I have been using glycerin in my gelatin plate recipe for many years now. It is wonderful. The glycerin makes the gelatin plate strong and long lasting. And eliminates the need to refrigerate the plate.
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I just learned about this option from a very generous student in a recent class. I add a drop or two to the ink on my palette and it keeps the ink alive and workable for a very long time.
The third way that I use glycerin in my gelatin printmaking process is to preserve leaves and ferns. In the image above the brown leaf is several years old and yet it is still flexible and good for printing. Where as the green leaf is only one day old and it is now shriveled and crispy and no longer good for printing.
Glycerin can be hard to find. I often look in the first aid aisle of the pharmacy. Sales clerks sometimes are not familiar with it as well.
I have found glycerin:
at Walmart
at CVS, and similar pharamcies
AC Moore and Michaels in the wedding section
The price can vary quite a bit. Make sure it is 99 to 100 % glycerin and not mixed with water. These days folks are using it to make hand sanitizer, so your best bet maybe to get it online.
If you are a mixed media artist like me, then you probably see potential in everything and have a collection of mark making tools.
Sometimes this pile of potential gets in the way of creating.
Every so often I go through and get rid of the tools that I no longer use. This frees up space in my studio and my mind to create with a bit more clarity.
So I challenge you to go through your supplies or tools and get rid of the things that you don’t use. It will give you a new freedom and lightness. That may show up in your work.
Daily walk in the woods feeds my mind with ideas. I am transported to a peaceful place.
I often notice:
smell of the forest
dust and prints on the path
delicate weeds and grasses
Sometimes, I get annoyed if I have to share the trail with lots of other people. Sometimes, I get in my head with worries. But mostly I am grateful to have the woodsy trail along the lake so close to home.
The awareness and appreciation that I bring into the woods creates opportunities back in the art studio.
Often times I will be inspired by flowers or buds and try to capture the energy and essence in a photo. Then I can do some sketches and use the image in a project.
Shadows always capture my attention. I love using shadow pictures to create stencils. I love how simple shapes can be powerful and expressive.
What about you?
Do you have a daily walk that could create artistic opportunity?
Can you notice simple shadows and weeds with a new awareness?
I hope you do have the chance to notice the simple beauty available to you and to use that in your studio practice.
