Experiment with Gouache on Marbled Paper

I recently got a set of gouache paint, I remember using them at school when I was 15, they are very like watercolours only they apply much flatter, perhaps they have more body of pigment.

I was interested to try them out on the marbled paper I have been making and see how they cover the surface. On using them I suddenly felt like the technical possibilities of water colour had increased, they blend smoothly like, and have the coverage of oil paint without the oily sheen, tonally soft unlike watercolour which looks often transparent or inky, I think by combining gouache with watercolour the possibilities for contrast of  texture is elevated with the introduction of areas of true flat powdery colour.

Here is the little experimental piece I did combining the two water based paints.

More Marbling and Watercolour Combinations

I have been very busy in the studio sanding and prepping boards for painting supports, this work has been taking up most of my time so these little works have been a nice break for me from this and also helping me to warm up, before starting my new body of work which I will tell you more about in a few blog posts.

Marbling and Watercolour Combination Pieces

After getting the hang of the marbling I wanted to use the paper I had made to do some small experimental paintings to explore further the combination of the marbled patterns with my imagery, I still processing my findings here as I have just scratched the surface of what can bee done with it, I do feel the marbling is a contrasting random element that has a timeless quality, its watery formations speaks to me of the alchemy of forming matter and I think in my work represents the movement in a metaphysical imaginative space.

Marbling and Acrylic Painting On Wooden Panel

The wooden panels that  I have successfully experimented with so far have been small panels. I found it very difficult to get the larger boards to take a print. I'm not sure exactly why it works on the smaller boards but not on the large ones, more experimentation is needed. 

Here is my first painting and marbling combination, this is acrylic paint marbling on wood panel with acrylic painting on top:

This piece (below) was marbled onto a black gesso ground wooden panel and painted over with acrylic, for both of these small paintings I tried to incorporate the marbling into the structure of the overall composition:

 

Here is a little video of me marbling - in the Studio with the Twisted Oak Arts Collective 

Marbling

Been experimenting with marbling in the studio, first on paper with many messy trials before I managed to get the marbled paints to stick to the paper and take a print, but after lots of trial and error it's working!

I then developed a porous gesso/chalk paint that can be marbled onto that I made by mixing chalk plaster into the paint, this can go onto wood boards and create a absorbent painted surface. 

Marbling on gesso wood panel, still in the experimental stage of this new process for me, I'm dearly getting excited by it and the possibilities of combining it with painting , I have 20 large panels cut, a lot of gesso to make and one huge marbling water tray. I feel excited to be in the studio.