What is your favorite shape? Mine is the oval, so imagine how delighted I was to find these lovely wood panels by the Oregon company, American Easel! These sturdy beauties are the base for a new series I am creating inspired by my collection of elongated coins and other forms of exonumia. There are no limits to what might inspire an image, from casual encounters to dreams, they become a form of visual diary entry. I will focus future blog posts on specific pieces, but for now I will start by show-and-telling a bit about the panels and the base inspirations.
The panels start as lovely raw wood, which I sand and cover with clear gesso.
The shapes created by the wood grain start the composition like a topographical map.
The palette for this series is inspired by the colors and textures found on coins.
Once I have the panels covered, I might add some textures using various foils or glitters, then I wait for inspiration to strike.
The first dozen panels in various stages of progress.