Wall Sculpture Aquabord Painted

A visitor stopped by my studio yesterday while I was acrylic-sealing my sculpture pieces. She enjoyed seeing the “organic forms and surfaces”. Now I’m on to assembling it. These close up shots show some of the great variations Aquabord is capable of. It’s been so fun to experiment and enjoy the results within each sculpture piece. I was a bit surprised at how durable the board is as well. Most of the pieces came out great on the first or second painting pass, but due to the redesign, I ended up repainting one piece 12 times. I’m not proud of needing to do that, but it’s nice to know the board will hold up under such use.

Wall Sculpture Ampersand Aquabord Cut!

The intricate shapes and lengths required for this sculpture have definitely hit the limits of my scroll saw. I am now a saw blade connoisseur; it’s all about the teeth per inch. Whew, I’m glad the cutting is done and looks good! When I work larger than this on future sculptures, I will need to hire laser cutting. It’s exciting to see things moving along.

Wall Sculpture Ampersand Aquabord Cutting

There are several very long pieces on this sculpture that require holes within them and intricate cuts. The arm of my scroll saw makes me break at awkward times during my cuts and constantly rotate the piece I am sawing. It could be impossible on those pieces to make the clean cuts I desire. There are dedicated saws available for this that protrude vertically from tables, but I like the safety of this saw… and I already own it. Time to get at the harder cuts.

Wall Sculpture New Improved Ampersand Aquabord

The 1/4 inch thick Ampersand Aquabord that I special ordered for this larger sculpture is thicker by 1/8 inch than the original, smaller version. You can see how beautifully the sample cut. I think I like it even better than the 1/8”. It’ll make a visually stronger edge and give added strength for the longer spans. The test sample of Aquabord’s newly formulated surface took the paint similar to the product I used on the first sculpture. Today I transferred shapes onto the boards for cutting and I hope to get the cutting done this week. This sculpture will be 51” x 36”.

Enlarging Wall Sculpture

I’m so excited about today’s studio work. Sometimes it takes several months to gain enough distance from a project to change direction. My artist friend, Elwood Howell, reminded me of the value of drawing in charcoal to conceptualize and it was so freeing to work this way again. The wall sculpture enlargement of “In God’s Paint Box” has been on hold while Ampersand tweaked production of the boards, but I waited beyond that to start the work. Knowing that there were changes to make in the shapes and support structure, but unsure of what to do, charcoal drawing opened up creative doors. I’ll be cutting wood soon!

Click Here to see Elwood Howell’s work.

Wall Sculpture Ampersand Bord

One of the materials I've been experimenting with for my wall sculpture isAmpersand Aquabord, and I’m really impressed. It is a thoroughly archival masonite board with a clay coat that accepts watercolor.

There are many attractions to use Aquabord for this particular wall sculpture. With an acrylic spray varnish over the watercolor, it is safe to be hung without glass, it can be cut into shapes, and most importantly, I think I will be able to transfer the feel of the original concept with it.

I thought it would be fun to offer these three unframed paintings on Aquabord for sale, priced for a little holiday cheer. They are all 3" x 5" and require no glass or frame. The two "Night Time Burn" paintings are inspired by a series I'm working on for the Hill Country Conservancy. Paintings are $50, plus tax and shipping. Email me at terrimw@sbcglobal.net and I will send an invoice with paypal button. Top painting, "Night Burn II", middle painting, "Along the Stream", bottom painting, "Night Burn I".

For artists: If you paint watercolor wet in wet, you’ll love this product. It’s extremely responsive to the brush and far more forgiving than any watercolor paper. The possibility of repainting a board actually exists with some labor. Tips on their website are a must- read and the company responds to questions. http://www.ampersandart.com