Deliquescence: to disappear as if by melting

Acrylic paint and modeling paste

by Emma
Grade 11
Ross Sheppard School

Teacher: Peg McPherson

Artist’s Statement

For this fire-themed project I chose to focus in on melting caused by the heat of fire. In an effort to be more spontaneous, unlike many of my other projects, I did not plan this one out very carefully. When I started this project all I had planned was to do something with fire and circles.

As well as pushing myself to be more spontaneous, I have also been pushing myself to try new mediums and techniques. In this piece I used acrylic modeling paste and watered-down acrylic paints for the first time. The light paint application gives the impression of melting or disappearing. The modeling paste was used under the grey-black areas to add texture to create the melting wax appearance. I tried to blend the acrylic paints to create an illusion of depth with a warm, fiery centre. Through this project I learned that I really like the style of light paint application. I hope to use watered-down paints and modeling paste again in the future.