Tropical Vibe 18" X 18" Pastel and ink crystals

                                                              

I continue to work in an abstract direction 

along with the more representational style that seems to surface in all that I do.

This piece is mostly about color and shapes

presented in a "grid" format composition.

I've used this exact color combination before in another "abstract" work

described in an earlier post. I've always been a blue/green kind of girl

for whatever reason. 

The process was lots of fun as much of the background is 

spontaneous and does it's magic mostly out of my control. I used UArt 400 paper

for pastel which allows for a wet wash.

With a large brush I wet the surface and sprinkled three different 

colors of "Brusho" ink crystals over the wet surface. 

The crystals react to water in exciting ways similar to what watercolor

 does when you drop alcohol on top. Here's a photo of my UArt paper 

after it dried.

You can see how the wet crystals (powder) spreads, merges and blends.

The only control I have is the amount put on, the direction it flows

(you can tilt the paper as it reacts,) and blotting it if you wish to modify

the depth of color or rework that area.

As I said above I used a grid composition and marked the spaces 

where the pastel circle (positive and negative) could go if I decided to place one there. I do think this method has many possibilities for different kinds of backgrounds or texture patterns.

I placed a mat over the painting just to see what it would look like

if it were to be framed. Please forgive the darkness of this photo. I took it

 in less than ideal light.

Click HERE to see on my DailyPaintworks page.