VISITING ARTIST WORKSHOP
★ SPECIAL PROJECT ★

ASSIGNMENT: Create a mixed media collage using the acrylic transfer process. The imagery you choose to work with will be a combination of architecture (buildings, windows, doors, rooftops…) and figure (arms, legs, face...), and will center around the theme of "what home means to you."

Part 1: IMAGE MAKING (COLLAGING) ON CAMPUS

With a young child, my association to “home” is currently about providing for my family and the responsibilities that accompany it. I would like my collage to feature many different heavy-feeling rooms with two legs trying to “hold it all up” or “stay afloat.”

Look over my entire collage process below and then select 5 to 10 images to print. Remember that they will be black and white.

PLEASE NOTE: SELECTING AND PRINTING YOUR IMAGES IS THE ONLY THING YOU HAVE TO DO BEFORE WE MEET ON CAMPUS, BUT I WOULD LIKE YOU TO SEE HOW WE WILL USE THE IMAGES BEFORE YOU MAKE YOUR SELECTION!

Here are the 7 images I started with. I have chosen 7 photographs (pulled straight from google) to print out. We’ll be chopping them up a lot for this assignment, so you don’t need to really worry about copyright. Two of my photos feature large open walls which I thought would be good to use as a background. One photo has the legs I would like to use. The others had some interesting architectural features that I would like to incorporate:

Here are my images printed out. I made a few extra copies in case I wanted to use multiples of anything:

Using scissors or an x-acto, I begin cutting out the elements of the photos that I would like to work with:

I continue to chop up my photographs into interesting shapes/ features that I can begin to piece together:

I start collaging my elements together to “build” my home. (we can use glue/ gluestick/ tape for this) Here is a video of me doing this with different imagery:

Here is the backside of my collage. I like to use tape because it allows me to easily change things in my composition while I’m working it out:

When I’m happy with my collage, I scan it so that I have one, flat image on a single piece of paper to transfer. THIS SINGLE PIECE OF PAPER IS WHAT YOU’LL BRING TO WORK WITH FOR YOUR STUDIO VISIT. IT SHOULD FIT ON STANDARD LETTER SIZED PAPER, 8.5” x 11”:

Part 2: IMAGE TRANSFERRING (AT MY STUDIO)

You will come to studio with your “home” collage on a single sheet of paper and I will lead you through the transfer process. All you need to bring is your collage! We will provide the wood panel and other materials. An overview of the transfer process is below.

I cut out my collage from the single sheet:

I prepare my work area because this is a quick process. I have my collage ready, my wood panel ready, some matte medium, a brush, and a straight edge (plastic credit card/ scraper/ etc.):

I cover my entire image with a thin layer of matte medium. You have to do this quickly before it dries:

I lay my image face-down on the panel:

I lay a scrap piece of paper over my image and use a straight edge to get it as flat as possible without any air bubbles:

As the matte medium dries, I set up my work station for peeling off the paper. I’ll need water, a sponge, a flexible scraper. I let the piece fully dry:

Once it is completely dry, wet the paper completely and let it soak for a minute. Begin gently scraping off the backside of the paper with your finger or a scraper:

Continue gently wetting and scraping off the remaining paper pulp until your image is fully revealed. (Use some high-grit sandpaper or scratchy sponge to get any remaining bits off):

Stand back and enjoy your image transfer! We will paint/ draw on top of them if we have time!

What I love and hate about this process is that it never comes out perfectly. You’re always going to have pieces of the image that don’t transfer entirely, so keep that in mind and embrace the flaws…

INSPIRATION:
If you’re having trouble with the prompt, here are a few (alive) contemporary artist links:

LOLA DUPRE collage
https://loladupre.com/architecture

ANDRES SENONER sculpture
https://www.andreassenoner.com/selected-work

GABRIELLE GARLAND painting
https://gabriellegarland.org/

JIM KAZANJIAN photography
http://www.kazanjian.net/

PIM PALSGRAAF installation
https://www.pimpalsgraaf.com/installations

My email is seth.s.clark@gmail.com Reach out if you have any questions/ concerns as you start the project. I look forward to meeting and working with everyone! -Seth