"Cross-Pollination"

Sand painting on canvas 72" x 84"

The process of creating this type of painting is to first stretch the canvas over a stretcher with plywood on its face. The plywood then supports my weight as I kneel on the canvas and pour the various designs from my hands.

I first use dry sand and complete a rough design using raw canvas and dry sand. When the sketch is complete I use a watery acrylic finish and apply through a paint sprayer by gently fogging over the surface until the sand becomes damp. It will then stay in place as i move closer to soak the sand through entirely to bind it to the canvas.

Once dry, more layers are added by squeezing lines of acrylic medium from specially design tubes with different gauges of applicators. each line id dusted with sand and when dry the excess is vacuumed away and the process repeats and repeats leaving many hours to dry between coats. I sometimes apply acrylic washes and add dimension through different color applications. The finished result sometimes has over 100 layers resulting in tough sandpaper-like surface with lots of textures.