I peel the back of the paper away. I have to be painfully patient, but slowly the photocopied image can be seen through the remaining thin layer of paper. Now I have to carefully rub the last of the paper away to reveal the picture that has transferred to the canvas…
I have been making image transfers lately. It is a fabulous and sometimes frustrating process.
- Take one black & white laserjet photocopy
- Cover it with a layer of medium
- Lay it, medium side down, onto a canvas or other smooth surface
- Smooth out the bubbles and extra medium
- Let dry for a few minutes
- Peel off thin layer of paper
- Let dry further, for an hour or overnight
- Rub off remaining thin layer of paper
- Admire image that appears on canvas
There is, of course, all sorts of things that can go wrong. Rub too hard and the picture ends up with holes. Don’t rub hard enough and the image is murky with opaque white patches of residual paper. The image is always opposite to what you started with, so if you want it to appear like the original photo, you must make a reverse/mirror copy. Happily, I adore the resultant wabi-sabi imperfection.
Each time I work another picture into my compositions, I think about memories.
How imperfect they are. How we change them every time we turn them over, rub at this corner or that, peering through the foggy lens of time. That what is revealed is not necessarily the truth of the original…
We all have our stories, the stories we tell of who we are and how we came to be. Every story is compiled of imperfect memories; memories that are not whole, memories with holes…
Beautifully imperfect holy memories.
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Great photo of Uncle Hank! The pipe must be for effect, as I doubt he ever smoked one … at least not in my memory.
As for the video, I made an original dessert (25+++ yrs ago) and named it “The Next Best Thing to Robert Redford!” It never fails to impress. If Christine wants a special dessert, she just asks for “Redford with real whipped cream.” I substitute calorie reduced Cool Whip & light cream cheese, and it’s still good.
Dad smoked cigarettes at some point…though Mom tuned him up on that in a hurry 🙂
Not sure if he ever smoked a pipe though. You’re probably right that it’s a prop, though you never know!
I love the idea of Redford with real whipped cream! Sounds quite divine!