This series I painted this summer was experimental. I’ve shown you all the stages in earlier posts, and mostly I thought I was complete with it. The small works have taken quit a bit of my time and attention. Yesterday I took sandpaper to the work and I varnished it. I loved the look. Though it’s not, the work somehow appears more fragile.
before
after
The cat is casein, gesso and graphite. I took a sandpaper block to the entire surface, and then went back in to add highlight to parts of the work. I covered the composition with casein varnish. I also sanded the egg tempera rat below and took the casein varnish to it.
I don’t know if you see the surface marks the varnish accentuates.
The work has a soft sheen and almost appears like a painting on metal. But these are 2 sided prepare paper. They hang in space.
I hung one work this summer and saw a number of people touching it. It drove me a little crazy. But now they’re protected. I never met for them to show, I was just playing with materials and ideas.
Like I said, this was experimental, I didn’t plan to show the anatomy studies. But as it is the series will show at the Tempe Center for the Arts, in December. They’re varnished, which means they’re now protected. The edges of the paper are also protected. And TCA set me up with cool hangers that I like.
Monica Aissa Martinez 
