Finishing touches of any artwork come with some mundane tasks: labeling, wiring, varnishing, framing. All are important. If one places as much love and care into these last few details as the rest of the work, one has moved from hobbyist to professional. Gallery owners appreciate it and anyone else who mounts a show.
Among the many preliminary layers on any canvas there lies gold or silver. These first layers determine the choice between the silver or gold circles, an end of painting finishing touch. Always three, they represent the Holy Trinity from whence comes my inspiration. Tin foil substitutes for silver as it holds its brilliance better.
Mirror gazing has become part of my repertoire in the placement of the gold or silver circles. Essentially this alternative method allows me to step back and view what I have done from a distance without moving. To do this I installed a mirror on my ceiling.
A time-honoured procedure used by artists of all stripes, stepping back offers a wider perspective on the work before them. In this case I need the distance to determine the best positions for my three-circle finishing touch. The small mirror moves easily into an appropriate vantage point as I try different possibilities.
Once I am satisfied, I sit back gaze some more and write a poem then select a Bible quote. Somehow the ambience, the flow of the visual enhanced by the movement of words draw the two together. The synergy in this finishing touch occurs more easily if the poetry comes later, written for the painting personally.
The poem and the Bible quote embellish the surface of the work subtly following the natural lines, be it texture, contrast or colour. I use a black liner for the poem and a metallic pen, either silver or gold for the Bible quote. This finishing touch provides some mystery as many people search the image to find these items.
Inventory numbers, a practical finishing touch, help keep track of the work produced in any given year. The method I use gives me all the essential information I need for submission and a quick reference should an organization wish to know in what year I produced the painting or what materials I may have used.
Since the poetry has no other source, I write it out in full with the reference for the Bible quote on the back of the painting, usually at the bottom on the left. To the right I inscribe the title, the materials, my name and the inventory number of the work. Later, once I complete the series, I publish a poem book so anyone may read my poems without difficulty.
A quick spray of reworkable varnish stabilizes the ink and the watercolour pencil before the isolation coat is applied (Liquitex fluid gloss medium). An isolation coat, always a good idea with acrylic or mixed media paintings, binds with the paint underneath forming a protective surface upon which the two coats of varnish are applied. Should the masterpiece need cleaning at some time in the future, one may remove the varnish easily and reapplied without harming the original image. A very important finishing touch.
The painting is now ready for display or shipment. To protect it from the ravages of storage I create protective sleeves, the topic of my next blog. Have a great month!
