hope for tomorrow

In light of all that is happening in the world these days, I want to create a project that expresses hope, hope for tomorrow and all the days beyond. For me, I find this hope when I look inward to my faith. In my religion, during the Lenten season, we prepare for our salvation to come. I find it fitting that the current situation is taking place during Lent. Whatever religious beliefs you hold, I hope that you can find some peace from this message of hope that I wish to convey.

I begin with a Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts vintage triptych florentine. Although this set contains four pieces, my final project only uses three of them, I have omitted the central frame piece.  I search through my collection of old religious cards and images to find one that best fits the message I want to convey. With the image in hand, I begin work on the finishes.

Some of my favorite and most cherished religious art is in the form of icons. We have a number of antique pieces that I adore, some formal while others are almost rustic in appearance. I would like this piece to be a blending of the two.

On the exterior facades of the main central panel as well as the two half panels, I add texture using a stencil, palette knife, and transparent matte texture paste. This is applied randomly to give a timeworn appearance.

When the texture paste has fully dried, I add a coat of white gesso to the interior of the central panel where my image will be located. Next, I paint a layer of acrylic paint on all of the remaining surfaces. I set this aside to dry completely.

Using the central frame piece, I trace the open edge onto the rear face of the painted pieces. I paint  in the framed edge with a brushed metallic acrylic paint and allow to dry. 

I flip the pieces and begin to add some of the metallic paint along the edges of the two side panels freehand.

Using two Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts rose border pieces, I trim each down to accommodate the two flanking sides. The trimmed pieces are attached with craft glue and when the glue is dry, they are then painted with the acrylic base coat color. 

A layer of gilding wax is rubbed along the raised rose details.

The image I have selected for the central panel is attached with a layer of collage medium and then covered with another layer of collage medium, once in place. After the collage medium has dried, I sand the edges to remove any excess and create a clean edge.

I decide that the central panel should have an edge like the sides. Using the brushed metallic paint and a medium brush, I create a border around the edge. The paint is not opaque and therefore requires two coats.  Once the edge has set, I cover the focal image with a mask and then using a stencil add rays extending outward from the risen christ figure. One layer of the paint lightly applied through the stencil creates the exact look I am hoping to achieve. A few thin lines of the base color painted along the inside border finish the central panel.

Hinges are used to secure the three pieces together. The small screws are longer than the chipboard thickness, so a strong adhesive is used in place of the fasteners. (Note: You can cut the tops of the screws off and surface glue them into their respective locations after the hinges are secure for a "faux" look.)   

The wax is used to accent the raised stenciling along the exterior face of the triptych.

I hope that you are healthy and remaining safe during the unsettling times. I have faith that with time, we will get through this together and be stronger as a community, a nation, and as a whole. 

Remember to never lose sight of hope, wherever you may find it.

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by the blog today, 

I truly appreciate it.

~Ann 

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts used:

vintage triptych florentine

(2) rose border