Table of Contents
Introduction
My interest in making art for others started with oil painting. I moved to watercolor because I wanted more transparency, and then watercolor landscapes in plein air (outside). While in California, I practiced plein air and brought home many photographs of coast and crest to study watercolor. I started dabbling in plaster topography of mountains and coastal areas of tide pools filled with transparent blue resin. I wanted to see light and shadows on the terrain from the sun and bottoms of tidepools. These pieces of art were very heavy but some survived. I am now working fully with transparent resin art paintings, discovering new techniques and incorporating them into my process. In my studio, I am able to let resin pieces cure un-disturbed while they harden fully.
Basics of Resin Painting
The artwork for these slabs of resin are designed on paper with pencil and markers, scales and straight edge triangles. I layout the concepts, dimensions, colors, and composition. 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! Leaking between boundaries has been challenging as well. 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 for clarity and hardness. Good epoxy resin is certainly worth the extra money.
My Transparent Resin Art Process
I overlay primary colors of transparent resin in steps to create a secondary color (orange). The layers are separated vertically and the areas of puddles are separated horizontally. The lines of clear caulk that separates areas becomes invisible and allows light to pass through it, picking up the adjacent color. I’m now trying brass rods and copper tube bent around the puddle shapes. The perimeter walls around the art keep the liquid resin in place until it is cured, which can be 48 hours. I have overcome the resin sticking to the substrate by experimenting with different clear and opaque plastics. The best plastic is Polypropylene followed by high density polyethylene or HDPE. Many of my designs need a clear substrate in order to transfer designs from behind the substrate. I’ve tested many resins and arrived at Epodex as the best for clarity, strength and ultimate hardness. My finished arwork needs to rest for about three weeks to reach its complete rigidity.
Transparency Lets Light Through Resin
Transparency has been my ambition since working with oil, and I traded up to watercolor to get a thinner, more transparent look. Now I’m using resin for the ultimate in transparency and mixing wet primary colors on the clear base 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 I have tried many different approaches. I have discovered LED rope lights as a way to indirectly light the face of the transparent painting evenly. By pointing the rope light at the wall behind the resin art painting, the light is cast uniformly through the transparent art.
Simplicity in Composition
Design elements that have clear, bright, geometric shapes assembled in a strong bond are the best type of composition. I have carried that principle into my transparent resin art paintings. The resin painting below portrays a hexagon composed of diamonds and stars. Hexagons and diamonds are made from triangles. This painting does not have LED back lighting but could be placed in a window to allow sunlight through. The hanger is a small French Cleat. This geometric assembly works well with the divided highly transparent colors. I’ve also encorporated metals (brass or copper) into the construction as a divider similar to stained glass. The outer shape of the resin slab was built as a hexagon to reflect the six-points of the snowflakes and the Star of David. The resin is clear, clean and glossy. I’ve learned to use pigmented resin colorant and not dye. The dye fades when placed in sunlight. This well-built painting should last a very long time.
Studio Work
I create my resin art paintings in a studio near my home where I can use glues, resin, and solvents 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 from a planned design with a tried and true process that achieves my 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 with each project. I employ improvements with the next piece of art and now have established results. I can apply my knowledge to ideas you have for a commissioned resin art painting.
I have figured a way to layer primary colors of resin to create a composition of primary and secondary colors overlapping and adjacent. I’m currently using 3/16″ copper tube to divide areas of color, much like a stained glass window. I tried brass rods but they were hard to bend and they weigh much more than a plugged hollow tube.
Confident Construction
The resin can be colored with liquid pigment (not dye) before it goes on or the color “added” when the resin is liquid. I use Epodex deep pour resin which stays liquid for 36 hours before curing hard and clear. It takes a lot of equipment and construction elements to keep the liquid 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 pour is formed solid, it needs to rest and cure. It is laid flat on a sheet of polypropylene for another week.
LED lighting is added behind the resin slab, which casts an indirect smooth light through the transparent resin. Stand-offs are used to mount the art to the wall. I’m now experimenting with 3/4″ square brass tubes as a frame for resin slabs (pictured below).
Size, Price, Shipping
Most of my resin paintings are about 24″ or 30″ wide and come in hexagons, rectangles, squares. The lowest price for an unframed painting is $160. “Winter” is an example of that price level. Others are prices at $250 or $300. Framed resin art with metal dividers could be higher. I can add an LED lighting system (strip, rope, lamp, and 12 or 24 volt battery with optional AC power). Shipping is free to customers out of the greater Omaha area but you will have to hang it yourself. For local customers, delivery and installation is included with the painting price. I want the work of art to look as awesome as you would expect in your home or business.
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