Polymer Resin & Graffiti

Posted on February 25th, 2010

My recent trip to LA and the LA Art Fair 2010 opened my eyes to some new materials. Many of the artists in California are now finishing their paintings with a thin coat of polymer resin. I was told by one of the gallery curators there that this is done for them at surf shops. This is the same coating put on boards there to protect the wood. The material dries clear and is another way of protecting my collaged paintings without a frame. This practice has been used by photographers before but to my knowledge not by painters or mixed media artists. I am currently working on a graffiti series on a 24″ x 24″ frame with board, watercolor paper and foam core attached to it. My work has always included digging into the foam core, removing parts of it, and inserting photos or collage as the subject matter. I then have added acrylic paints, spray paints, and gel medium building a composition as I go along. The adding of this new material “resin” to the final piece has changed my work a bit. I can not dig down too deep into the foam core as it becomes hard to get a even coat of the resin on top, without bubbles forming around the deepest parts of the surface. I am now just going down a paper depth to add my subject matter. This forces me to explore other ways to get the depth to my pieces with acrylic or collage. I like a challenge! Images and more info on the pouring process of the resin tomorrow on this blog.