Izannah's Dream

I've been working on this mixed media/collage piece for a couple of weeks. I find it really interesting to think about how Izannah Walker's brain worked - her inventiveness and her varied interests. I like that she didn't mind being different. I really wish we knew more about her. Anyway, while working on my Izannah project, I've been meditating on Izannah's dream. And that's what this piece is called.


It's painted on an 8 x 10 inch cradled wood panel. I made a monotype print on fabric which I glued to the front of the gessoed panel. Then I took images from Izannah's 1873 patent and glued them here and there on top of the fabric. Acrylic glazes were painted on top of the cloth and images. After that, I made some marks with Prismacolor pencils. Then I glazed over those. Finally, I brushed rubbing alcohol over the final glazing, and wiped away paint here and there. A lot of process in this piece!


The sides are treated in the same way as the front of the painting. Here are some detail pictures:








After I do these experimental works I almost always find a passage that I wish was a painting of its own. I like the last piece - the way the weave comes through and yet you can see the marks on the cloth and paper. I definitely like the way the paint collects on the torn edge of the fabric.