Slime Mold, Alien Lifeforms...ART???

Yes - it's ART. Well, it's messing about with paint and define ART please. My days evolve in a series of segues which is why I never seem to accomplish much though I have a hell of a lot of fun. This is one of a series of similar Blots created from smooshing acrylic paint between pieces of Strathmore 2-ply. I do have an end result in mind, but the possibilities for its use are endless. I'm thinking books, layered 3-D wall sculptures, pop-up. Not to mention all the cool things you can see in each piece when you let your mind wander. Faces, animals, bugs, prehistoric fossils. It's interested playing with the textures that result from different viscosities of paint. I've been experimenting with adding gel mediums, glazes, water, as well as trying different techniques with the smooshing part. I use an acrylic roller to press the paper together, but I've discovered using my fingers created a different look to the blots. When they are at a place where I decide they are 'done', I cut them out although I really hate to lose that beautiful textured edge between the paint and the white paper. Sometimes you have to sacrifice parts for the greater whole.

This experiment evolved from research I'm doing for a class I'll be teaching in March - 'Art Education for Elementary School Teachers'. Quite a mouthful and it will be a big bite I've taken when it starts up! I've been seeing a need for this kind of thing for quite a while and I hope it will be useful for those who have decided it is something they need to know.