Plaster Layers & Excavation

I'm knee deep in plaster. This is the sample piece I finished this morning; layers of plaster and paint, distressed, sanded, wire brushed, built up and worn away. It's as though centuries of time have passed to make this plaster wall soft and beautiful. These are the paintings in my dreams - warm, ancient, glowing with color.

I started with a plastered board that I'd laid textures onto. Random painting on that. I always start out thinking I'll photograph each step and then after a few photographs I go into a trance and only wake up when the work is finished. That's when I smack my head and remember I was supposed to be recording the process.

So I missed many steps. But you'll get an idea of what's going on. More plaster mixture added in this step to the painted layer. Then some sanding and distressing.

Until I got this.

And this was the last photo I shot (all these photos shot on my iPhone) before I left off taking pictures. The finished surface (first photo, not this one) is so soft and beautiful. I finished the plaster with Dorland's wax, something that I usually use to tone down a shiney surface but in this case it closed the pores in the surface of the work and left a soft satiny glow. I don't normally use cold wax on plaster but I was curious.

Heading back in there now for more plaster fun. Wheee, I can't get enough!