Changes in Relief and Color Over a Series of Pictorial Works

Leonardo, Vol. 14, pp. 35-36. Pergamon Press, 1981. Printed in Great Britain. CHANGES IN RELIEF AND COLOR OVER A SERIES OF PICTORIAL WORKS Joseph Germana* The four works described here are representative parts of a series of 12 works that were made during the year 1978-9, the first 10of which were shown at Block Prints Gallery, Blacksburg, Virginia, in 1979. In retrospect, I find that the relative contributions of relief and color systematically change over the series. The four works are described below in chronological order to give the idea of their development. 'Bamboo' (May 1978) (Fig. 1) is a collage prepared from black and white Colorcast paper (Champion Papers, Hamilton, Ohio), which has a high-gloss finish. (In an earlier note, I reported on other works made with this paper [1].) The square black background of Colorcast is mounted on a larger sheet of tan charcoal paper, leaving a light matt border. The bamboo stalks were prepared from a double layer of white Colorcast paper treated with a sepia stain and the leaves from black and white Colorcast imprinted with a silver glaze. This work is characterized by little variation in color and by a slight relief that is observable only at close range. A companion piece, 'Satori' (May 1978), made from the same materials, is somewhat more intricate but shows the same, low degrees of relief and color. . 'Confessions of a Mask' (Dec. 1978) (Fig. 2) is one from the second group of the series that shows more brilliant color and higher relief, achieved through acrylic impasto and carving. The mask was carved out of illustration board (about 2mm thickness) to which paint had been applied. The lower part of the mask has been placed over a black shape made of Colorcast paper. The paper had been treated with several layers of black spray enamel and each layer was scored numerous times to produce a shimmering surface. Both the relief and color effects are more pronounced here than in the first group, but their individual contributions to the whole pictorial work seem to remain equivalent. The same effects were produced in two companion pieces, 'Fan' (July 1978) and 'The Autumn Wind' (Jan. 1979). 'On Her Dressing Table' (March 1979) (Fig. 3) is one of the third group, in which color is subdued and relief is emphasized. The crescent-shaped part of the necklace was made of illustration board, and, at one point in its varied folds, it is raised more than a centimeter above the black Plexiglas background. The necklace is full-size and the crescent-shaped part projects through the picture plane. The part's coloring is complex. There is an undercoat of bronze enamel and the detailed design has been applied using watercolors in acrylic gel medium and both ground chalk and Conte crayon in •Artist and psychophysiologist, Dept. of Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, U.S.A. (Received 4 Oct. 1979) 35 Fig. 1. 'Bamboo', Colorcast paper, silver glaze, sepia stain, charcoal paper, 50 x 50cm, 1978. (Collection of C. Piller, Blacksburg, Va., U.S.A.) (Photo: M. Strawn, Blacksburg, Va., U.S.A.) the gel medium. A companion work, 'Small Fan' (March 1979), was made from the fan-shaped piece of illustration board remaining after cutting out the crescent -shaped part shown in Fig. 3. The fan was painted and otherwise treated differently from the necklace, but, again, relief is emphasized over complex but subdued color. The last works of the series show a surprising reversal in which brilliant and highly varied color emerges over infinitesimal relief. The representative work, 'Sunshower Enlightenment' (Sept. 1979) (Fig. 4, cf. color plate) was made in the following way. After the borders of a square piece of white illustration board (100% cotton board) had been masked, white acrylic modeling paste was applied and shaped with palette knife and other implements to produce a form that was then allowed to harden. Mixtures of watercolors in acrylic gel medium were applied to the prepared surface in successive stages (red, blue, yellow). Following the application and drying of each color, the surface was sanded to varying degrees and in certain directions. This procedure allows...