Bolt From the Blue

52” h X 52”w X 2”
© PJ Bergin
$7800

Mulberry Paper (Hanji), Acrylic, Manga, Newsprint, Acrylic, Encaustic medium

I understand why people like to know what it takes to fully realize a finished piece of artwork. Where does the artist start? What are the materials? Where will they be placed and why? How does the artist know when to stop? In the instance of “Bolt From the Blue,” I had the title (an all-time favorite expression) selected and worked the piece around that theme from the beginning. The colors had to be bold and bright. And of course there had to be a huge graphic design depicting the bolt. As the artwork started to take shape I became more and more excited. Even though I always had this expression in the back of my mind as a theme for an artwork, the piece still took on a life of its own as it materialized. I am delighted with the results! I kept following the “headlights” of my intuition, letting it guide me.

Joomchi is a 500-year-old Korean technique using water to fuse several layers of handmade mulberry papers (Hanji) together. After the Hanji is dry and the artwork is finished a thin layer of encaustic medium is painted over the surface to add depth and dimension to the colors and texture.

Ready for Hanging. A custom metal bracket is included for easy installation. It gives the artwork the illusion of floating off the wall forming unique shadows and reflection