Alcohol ink paintings have always held a charm for me: simple drops of inks over non porous surface that blend, move, dance and present hues of themselves you didn’t expect. I love the pink undertones in the purple and the variations of blue-grey.
As the inks get diluted by the alcohol, it’s mesmerizing to just slow down and watch the colors. They get pushed out, they merge, they coalesce and form new shapes. It’s mesmerizing.
I got pretty philosophical just watching the inks do their thing: shifting boundaries, adapting, being malleable. As they discover new paths, some areas holding tight and remaining impervious to dilution, it made me think of the crazy year this has been. Does the process of creating art sometimes speak to you in this way?
I made this alcohol ink painting after almost a year long hiatus, and then I did what most people would call “unthinkable.” I cut it up!
Yes, an hour and a half of art therapy cut into circles, separated from the ethos of the whole to create something new. Why did I do that? Because I’ve never attempted it before. I wanted to experience the emotions that came with “destroying” something I created and give it a new life…a new avatar.
Destroying the existing to create something new
I didn’t know if I would feel grief or confusion or despair or regret or joy or excitement or a rush of adrenaline from doing something so “wrong” that felt so right…or if I would feel ALL of those emotions or just be numb!
Well, I’m here to report that the fear of destroying something beautiful lasted a whole five seconds. After that first snip, it was a beautiful journey into the unknown.
There is something to be said about being unafraid and letting go when working in your art journal. You won’t find specific techniques in this video…instead you’ll get encouragement and freedom to tune in to your intuition and play with wild abandon. What could go wrong? It’s just paint and paper!
There are so many inks and stamps and stencils and colors to explore…so much to have fun with! Looking forward to hearing what you think and I hope this encourages you to just let go and do what brings you joy.
Have you ever cut up a painting you love without scanning it first? Have you made something different with it? How did it make you feel?
Supplies
Curious about the products I use? I have listed them below.
(These are compensated affiliate links at no cost to you. Thank you for your support! Affiliate and product disclosure can be found here. As always, I was not paid to do this post and I only use products from companies I love.)
