Monday, January 28, 2019

Making my own Pastels

Making My Own Pastels

I have been working with pastels for over 10 years now and have had the opportunity to experiment and observe the way they work.
Of course there is a huge difference between the more expensive pastels and the cheaper variety but all can be useful.

The biggest challenge for me has been finding the right colours and generally pure pigment and very bright colours.

Sometimes the pure pigment pastels are very soft and flakey and I have often wondered what ingredient holds the pigment together so that I could restore those that "fall apart".

During some quiet time in the hot weather (and we have been hot this summer.. up to 50C so no use venturing outside after about 8.30 in the morning) I began researching how pastels are made.

The most interesting information came from Kurt Wenner's blog  https://kurtwenner.com/blog/2012/09/01/creating-pastels/  where a range of recipes are offered.


The main binder ingredient suggested  is gum tragacanthalthough wallpaper paste is also suggested as a cheaper option.

It was the description about how the gum is dissolved that seemed really familiar and made me think back to past experiences. 

"Once the powder is dispersed in the alcohol, add the mixture to a container with 10 parts water. The water should be churning in a blender or mixer as the gum solution is added. The gum likewise needs to be stirred while in the alcohol solution or it will settle to the bottom of the container.
3. Stir the mixture occasionally, but do not let it froth. It is best to let the solution sit for 8-12 hours before using it. The resulting liquid should be thick and slimy, but easily pourable. The binding strength will need to be tested, so the initial result is not extremely important."
Once upon a time I was a "marbler"  https://www.flickr.com/photos/georgiesharp/albums/68969
We used Carageen to create a gelatinous, watery base for our marbling process and this was mixed in a similar fashion to the above description and allowed to sit over night.


I have several containers of Carageen left over from this past life and so with nothing to lose I set about experimenting. 
Main ingredients:
Carageen - mixed in water
Calcium carbonate
Pigment



I tried several ways of mixing the ingredients according to the recipes I found.
Rolling in plastic wrap produces a cylinder shape.




Leaving the mixture in ice block trays to dry out resulted in cracking but the pastel pieces work just as well as the rolled ones.



The next step was to mix the pigment, some calcium carbonate and the glue in small containers  but as the block began to dry I levered it away from the edge and no cracking occurred.














Sunday, March 4, 2018

Heading into 2018

It has been a while since I have updated this Blog but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy.

I have spent my blog time maintaining the Platform Gallery Blog. 

2017 Was a year of building on the work we have been doing at The Platform.
Sales of my artworks continue to be pleasing and I find my style is changing over time. 

Pastels have been selling well and I have recently added some work to an online site Blue Thumb  to see how that might compliment things. 
















Fibrespace has continued its Collaboration with artists in Lapland and our "Pieces of Heaven" was recently exhibited in Helsinki and then at The Yard Purtli Gallery during the Desert Fringe.

You can see more at MARGIN TO MARGIN.





 A little experimentation with oil pastels and heat processes has resulted in some interesting results so we will see where that goes. 





Over the past 12 months I have developed my iPad drawings and experimented with repetitive designs for printing on fabric. 


 









Thursday, December 8, 2016

End of the year Happenings.

There has been quite a focus on the ARTS as we head towards the end of 2016.

FIBRESPACE Inc. textile artists recently held a retreat/ workshop weekend at THE PLATFORM gallery. Around 30 people attended including visitors from Lapland with whom we have formed a collaboration.
Every space in the gallery was well utilised and the great space was appreciated by everyone involved.
You can follow the FIBRESPACE journey at  https://www.facebook.com/FIBRESPACEINC/


Part of the Lapland connection includes research into how women in marginal places use The Arts to enrich their lives. 
 https://vimeo.com/189426303

The new project theme is " DABULOUS" (dabbling in the fabulous)  and we also have the addition of ... sisu ya taito (persistence, resilience and skill ) the latter being offered by our visitors from Lapland.
Without giving too much away, as my thoughts grapple with new ideas, I have begun the process of developing my own fabric designs that I will have printed and available for use in my piece.

The new PLATFORM GALLERY space is ready for Christmas, I love the colour and vibrancy of this new space. 
Here you can see examples of my printed, felt and hand painted scarves, mugs and bags. 




My pastels have been selling well and with the added work of maintaining the new gallery space I have found it quite challenging to keep up the routines that ensure I regularly produce new pieces. 




As new members become more confident in their involvement with the gallery I should get a bit more time to myself to play with the things I love.

Saturday, October 1, 2016

Visit to Hobart and Melbourne 2016

A quick trip to visit family in between all the happenings at the gallery.
We won't mention the falling down the stairs bit :-((
It was lovely to catch up with Steph and connect again with the lovely Hobart and her galleries and eateries. 
We had a delightful lunch at Centurion Bay for Steph's 65th birthday.

 

Then off to Melbourne to catch up with Polly and Elliot and of course the parents! 
Elliot at 2 is right into dinosaurs and monsters and really takes the role of roaring very seriously.
We spent a day cooking with Polly and also had a great time at "Matilda" the musical.
It was also interesting to see Tamsin and John's workspace where many of Singing Bowl's creations come together.