Experimenting On Found Canvases.

I stumbled upon an old canvas that I had previously used for a self portrait and then began experimenting with different materials that I had collected such as vibrantly coloured plastics, tin foil and grease proof paper. I thought this was a fair collection of materials, however I wish I had created more of a contrast when it came to the type of materials. For example, juxtaposing a very raw material such as sand or tree bark next to the very plastic manufactured feel of the materials I had collected because I feel this would have given the piece another element of contrast and debate.

Once I had started layering the materials onto the canvas I began to experiment with layering different types of paint. I started with a light wash by using water colours. This worked well as it gave me something to work on quite quickly. Then using the acrylic, I began to spread the paint quite thickly on the canvas. I thought what worked quite well in how the subtlety of the watercolours became very overshadowed by the bold striking acrylic.

Afterwards, I wrapped clingfilm around the wet acrylic to give the sense that the cling film was containing the visual strength that the acrylic held. I then alternated layers between acrylic and clingfilm. Overall This created an dynamic effect and worked well with the entire composition.