Albert Tucker (1914–1999) was a modernist painter who often used textural effects in figurative and landscape paintings that explore ideas about Australian identity. As well as creating implied texture, Tucker was inspired by European expressionist artists such as Alberto Burri who added different materials to paint to develop relief-like surfaces. Tucker experimented with a variety of materials to build up a sense of depth in his paintings and give the surfaces an earth-like quality. This may been seen in a number of the paintings in the exhibition Albert Tucker: Marking the Past, which will be on display when Heide reopens its doors.
In this work Tucker used polymer paint mixed with PVA glue.
Here Tucker used oil, PVA, foil and cardboard to create a collage on composition board.
In other paintings Tucker experimented with adding materials such as sand, sawdust and even cement! He often had to work on wooden board rather than canvas, to support the weight of the materials.
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— MDF or plywood, approximately 20cm x 25cm — PVA glue 1/4 – 1/3 cup (If your work is larger you will need more glue)
— Masking Tape — Paint brushes — A mixing tub and mixing utensil — Water — A pencil — Popsticks, skewers or a stick from the garden — Textured materials of your choosing, e.g. dried leaves, sand, sawdust, tea leaves, wool, corrugated cardboard, sticks, dried grass, foam, bubble wrap, fabric scraps, buttons
Step 1 Draw a 1cm border around the edge of your piece of MDF or plywood.
Use masking tape to tape along the outer edge of the line you have marked as shown.
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Step 2 Using the pencil, draw a horizon line on the board and add a human or animal figure. In this example we thought about native Australian animals and chose to sketch an emu.
You could leave out the figure and create a landscape or abstract design if you prefer.
Keep your design relatively simple.
Step 3 Lay some newspaper underneath your artwork.
There are two ways of adding texture.
In this first method, use a paintbrush to paint PVA glue onto the area you want to add texture.
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Step 4 Apply your texture onto the PVA quickly, while the glue is still wet.
In these images sawdust is sprinkled over the sky area above the horizon line and soil is applied similarly to the ground.
Step 5 After applying your texture, gently pat it down and leave to dry in a warm place.
Once dry, gently tilt your artwork and tap off any excess material.
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Step 6 An alternative way to create texture is to mix your textural material such as soil with PVA in a mixing pot.
Stir to create a paste-like consistency.
Step 7 Apply this to any areas you would like to appear more solid and three-dimensional.
Here you can see the mixture has been applied to the emu figure.
Use a popstick or skewer to mould the mixture into your desired shape.
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Step 8 Try embedding other texture elements by pressing them into the wet areas of your artwork.
Think about the elements of SHAPE, COLOUR and TEXTURE that you are using and experiment with COMPOSITION until you are pleased with your artwork.
Step 9 Allow your work to dry in a warm place.
During the drying process, occasionally use a popstick or skewer to scratch into the surface to create lines and other marks.
Here a skewer was used to mark deep lines in the emu’s beak and neck. A popstick was used to carve out the eye area.
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Step 10 During the drying process, you can continue to build up layers on your artwork, adding more textural materials using a brush and PVA, and by carving out more markings.
Continue to build your artwork up in layers until you feel that it is complete.
Jason Martin — http://www.artnet.com/artists/jason-martin-2/
Step 11 When your final artwork is dry, you could paint the border in a contrasting colour, or you could frame it.
If it won’t fit inside the frame because of the raised, textured areas, use a knife to score and remove the masking tape.
If you need to further secure the textural elements, gently brush PVA over the entire work, being mindful not to break or lift up any areas. Alternatively you could apply a fixative or spray varnish.
