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Alicja in the Fluid Art Land

Writer's picture: justbecausepandajustbecausepanda


I wrote the below article for an amazing polish free magazine PSYCHODIA where you can find articles about psychology, self improvement, personal growth and health. If you'd prefer to read it in Polish please go HERE


My adventure with fluid art began a few years ago. Fresh spring morning, cooing of a pigeon sitting on a parapet (there's no way to deal with pigeons in Krakow, no matter what you do, those pesky creatures will always come back to sit on your parapet), a breath of fresh Kraków air... can there be anything more amazing?

And then I understood... those white (well, actually almost grey) walls need some color! Since I can remember, I have always created something. From figurines out of chalk or butter (yes, butter), to armor pieces and costumes from thermoplastic, but I have never painted a proper painting, like a seriously serious one.


We are living in a truly beautiful times, where access to information is almost unlimited so I have decided to search for 'how to make an easy painting'. I'm not great with painting landscapes and if I would try to paint a duck it would probably look like a duck with a very rough childhood. Soooo... I have decided to check abstraction. Forces of destiny are strong though! So strong! At the same time in my day job, my work colleagues decided to go for an abstract art workshop. I mean, what are the odds? And so we went! Team building yay. During the workshop I have learned how to paint using an art spatula which I immediately fell in love with because I have never done anything like that and I love new things. Besides, everything was completely covered in paint and messy which always makes me happy. Once I came back home I tried searching for similar techniques and that's how I found out about pour painting. Pour painting is when you mix acrylic paint with various.... stuff (like silicone oil for example)... until you get a consistency of a pancake dough (yes, I know... everyone makes pancakes in a different way so that could mean anything lol). Next, you pour your mixture onto canvas in various color order. You can also drag it by using wipes, you can pour it through a strainer, move it with an air from a hair dryer... the number of method and ways to experiment is almost infinite. Hope you can imagine my happiness when I could go crazy messy with paint and at the same time create something pretty (well, that depends on what you consider pretty of course). Less happy was my floor, furniture and carpet because I was pouring my paintings in the living room.


While looking at art created by fluid artists I have noticed some pieces are made using alcohol inks. Delicate, mystical... like elves from Tolkien's trilogy. I'm a very curious creature so I had to try this technique. I have bought crazy amount of inks and second chapter of my adventure has started. Alcohol ink art consists of alcohol inks being spread on a special synthetic paper, mixed with special (everything is special here as you can see / read ) blender solution and moved around by using air blown through straws, using your fingers, air from hair dryer... whatever you can think of. Just like with pour painting, there's so many methods here it's difficult to get bored. Oh and guess what, gold alcohol ink exists and nothing can beat gold alcohol ink! nuuu-uh! Even if your painting looks ... well not great, once you add a bit of gold it becomes a true masterpiece (note, exaggeration here is on purpose ;)


I've noticed a lot of artists cover their paintings with resin. Of course I had to try that as well because it looked so beautiful. Paintings covered in resin look like a mirror which hides a different universe on the other side. Beginnings with resin were not easy since resin is not a forgiving material. You need to treat it with respect, pick your colors wisely, talk to your resin in a calm manner and maybe, just maybe it will decide to cooperate with you. Remember: always respect your resin! Resin can not only be used for paintings, you can also create figurines or decorations out of it (alongside learning how to use resin I became obsessed with creating my own silicone molds :O). Thanks to resin I have started making my own unicorns! What more can you want from life? My very own unicorn in colors chosen by me + I can glue rhinestones on it's tail! There's so much fun with resin. Much cry as well, especially if I notice some of it dripped onto my floor or boiled inside the silicone mold (maybe I didn't treat it with respect back then... learn on my mistakes!)


My passion to create led me to starting my own art company. I not only create and sell my stuff but also teach various fluid art techniques in Krakow. Fluid art is for everyone, you don't need to know how to draw an eagle sitting on a donkey which is galloping through a beach during a sunset. All you need is a bit of ink, pinch of pigment, half cup of resin and you can make something pretty. There's also no better feeling than (after long week at work) putting on an apron, getting a glass of wine (or water, wine is optional), taking a gallon of resin and starting on unicorns or paintings.

Hosting workshops is also always sooooo amazing for me. Thanks to them I meet so many super creative people (some of them never knew how creative they are!) who with their energy and positivity motivate me to experiment more, create and destroy ;)


And with that I'm going to end my little story. Do try fluid art. Each method is amazing in its own way and everyone will find something they can be good at. Christmas is coming, maybe this year you'll create something for your loved ones?


 

Hope you enjoyed reading this blog post,

please go check my social media and etsy store <3


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