I am sorry…it’s been too long since my last post. Trust me, the delay is not for a lack of ideas. In fact, I have many more still to complete in the Textures of Mexico series. Rather, my folks just moved to Mexico and I’ve been wrapped up in trying to get them settled in. Life in Mexico often offers lessons in patience, and while I don’t want my folks to feel I’ve left them to fend for themselves, I also don’t want their lessons to be my lessons:)
However, they did arrive bearing gifts and among them was my new (my mother’s old) machine. This was the machine I learned to sew on:) Unfortunately the move was a bit hard on it and not all the gears were moving properly, if at all. But I called my handy, dandy repair guy and this morning he arrived. He cleaned, fiddled and oiled and in about a half hour my old machine was as good as new. I’m so excited!
So, now that the folks are starting to get the lay of the land, and my new/old machine is back in working order, I’m back to creating! Below is a sketch of the next piece I’ve started in the Textures of Mexico series. This one is definitely going down a more mixed media road. I’ve had a new, aluminum ceiling tile lying around the house and studio now for a while. I really loved the design, but hadn’t figured exactly what I wanted to do with it – until now. I’ve decided to use it for the base of a wall mounted mobile. The subjects of the mobile will be the leaves of my Níspero tree (loquat) and probably a single flower. I think I’ve worked out in my head how to create a fair replica of the leaves, and this smaller project will allow me to test my theories. I will, of course, be posting new technique videos during this creation process.
Here is the ceiling tile prepped for its new life. I’m sorry I didn’t take a before shot, but this tile I think was pressed aluminum with a galvanized or some other rust-proof coating (as most new tiles are these days).
To promote the rust, I first brushed on a solution of muriatic acid and water (if you try this please do this outside, don’t get any on your skin and make sure you’re up wind of the fumes). I let it sit for quite a long time and didn’t think it was doing anything….no color change…nothing. So, after several hours I washed off the residue of the acid with water and let the tile dry. Once it was dry, I realized there were a few rust streaks. So I gave the rust process another try, but this time I used a hot white vinegar and salt solution (lots of salt dissolved in boiling vinegar and much safer than the acid). I put this solution in a spray bottle and sprayed the entire piece and left it sit and dry overnight. The next morning the piece had changed color pretty much to what you see in the photo. However, I rubbed my fingers over it and realized that the rust was a powder over the surface and came off if touched. So, I resprayed the vinegar solution over the areas that were rubbed off and let it dry. After the piece was completely dry, I sprayed several coats of a clear, satin polyurethane to seal in the surface rust. Now that patina does not come off. There are a couple of areas that the original silver aluminum shows through. Clearly, those must be areas that were missed by the muriatic acid.
So, hasta la próxima vez….
