"BLAZE," mixed media textured horse experimental © Carol Nelson Fine Art

"BLAZE" 10165, 11x14 mixed media





I was reading* about Italian artist, Alberto Burri (1915-1995), who was an influential figure in the postwar art scene in America.  His work is currently on view at the Santa Monica Museum of Art.  I was interested in his use of unusual materials such as burlap, fabric, wood, sheet metal and plastic.
Sometimes the materials were torched in order to explore the expressive qualities of molten plastic, charred wood, and singed fiber.

I recently got a torch and was itching to try it on something.  I tried melting a piece of copper, but my BUTANE torch does not burn hot enough to melt copper - need a PROPANE torch for that.  My torch, however, is hot enough to melt thin metal foils.

I like the effect of torching the foil.  It changes color and actually melts if you hold it in the flame long enough.  If you've ever worked with foils, you know that you cannot tear them easily and this enables you to create a ragged edge which is sometimes preferable to a straight edge on a collage piece.

In this painting, the red areas are made from red aluminum foil that has been torched around the edges.  There also is texture from acrylic gel medium.

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*"(Re)discovering Burri," by Kirsten Swenson, Art in America, December'10


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5 comments:

jyothisethu said...

carol,

the torching has achieved great effect, more than which you have expected...

i admire your experiments...

congratulations...

Kelley Carey MacDonald said...

Powerful composition, Carol, and the depth with the different textures and colors of the foil... fabulous.

Kim Blair said...

From browning your creme brulee, to melting and antiquing your metal foils... your 'torch' sounds like it would make the perfect holiday gift for an artist.
Love the red foil and sculpted techniques on this horse.
Kim

Catherine Jeffrey said...

Really awesome looking piece. Your experimentation turned out really well. Love your innovative approach in your work.

Marie Flynn said...

I also like the effects the torch gives to your work. Really love this piece as well.