It all Gelled together

My new direction comes from an intermediate place of experimentation.  It's time once again to re-invent adding to what I feel comfortable with and inspired by as a creator.  After doing many, "Ladies of a Certain Era" then three paintings about "Al Denti's Den of Linguini",  I started to experiment with different mediums.....gels, mmmmmm.

wood panel, crackle paste, self-leveling gel, bits of embroidery thread

I bought a wood panel.  The crackle paste was put on first, very thick and left to dry.  After about 12 to 24 hours, it cracked.  I then painted using my acrylics.  I didn't want to overdue the painting so the cracks would stand out.

After this dried, I added a self-leveling gel by pouring it over the painting and tilting the panel back and forth.  I did make a mess for sure.  I laid strands of embroidery thread down knowing they would stick (as per a video I watched).  You can add anything like beads, shells....The outcome is a mixed media  piece ready to hang.

Small canvas with crackle paste, acrylic paints and self-leveling gel

This small canvas had a wooden support underneath so it could hold the paste.  I put the crackle all over.  In the center, the paste is thin.  I pushed some of the paste to the sides to make a frame-nice and thick.  When it dried, the center was too thin to crackle but the sides did pretty well.  I built up layers and layers of paint.  I like the middle because it has a milky quality.  I finished the rest with the self-leveling gel but I painted it on instead of pouring (much neater).

After experimenting and liking the end results, I was ready to go onto the next BIG project which I will talk about next and my inspiration for it.