My best experience with these inks is working on damp watercolour paper where I am able to mix and mingle the inks (by tilting the board the paper is on) and obtain very stunning effects. I have also used acrylic inks over acrylic paint on a canvas; the results are not the same, as the inks cannot penetrate the substrate and if allowed to mix on the surface, the effect is quite different, but nice just the same. The fluidity of the medium gives the ability to obtain effects that you wouldn’t be able to obtain with regular paint and brushes.

‘Red Sky At Night’ ©Suzette Fram – Acrylic Inks poured onto damp watercolour paper

WHAT YOU CAN DO
- You can use these as you would watercolour on paper, whether to paint or pour; they are fabulous for pouring. They work equally well, perhaps even better than watercolour. The colours stay bright and do not fade when they dry.
- You can use them like acrylics, allowing for the fact that they are much more fluid and will move and blend on the canvas. They can go on top of an already existing acrylic layer, but must be given adequate time to dry. You can also mix them with acrylic paints, but I would stick to fluid acrylics when doing that.

‘Sailor’s Delight’ ©Suzette Fram – Acrylic Inks poured onto damp watercolour paper

PROS
- The advantage of the inks is the vibrancy of the colours. They are absolutely bright and wonderful, and they do not fade when they dry, the way watercolours do.
- Also, they are not as temperamental as watercolours and the finished product is not nearly as delicate.

CONS
- There are not as many colour choices as with watercolours or acrylics.
- They are not completely waterproof, as acrylic paints are. I like to finish my work with a coat of acrylic gloss medium. I have found that acrylic inks can sometimes run a bit when the first coat of medium is applied, with unexpected and undesirable results. I solve that problem by spraying a light coat of clear acrylic to seal the work before finishing it with gloss or matt medium. Of course, you can frame it under glass and avoid the problem entirely.

‘Blue Wave’ ©Suzette Fram – Poured Acrylic Inks

CONCLUSION:
I really like these inks. I have had some wonderful results pouring on damp watercolour paper. I also like to pour them over an acrylic painting when I want the colour to drip, splatter, move and blend. I love how bright the colours are and how the colours stay bright even after drying. They are well suited for both watercolour and acrylic artists.

Suzette

“Painters don’t make mistakes. They do layers.” (author unknown)

I am pleased to announce that I have 3 paintings showing at the ArtSpacific 2013 exhibition, taking place at the Firehall Centre for the Arts in Delta. The exhibition runs from April 2 to 13, 2013.

I will also have some work (all goes well) showing at the Garibaldi Art Club Juried Exhibition on April 19,20 & 21, 2013 at the Fraserview Village Hall in Maple Ridge, BC.

I’m also pleased to announce that my piece ‘Shipshape’ has been accepted for the Federation of Canadian Artists, Fraser Valley Chapter, exhibition at Semiahmoo Arts Centre in White Rock, taking place from May 3 to 31, 2013.

The wood is unfinished and depending on your application, requires sealing and prepping before working on. The edges are a little rough. If you’re planning on not framing them, you want to make sure you give them a good sanding, and they’ll need painting.

I have used both the flat panels and the new ones with a raised edge which is particularly suited for fluid mediums, like pouring medium, or encaustic.

FLAT PANELS
I use the flat panels to mount works on paper. After sealing the finished work front and back, I simply glue the work to the panel using gloss medium or gel. You need to apply pressure to insure that the work is properly adhered; I do that by turning the work over onto a non-stick surface like parchment paper, or butcher paper; I then put something heavy on top, like books, and leave it to dry overnight. I haven’t had any problems with this method. I finish the works by painting the edges black.

PANELS WITH RAISED EDGE
More recently, I’ve been working with the panels with the raised edge. I’ve been working with pouring medium and they seemed ideally suited to that purpose. It’s been quite an adventure as I experienced a variety of problems.
• The wood is raw and must be ‘prepared’. That means sealing the wood, and then applying a ground before painting on it. Even though I sealed the panels with GAC700 (a sealing compound recommended at the art store) and then applied gesso or white paint, I experienced some swelling of the wood, resulting in bowing in the middle of the panel.
• When preparing the panels, it is very necessary to sand before, after, and between coats, because even though you are ‘sealing’ the wood, it still raises the grain of the wood and makes for a rough surface.
• The raised edge of these panels is not included in the size, ie a 12×12 panel is 12×12 inside of the raised edges. That means that these do not quite fit inside of a standard 12×12 frame, so framing is trickier.
• The panels tend not to be quite level. If you’re working with a fluid medium, which these panels are intended for, you have to level them by wedging things under the sides or corners, and you really need to use a level every which way, to make sure they’re level. Otherwise, your fluid medium will slowly slide all to one side, with some unexpected and unwanted results.

CONCLUSION:
I am quite happy using the flat panels for mounting works on paper. However, I will not use these panels for painting on. They are just too much trouble and results are somewhat unpredictable.

Suzette

“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.” (Pablo Picasso)

President Barack Obama said: “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” — When it comes to art, and being an artist searching for one’s own truth, I would rephrase that to: “It is within us.”

It is within us to be happy. It is within us to be successful.

That thing, that idea, that technique, that would bring our work together into a cohesive and meaningful body of work; it is within us.

That satisfaction, that sense of achievement, that success that we seek; it is within us.

I’m not saying that it won’t take work to find it, to nurture it and allow it to bloom; I’m saying it will take some effort, some work; in fact it will take a lot of persistence and much hard work. But it is within us.

The question is: Do you have what it takes to dig down, dig deep, to find it and make it possible for it to thrive, and grow, and eventually bloom?

Think about it and accept this truth: It is within us to achieve everything we dream of. It is within us to make it happen. So remember this: Look within yourself. Look into your heart, find that motivation, find that inspiration, find that will to make it happen. It is within us, and it is up to us. No one else is going to do it for us.

IT IS WITHIN US.

Suzette

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” (Barack Obama)

DOs
Do paint regularly, every day if you can
Do schedule time to paint
While painting, let yourself go, relax and have fun
Do try new things
Do try something different, even if you think you can’t do it
Do challenge yourself
Do enjoy your successes

DON’Ts
Don’t give up
Don’t stop working regularly (and don’t use excuses to explain why you do)
Don’t let yourself get discouraged
Don’t stop trying to improve
Don’t pay attention to what others think, follow your own inner voice
Don’t minimize your achievements
Don’t look for perfection; it doesn’t exist

Painting regularly is important and worth scheduling for.  Set yourself a certain time to do it and stick to it, even if it’s only an hour at a time, 3 times a week.  It’s the consistency that will help you improve and achieve what you’re after.  And that will bring increased success and personal satisfaction.  Do this for yourself;  you deserve it.

Allow yourself to play and try new things.  If nothing else, it will give you a break from your normal routine and you will be refreshed when you return to your usual work.  And you never know when you will learn something new and different that you can incorporate into your work for a new and exciting look.

Enjoy yourself while you paint and never dismiss your achievements.  Enjoy your successes and learn from your failures.  It’s all part of the game.

Wishing you a happy and productive New Year.

Suzette

“Art is WHO I am
Art is WHAT I do to express myself
Art is WHEN I’m the most vulnerable
Art is WHERE I find beauty
Art is WHY I’m so happy
Art is HOW people connect”
(Nyamal Guet, dancer)

But it’s also a reflective time. I remember fondly the Christmases of my childhood, the excitement of the huge party and feast that my parents always hosted on Christmas Eve, that included aunts, uncles, cousins. I remember lovingly the Christmases of motherhood, when my children were small and it was all so exciting, for them and for me.

I’m also inclined to remember that Christmas is not such a wonderful time for everyone. It’s a very stressful time. We get caught up in the race of buying presents, of trying to find the ‘perfect’ gift for everyone on our list. So many things to do, spending too much money, it can ruin the mood for many. So many of us have so much, while so many have so little. Whether we’re talking about money, things, or family and friends, Christmas can be a difficult time for many, and I like to remember that too.

Christmas is a great time to remember what’s important, take stock of all that we have, and feel gratitude that we are so lucky. And if we are not so lucky at the moment, there’s the hope that things will get better. But we can be grateful for and appreciate what we do have.

So for this Christmas and for the year ahead, please enjoy the little things in life, remember who and what is really important, slow down and take the time to relax, make more time for the things you enjoy and try to reduce those things that you do because you have to.

For me, Christmas is about LOVE and PEACE. And that is my wish for you this Christmas:
Love and Peace to everyone.

Suzette

“Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.” (Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States, 1872-1933)

1)  My work has been accepted in the Maple Ridge Art Gallery Juried Exhibition ‘Ensemble’.  I have 3 pieces going into the show.  The show will run from November 24th to December 20th, 2012.

2)  I will have several pieces showing in the Garibaldi Art Club Annual Fall Show, on November 16, 17 and 18, 2012, at the Fraserview Village Hall, corner of 227 Street and 116 Avenue in Maple Ridge.