I have been experimenting with resin for the past year. Not resin pour where someone creates a beautiful table top, and not resin cast where someone pours resin into a little mold, but resin with a paint brush. Yes, a paint brush.
I mix a very small amount and then paint it onto whatever it is I want to protect (usually something relatively fragile that I have created). Sometimes I have to do one side, let it dry 24 hours, sand the mistakes off, and paint again. I find it a very satisfying way to do things and I am liking the results, for the most part.
This past week, I used resin to “finish” a piece of bisque ware that was gifted to me by a high school art class. I don’t know who the potter was (or is), only that the piece was tossed in the trash bin for some reason. It was then rescued by a friend and donated to me to paint. In the absence of a kiln, I decided to try resin. the resulting piece is not dishwasher or microwave or food safe. It’s merely a piece of art.
The potter mast have had something in mind.
Fun, but… It’s not all *mine* and maybe even a bit “ho-hum”. A display of teenage obsession with horror and vampire movies and books.
Then I decided to do something with some of my own original art, namely coating the artist’s conks I recently painted. The coating of resin brings out the color and preserved the conk (not like the conks really needed preserving: I’ve had them in storage for anywhere between 20 and 30 years and they are still just fine).
The first one is one I felt needed a stand to lift it up and give the viewer a better angle to see the item. I could have simply relied on E6000 (glue) but opted to use resin ad the binding material. A stick of wood added to the cave scene offers a little authenticity to the piece.
The second conk I know I have had for 30 years. I carved a sofa scene on it with a wood burner ages ago but recently felt it not only needed color, but something to make it appear more three dimensional. I found a resin kitten at a craft store and knew I had the ticket. This time, I glued the kitty in place before I painted the resin on. I am very pleased with the outcome.
The next four photos are of another craft I started and then abandoned. Ponderosa Pine trees are constantly shedding their bark and the pieces look like little puzzle pieces. Each piece or interlocked piece can inspire the imagination, but the bark is very fragile – even pressure from a paint brush can cause them to break. I painted five before I set the idea aside. I didn’t know how I could strengthen those tiny bits.
I discovered the pieces while I was purging my studio of unfinished projects and things I will never get around to. Hmmm. What is I could delicately paint them with resin and come up with a stronger item?
The longest one of these pieces (front and back) is 3″ (the ghost). I painted both sides of that one, but I left the Pileated woodpecker (1.5″) plain on the back. I did glue the loops on originally, but a little resin set them.
The best part is that now they can be handled without fear of them accidentally snapping in half! I still have a small box of puzzle pieces to stoke my imagination, and I can find Ponderosa pines anywhere on the east side of the Cascades, a mere 90 minute drive away from home. I’m thinking that I could make a series of whimsical pendants to sell for cheap at a pop-up market.
Jaci Dawn 