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Underground > Art, Fashion & Design >

I Am A Tortured Artiste

14:50 / 28.07.02

i would describe myself as a writer, but cheesy as this may sound, i've felt a huge urge for a while now to express myself in some other way as well and it occurred to me that as part of my moving to cornwall, i could start doing some painting. i'll be living a few minutes from the beach - at least for a while - and what i want to do is collect driftwood and use that as a canvas. anyone got any tips on what kind of paint is best to use - i would imagine oil or enamel, but i don't know. bear in mind, however, that my skills in this direction are pretty, um, basic, it could all collapse in an embarrassing mess, but i want to change my life completely, and if i can scratch some kind of living that doesn't involve working 5 days a week, i'm gonna go for it. any tips welcomed.

Less searchable M0rd4nt

16:05 / 28.07.02

Sounds nice, actually-- painting on driftwood.

As to what paints: I suggest buying a few cheaper samples and seeing what suits you. If it was me I suppose I'd go for something translucent, to show off the grain of the wood; oil thinned with linseed oil and turps, perhaps.

16:21 / 28.07.02

For ease of use, I'd suggest acrylics. However, I would follow Mordant's advice and try out a range of samples, both to see what works for you and also to see what works best on driftwood, which can be tricky to paint on due to the porous nature of the wood. Years ago I tried to paint a piece and it took five coats to get the colours right.

...hmm, I have a small bundle of tubes of acrylics somewhere in the flat I'd be willing to pass on, seeing as I don't paint much anymore. Can't remember how much there is (it's a decent amount...you wouldn't be dry-squeezing tubes) and exactly what colours (there's at least one blue, a red and a yellow) but if you want them they're yours.

06:04 / 29.07.02

thanks, both for your suggestions - i'm really into religious iconography (sp?) - i love paintings on blocks of wood, which i think i've also seen used by the NSK art group in slovenia. i'm quite torn about how to do it - show off the grain of the wood? or try and treat the area i want to paint so it's more of a solid surface? best to experiment, then, and see what's best. another idea i had is making stencils and spray painting... my mother uses enamel paints on white blocks of wood and does beautiful copies of celtic and islamic designs, so i'll get her to help me, too.

and grey area - thanks so much for the offer of paints. we'll sort something out, yes?

11:31 / 29.07.02

My guess is that you'll need to prime the area before you paint on it because, as Grey Area says, it's porous. Salt might also be a factor (not sure how - it just might...). You should be able to get a primer which is suitable for use on wood from your local reputable art dealer. I do not know whether translucent primers are available though - they're probably primarily produced for use on panels. So that's really only if you want to make the area solid... if not, oils are probably a good bet as the pigment stays quite bright when dispersed... should be an interesting effect...

17:24 / 29.07.02

Hailing from the wilds of our south-west pennisula myself, I can tell you that the conditions - in terms of both natural resources and reputable suppliers - there are very good for art.

I saw some driftwood paintings years ago in Truro, for which the artist had first coated the wood with a thin layer of matt varnish, which eliminated the porous problem. On one of the larger pieces, they'd ysed PVA glue - which dries clear and watertight - before applying the paint, so it may be worth trying different things to see which works best for you.

Have you also considered painting onto stone? It's popular, cheap, and potentially profitable (Cornwall in particular boasts a fine economy based on the ancient art of selling painted rocks to American tourists).

And, in keeping with the thread title, make sure you struggle against the established art community down there, play the role of a misunderstood visionary, then write off to these people.

Best of luck, SFD.

20:25 / 29.07.02

ah! stone's a good idea - or any other stuff i find on the beach that's useable. i also thought that i would soak the driftwood in clean water to get out the sea salt before i do anything with it makes it a little less natural i suppose, but i find old seawater smells nasty. i wish i was a sculptor, too, because i think really well done models of the stone circles and sacred sites would sell really well.

tez - that article that you linked was great! what an amazing couple of people!

and grey area - am very grateful for the paints. you are kindness itself.

21:21 / 29.07.02

Pen-and-ink is good for stone circles and ruins too if you fancy a crack at that, though if you're finicky (like me) pen-and-ink can be ever so time-consuming. And messy. And annoying, especially when you make blots on your cross-hatching. Grrr.

14:13 / 26.10.02

Well, I got here on Thursday to find some odd bits of driftwood collected for me by my family and two big and gorgeous bits of wrecked boat. I've just been down the beach and got another piece, even on their own the stuff is beautiful. Next week I want to get hold of a soldering iron - burning designs onto the wood might be an effective method. I'm really excited about all this. Thanks for all the tips.

And big hugs to Grey Area for sending me a bunch of acrylic paints. Where is he these days?

20:07 / 25.12.02

I've spent the last few weeks working on the driftwood and here's what I found:

- a soldering iron burns the wood nicely, but is very difficult to control. The head is like a flat headed screwdriver and I can't get much in the way of subtlety in my designs, so I think it's no go.

- acrylics just splodge everywhere. Nice colours, but not strong enough. I used them on stone and it just didn't work.

- enamels are the way to go! On stone and on driftwood. In around 3 weeks, I've come up with a decorated stone for Winter Solstice and two nearly completed bits of boat wreck. They look better than I could ever have hoped for, for first efforts. The paint is thick enough to have a really dramatic effect without being overpowering. I'll take photos as soon as I can get my camera unpacked.

Thanks, everyone, for your help on this. This painting lark is very, very good for me.