Geometric Resin Art Paintings Process and Designs

Introduction

My interest in making art for others started with oil painting, moved to watercolor, then watercolor landscapes in plein air (outside), then dabbling in plaster topography of mountains and coastal areas with tide pools filled with blue resin. I am now working fully with resin art paintings, discovering new techniques and incorporating them into the process.

“Seaside” resin painting diplayed at Blick Art Materials in Omaha, NE.

My Unique Resin Painting Art

These slabs of resin are designed on paper with markers. I layout the concepts, dimensions, colors, and composition. The building of the layered slab of colored resin has evolved through experimentation and trial. Some of the most important principles are keeping the whole painting level on a solid platform that doesn’t leak! I now have a process that produces strong, solid, bright transparent blocks of resin about 3/8″ to 1/2″ thick. The edges are clean and square. The quality of the resin is really important and certainly worth the extra money.

My Resin Style

I overlay primary colors of resin in steps to create a secondary color (orange). The layers are separated vertically and the areas are separated horizontally. The glue that separates areas becomes invisible and allows light to pass through it, picking up the adjacent color.  The walls around the art keep the liquid resin in place until it is cured. Arwork needs to rest for about three weeks to reach its complete hardness.

Transparency has been my ambition since working with oil, and I traded up to watercolor to get a more transparent look. Now I’m using resin for the ultimate in transparency and overlaying primary colors to make secondary colors. Most of my paintings are geometric in design and bright in colors that are relevant to the subject and theme of the painting. I have long wanted to light up my paintings and tried many different approaches. I have discovered LED rope lights and a way to indirectly light the face of the painting evenly.

My Watercolor Style

In the picture above, you can see my watercolor painting “California in Winter” (painted on 11″x14″ on my Art Bus in California). While traveling in Southern California, I saw the Sierra Nevada mountains on a clear day from the valley in Fresno, CA. It was December and there were oranges in fields, oranges in trucks, oranges on trees, and they were all headed East for Christmas. The appearance to me was vast orchards of oranges extending to the far distance with snow-capped mountains in the background. This is a strong geometric composition where the road in perspective divides the orchard and “floats” up to the foothills of massive snow covered mountains under a clear blue sky.

Design Elements

Design elements that have clear, bright, geometric shapes in a strong bond are the best composition. I have carried that style into resin art paintings. The resin painting below is called “Winter” and portrays snowflakes with six sides in a hexagon format. This painting does not have LED lighting and instead, the hanger is a simple french cleat. It could be placed in front of a window to capture and portray the light into blue diamonds with white irridescent snow falling in a geometric pattern. The shape of the resin slab was formed as a hexagon. The resin is clear, clean and glossy. The painting will last forever. It is on display at Blick Art Materials in Omaha where I work part-time.

Studio Work

I create my resin art paintings in a studio near my home where I can use glues, resin, and other chemicals to build solid works of art. I typically have three to five pieces of art going in various stages of construction. I say construction because they really are built as a planned design with a tried and resolved processes that produce my absolute best work. I have many compositional ideas on paper and on large sheets of acetate. I move from one idea to the next and learn new techniques and advantages that I employ with the next piece of art. Right now, I have figured a way to layer primary colors of resin to create a composition of primary and secondary colors.

Resin Art Construction

The resin can be dyed before it goes on or color “added” when the resin is fresh. It takes a lot of equipment and construction elements to keep the resin where it is placed and to prevent leaking from one area to another. Having the painting completely level is extremely important throughout the process. When the resin slab is formed, it needs to rest and cure for about three weeks. It is hung vertically with supports. LED lighting is added behind the resin slab, which casts an indirect smooth light through the transparent resin.

Size and Pricing

Most paintings are about 24″ to 30″ and come in hexagons, rectangles, squares. Frames are not needed because the edge is formed cleanly and square. The lowest price for a painting is $300. “Winter” is an example of that price level. Others are prices at $400 or $500 if a LED lighting system is included (24 volt battery or AC powered). Larger pieces of work may cost $100 to $200 more. Shipping is free to customers out of the greater Omaha area but you will have to hang it yourself. For local customers, installation is included with the painting price. I want the work of art to look as awesome as you expect in your home or business.

Commissions

I do commissions in the sense that I use your idea, get your approval through concepts and review of the work in progress. If you like it, you can buy it for the agreed price. If not, I will add it to my inventory. No commitment on your part. All work is original and my designs are copyrighted to Watercolor Wildflowers.