November 26, 2009

Small Study

Dyed liquid latex resist and ink (detail)

I've been working on a way to contain a pool of liquid on a surface. The above detail was a failed attempt which yielded a nice surprise.

I used liquid latex (used for applications similar to wax resist in ceramics) that I'd dyed blue. I've had this stuff sitting around for ever (I used it for glazing pots) and dyed it blue to make it stand out more on unfired glaze. I figured I could use it to build a little moat that I could pour liquid in. Well, it didn't work. The paper buckled and the moat wasn't high enough to contain the liquid. It also cracked like a desert floor before the liquid evaporated.

Even though it didn't go as planned there are some nice effects. The blue seeped into the paper and the liquid created some really great edges where the color pooled up against the latex. I've bought a stretched canvas and a clayboard for more tests. This should eliminate the buckling problem.