ARTIST OF THE WEEK TRACEY PLATT
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What was your inspiration for ‘Sea of Tranquility’. How does this work reflect the preoccupations of your practice?
The Cornish waters can vary so much, from clear, calm azure to the depth of darkness and white horses on a windy day. Blues and greens also go well together. In this painting, I chose all the colours I see in the ocean around Cornwall. This is an acrylic paint pour/flow art composition and I wanted the paint to reflect the movement of currents and swells as well as bringing together all the colours I see in the ocean. As with all my flow art, I finish with 3-4 coats of high gloss varnish which brings out all the colours and makes it jewel, glass-like.
Can you tell us about your painting ‘Lockdown’. How did you use acrylics to create the work’s incredible marbled effect?
This painting is an acrylic paint pour/flow art composition. This is a science-based technique in that paints have different densities meaning that the heavier paints sink down and the lighter ones come to the top. This method creates ‘cells’. However, in order to create much larger scale cells, silicone oil is added to the paints. Warming up the paint after pouring helps to create the cells. As with all my flow art, I finish with 3-4 coats of high gloss varnish which brings out all the colours and makes it jewel, glass-like. I named the piece ‘Lockdown’ because I created it during the UK lockdown.
Your abstract acrylic work ‘Penzance Carnival’ is full of energy and movement. Can you tell us about the various techniques used to create this piece and the time scale involved?
It started as an acrylic paint pour/flow art composition, but I felt that it just needed something to make it zing. After it had dried, I decided to add splashes of red, hot pink and white. I also scraped over some specialist medium which dries clear and this gives it a 3D, textured effect. As there were several stages to this work, it took several weeks to finish. As with all my flow art, I finish with 3-4 coats of high gloss varnish which brings out all the colours and makes it jewel, glass-like. I named the piece ‘Penzance Carnival’ because the colours remind me of a carnival/festival.
