"Ancient Mysteries" geologic abstract with glass beads © Carol Nelson Fine Art

"Ancient Mysteries" 36x40 inches

First painting of 2014!  It's a departure from my normal saturated earthy palette.  It even has pink in it - a color I usually hate, but it seems to work here.

This painting was torturous for me.  There must be 8 or more layers of paint as I struggled to find the right color combination.  Close inspection reveals some of the previous color choices.

The unusual texture is achieved with Golden's Glass Bead Gel.  The little beads are about the size of a period on this page.  That isn't very big, but when you spread them out on the surface with a palette knife, they refract the light in an unusual manner.  It's also interesting the way you can charge in another color after they're dry, and watch the color working it's way into the beads.

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