swilsy

Abstract Sun Scene

November, 27, 2026

This is my first 2×4’ piece. I didn’t plan for the landscape design. I was trying things out to see how bold lines look on a larger surface. I wanted to test different lengths and turns to see how the overall piece would come together. I remember adding what would become the sun in the end. It was to test semi-circles and to see how I could build off a more defined grouping. This piece was completed over the course of a few days. At some point after adding the sun, and before finishing, I was able to see what was coming through. Once I had the image in my mind I did what I could to put that to form. The painting would be how I would define this piece more than the lines themselves.

I certainly don’t know much about painting or color theory. I pick colors that I like. This was a tedious process of painting individual lines. This was the first attempt of painting rather than dying. I used a chisel brush that was able to wrap around the lines well. I didn’t want to get too close to the surface, but I didn’t want too much of the line’s white to show either. I was using acrylic paint which was fine for the job, but it applies thin and being water based, needs a couple of layers. The water based paint also softens the gypsum to the point being able to erode. By the end of painting, the brush has a lot of gypsum mixed into the bristles.

Working on this piece taught me a lot about my setup. There were many times I was physically uncomfortable with how I was hovering over the work. I tried a few different easels that I made based on Japanese carpenter tables. It helped, but was overall not dynamic enough. I had issues with the size of the piece, how it would bend and flex. When the gypsum has fully set, it is quite stiff. Before it sets, it can crack easily. Especially if the mix had a lot of moisture. manipulating the board was tricky at times. I noticed that the higher moisture content would also warp the birch wood if there was a high density of lines on a thinner board.

There was a lot to take away from working on this, outside of the artistic elements. The technical details for the setup and work surface would be very important moving forward. This piece had no backing which made it difficult to hang after finishing. I would eventually start prepping the boards much more than what I had done in the beginning. The work is more structured and stable. It makes a more refined product in the end. The process for creating my work surfaces has become as involved and as important as the design work itself.