Hi everybody,
Did you ever wonder if you could get away with using fluorescent paints and handmade patterned papers in your intuitive painting and collage? You suspect these materials are not lightfast but still you cannot resist the luscious colors and pretty prints. I have been struggling with this for a very long time and now I finally feel comfortable using them in my professional artwork. Let me tell you what I figured out.
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| "Magic" (detail), Mixed Media on Paper, Intuitive Painting and Collage |
Perhaps you are like me always striving to work with quality products that will hold up against the test of time. I have been fascinated with fluorescent paints and brilliant handmade papers for as long as I can remember but up to now I stayed away from them since I couldn't find any indication confirming that they actually are lightfast. A similar apprehension applies to glitter. I have always found it irresistible but I couldn't find a way to seal it without dulling it. Glitter needs to be protected otherwise it will go all over the place merely by touching it.
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| "Love", Mixed Media on Paper, Intuitive Painting and Collage |
For quite some time now I have been intrigued with Alena Hennessy's artwork because I noticed that she actually is incorporating these materials in her professional paintings and mixed media pieces. I finally decided to subscribe to her course A Year of Painting and purchased some fluorescent acrylics, glitter, Origami Paper and Nepalese Lokta Paper.
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| "Magic", Mixed Media on Paper, Intuitive Painting and Collage |
Before I went shopping I did some research on the lightfastness of fluorescent acrylic paints and I found out that fluorescent color cannot be lightfast because of its very nature. I will not attempt a scientific explanation but according to what I understand the reason lies in the fact that in order to achieve fluorescence the particles responsible for lightfastness have to be extracted. This causes a multiplication in light reflection perceived as fluorescence. No wonder I could not find any lightfast fluorescent acrylics. At first I was a bit put off but then I found that the company Golden suggests to spray them with a varnish containing a UV-filter. This would maximize their longevity. So I bought a spray varnish with UV-protection. Logically this should also protect the brilliant colors of the handmade papers.
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| "Golden Heart", Mixed Media on Paper, Intuitive Painting and Collage |
Very excited about all this I decided to make a mini series. I created Love, Magic, Golden Heart and Ohm based on my new fluorescent acrylic paints (pink, orange, blue and green), glitter and handmade papers. I also used other acrylic paints and metallic flakes in the work Love. I sprayed them all with my spray varnish with UV-filter. I was very happy to find out that the varnish is also sealing glitter and metallic flakes without taking away from the sparkle and shine. What a bonus! I framed Love and put it on my altar in order to expose it to daylight. By the end of the year I will let you know if it really worked.
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| "Ohm", Mixed Media on Paper, Intuitive Painting and Collage |
Please share your experiences, questions and concerns about discussed materials. I would love to hear your thoughts!
Love,
Rika
I’m happy to report that I had the painting ‘Love’ exhibited framed behind glass on my altar for over a year and that the colors stayed as bright and beautiful as they were the first day. Do you have experience with exposing an artwork created with fluorescent paints, glitter and patterned paper to light? Thanks for sharing 🌸💚🌸
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