The first attempt was a fail, so I tried again! This time I made sure to wash the paper down properly.
The outcome was far more successful, the letters stood out and didn't fade as much after the washing process. I have not worked with cyanotype that much but I was pleased with this end result. The slight shadow cast by the clay/plaster added an unexpected detail to the work.
I would play with this process again, I want to explore cyanotypes over time to create layers of text.
The CAS online summer exhibition is still available to view: Online Exhibition | Colchester Art Society
To add a sense of weight to the letters I wanted to disguise the modroc, by covering the letters in a thin coat of plaster. This hid the tell-tale modroc texture and gave an overall new texture. The intention is that they look like they might be solid plaster letters - rather than cardboard!
The difference is clear to see and I am looking forward to developing this technique further in larger-scale outcomes. I am yet to see how stable this top coat of plaster is. I do not want it to crack or reveal the modroc underneither. To try and avoid this, the plaster coat was added to the still wet modroc.
It became a rather relaxing process. Initially I thought that I would perhaps dip or use my hands the add the plaster. But found that a small brush and small amounts of plater worked best. This allowed me to just add the plaster where the texture of the modroc was visible - keeping the letter nice and light!
The end outcome
For the Colchester Art Society online summer exhibition I wanted to create something that would develop on from the work I had in Borders #2: Abbie Cairns : Borders Exhibition - Ipswich Art Gallery (abbiecairnsartistandeducator.blogspot.com)
Stepping once again away from the colours and back to white. The font and font size remain the same, but the word material differs.
FINE the title of this self-named outcome was also inspired by another recent piece of art work showed at the University of Suffolk Abbie Cairns : University of Suffolk - Mental Health Awareness Week Exhibition (abbiecairnsartistandeducator.blogspot.com)
This text outcome brings together these two previous outcomes. From Borders, it borrows the layered card to create a 3D sculptural letter and from the UoS show, it borrows the keyword 'fine'.
FINE here develop onwards by bringing into the mix modroc. I wanted to create letters that looked heavy but were actually lightweight (always helpful if you are the one having to carry these things around!).
My text-based artwork often draws on language that has come to me automatically, however, sometimes I use found text. The words 'to the sea' come to in this way. I'm sure the words come from many places but for me, they come from a Razorlight song. They are three words that always get stuck in my head after hearing it place. I wanted to do something with them, in the hope that they would stop going around in my head, on repeat.
Tiny Letters: Positive Space v's Negative Space
The first stop was to play with pre-existing materials, tiny letters made from both air dry clay and plaster. I enjoyed playing around with these and picking which letters from my large collection to use. I went for the ones that would stand up on their own.
