
The finished piece now hangs in the Columbus Short North Arts District at Utrecht Columbus. If you’re in the area, stop by and take a look at all the wonderful submissions. Between now and April 4, 2012, customers who make a purchase of $10 or more can cast a voting ballot selecting three entries based on quality and originality of work. Winners are announced on April 5th and first prize is a $150 gift certificate! There will be a special canvas-swap reception on April 7, including door prizes, refreshments, and live entertainment!
I’m thrilled with how it turned out and somewhat surprised there weren’t more collage or assemblage entries. The entire look or tone of this piece comes from USArtQuest glazes, liquid acrylics and Mica D’Lights and it was easy to do! If you haven’t tried glazes yet, consider getting the tin bucket assortment and playing with it. Card makers and scrapbookers could easily use this to add a layer of translucent color to their projects too!
Check out my blog on Create & Craft to see more of my projects.
Happy Crafting!
Joe
