Watercolour Paintings with Superimposed Shapes of Coloured Acetate Sheet

Leorimdo, Vol. I I, pp. 293-294. 0Pergamon Press Ltd. 1978. Printed in Great Britain. 0024-091x 17x1tooI--0293s0?.0010 WATERCOLOUR PAINTINGS WITH SUPERIMPOSED SHAPES OF COLOURED ACETATE SHEET Naomi Boretz* with Anne van Buren** ~~ 1. The watercolour, diluted with water, is applied to the In my recent painting I (N.B.) have attempted to exploit the property of transparency afforded by watercolours. I have developed my technique to the point where I can brush on as many as five distinctly perceivable layers of wash. However, after several years of using the watercolour that way, I decided that I could not add more layers without seriously affecting the transparency of the surface; I began to consider other ways in which the transparency might be exploited. When I saw coloured cellulose acetate sheets in an art-supply shop, I realized that this material could be superimposed over an area painted in watercolour and the transparency of more layers could be taken advantage of. Now 1 fitcarefully cut pieces of coloured acetate sheet to selected areas of a finished watercolour (Fig. I). Two superimposed pieces on 5 layers of watercolour add yet another level of transparency and do not diminish the luminosity of the colours (Fig. 2). Generally, I use rag watercolour paper (Fabriano Co., Fabriano, Italy; 300-lb rating), which 1 soak in cold water for one or two days. I tape the wet paper to a flat surface and let it dry for a full day. 1draw lines for the composition lightly in pencil and then apply the paint in successive layers. Before beginning a painting, however, I have in mind the areas that also will be covered by acetate sheet. paper in the colour obtained directly from a tube, that is, I do not mix colours on a palette prior to application. Each layer applied is slightly darker than the preceding one. The first layer is generally applied to relatively large areas and the following layers to progressively smaller ones. I use unmixed colours, because lightness and saturation are frequently diminished on mixing, producing, in the extreme, ‘muddy’ effects. The watercolour must be applied quickly to large areas, in order to avoid streaks, and a full day is required for each area to dry thoroughly. A complex composition often requires many weeks to complete. Finally, I cut the acetate sheet (thickness0.19 mm) into desired shapes and affix them to the paper with a glue (Scotch Spra-Mount, No. 6065, made by 3M Company, St. Paul, Minn., U.S.A.). This technique does not permit the correction of errors, because watercolour stains the paper quickly and the glue prevents tke removal of the acetate shapes without damage to the paper surface. 1 work in this demanding way because I am able to produce the transparency effects that I seek and that are not attainable in this medium otherwise. I rarely ‘experiment’ with materials to find artistic uses for them; rather 1 turn to materials, traditional and new, to find ways of solving problems arising from ideas 1 wish to express. I am currently working on a technique for executing these paintings on a much larger scale using handmade papers of unusual size. As to the potential scope of my work in this direction, I foresee no limits as long as 1 continue to have new ideas that I wish to express. Fig.I . Nmriii Boreti. ‘TrorisparerrciesII‘, wntercoluirr or1 puper. cellirlose~rcetnte,filrir,30.5 x 42.5 cm, 1975. *Artist, 15 Southern Way, Princeton, NJ 08540, U.S.A. **Arthistorian,Dept.of FineArts,TuftsUniversity. Medford. MA 02155, U.S.A. (Reccived 20 Jan. 1978.) 293 294 Naomi Borett with Anne van Buren 2. In the preceding section, I emphasized the technique that I employ currently in making pictures, which, I believe, is a new way to exploit the transparency of watercolour to introduce effects suggestive of fine-cut polished jewels. Such effects in the pictures, of course, cannot be appreciated in photographs of them. The following is an attempt to describe in words the appearance of the picture entitled ‘Based on Yellow’ (Fig. 3, cf. colour plate). (The description is based on the analysis by Anne van Buren.) The...