This painting technique uses household bleach in different strengths, and left on the paper for varying amounts of time to discharge the color from the paper or board.
This medium has become both my passion and my nemesis recently. Bleaches are incredibly unpredictable and difficult to control but it makes for a such a great challenge. And isn't that what it's all about?
I look forward to each new piece and the ultimate surprise at the end. As I paint I see only wet areas, and it isn't until the bleach finishes its process and the paper is completely dry that I am able to see what I've created. When it actually turns out like I wanted I feel that I have conquered the beast, at least for that round.
And there are no fixing mistakes here. One accidental drop in the wrong place and it's all over. When I began doing these I made a lot of mistakes with drips as I brought my brush across the paper. I ended up with a lot of landscapes and oddly placed "moons" back then.
the . tools Because bleach will dissolve a brush in less that an hour of use, it was necessary to find alternate methods of application. Q-tips, cotton balls, and wooden sticks are all tools used to achieve various effects.
Lately I have been experimenting with metals . . . but that's a secret method so I will leave it to your imagination. You will notice small particles of rust embedded in some pieces. The Tiger and Lace Wing Moths and Torn Wing Dragonfly are a few.
You can actually watch the rust grow into a thick layer on the metal application tools I use. By the end of one painting both my bleach and water are red with it. Most metal tools only make it through 3 or 4 paintings before they begin to fall apart.
the . paper I have found very few papers that will give the desired effect. More and more papers are being produced to be colorfast so they will not fade or lighten in sunlight. This is not a good development for my needs.
I recently ordered samples from 6 different companies. Out of the hundreds of colors and weights I tested, only 3 of them would lighten to the degree you see in my pieces. Some would not react at all, no matter how long the bleach was left on. Some would lighten but only to a pinkish grey color giving no room to create any depth.
This painstaking process takes many hours and infinite patience, but the finished piece is well worth the effort . . . and the headache that is inevitable even in a well ventilated room.
