the stencil & the pour

  • Starting with a blank wood panel, I use painters tape to create a stencil. Stencils can be any shape depending on the theme of the painting. I use different tools to create the stencil including the painters tape itself, a drafting compass, and everyday objects (coins, plates, purchased stencil templates).

  • Once the stencil is created and applied to the panel, I use a potters’ burnishing tool (typically a piece of hard, shaped wood) to press the tape into the substrate. This creates a tight seal between the panel and the tape to prevent the paint from bleeding.

  • Finally, if a paint pour is the focal point, I use a combination of latex fluid mediums, high flow acrylic paints, and/or oils to create dynamic pouring elements.

A piece of artwork with blue, yellow, orange, green, and white swirls, placed on a blue frame, on a black table with art supplies in the background.
Abstract digital artwork with layers of blue, green, and silver colors, featuring geometric shapes and textured patterns.

the paint/tape cycle

  • Once the pour has completely dried, I cover it with tape to ensure isn’t accidentally painted over.

  • If painting a gradient, I start by masking off the area I want to paint. Then I paint that area beginning with the source color (straight from the tube)

  • Then, I wait for it to dry before masking off the next color for painting.

  • Once dried, I cover that with tape, mix in a bit of white, black, or other color to create the next color in the gradient, then paint the next element.

  • I repeat the process until the gradient is complete.

  • This process results in the panel being completely covered with tape.

the finished product

  • Then the fun part, I get to peel all the tape off to reveal the finished product.

  • I usually have a rough sketch created to guide me along the process. But, as the creative process moves along, ideas evolve and change. I never know exactly what the finished result will be.

  • Peeling off the tape to see the finished result is like Christmas morning when you’re 5 years old: exciting and thrilling. Except I don’t get any toy cars or Legos.

A metal mixing bowl containing yellow, orange, white, and red paint with some mixed paint at the bottom. In the background, a palette with a small square of swirling blue and white paint, and a colorful geometric artwork with diagonal stripes and a small rectangular section of ocean waves.