fine art – RAK Fluid Art

Have you wondered what alcohol inks are? Have you wondered if they are accepted in the world of fine art? I am here to tell you that alcohol inks are ink that is suspended in alcohol and YES, they are accepted in the world of fine art!

I love the fluid motion that occurs when using these inks. They are the most similar to watercolors just instead of activating with water like you do in watercolors, you activate the inks with alcohol. I use a Kamar Varnish and UV Protective spray to increase the archival properties.

My latest series is called “Freedom” and these pieces are strictly alcohol ink on either Yupo paper or Mineral paper. Yupo paper is a synthetic plastic that is nonabsorbent in a paper form. Mineral paper is made from rocks instead of trees and has a nonabsorbent surface that is slightly different from Yupo. If you are interested in trying alcohol inks, I suggest you try these and as many other nonabsorbent surfaces that you can find. For a cheap alternative to get started, just use Freezer paper (glossy side) or a For Sale sign that you would buy in Walmart.

If you like the look, but don’t want to get your hands messy, then check out my latest alcohol ink paintings below. You can find more paintings in my shop or let me know if there are some specific color combinations you would like for your home!

Lately I have been working in a series without realizing it. I have been loving working in encaustics and alcohol inks to create these floral pieces. I was showing my son and daughter-in-law my latest piece, and they immediately said it looks like a glass of wine sloshing about.

What do you think? Does it remind you of a glass of wine? We were drinking wine at the time, so I’m not sure if that helps persuade you or not! Now that I think of it, all of my floral pieces look like a glass of delicious wine! I am going to name this series FloraVine. I didn’t want it to be too obvious by calling it wine flowers, but I wanted it to have the same feeling that I get when I make one of these pieces.

My husband and I go to Christkindlemarkt every year and they have an abundance of Gluhwein (pronounced glu – vine) which brought me to my series name “FloraVine”. Maybe this will only make sense to me!!

This piece called Tranquility is going to be submitted to a juried show called One Inspired Evening in Chicago. A non-profit organization called Inspiration Corporation is having a Gala to raise money for people who are affected by homelessness and poverty to improve their lives through employment training and placement, social services, and housing. 100% of the proceeds will go to this organization!

I hope this piece gets accepted and will find a new home while giving back to a worthwhile charity that is really making a difference in the Chicagoland area. Stay tuned for more pieces in the FloraVine series!

Tag: fine art

Alcohol Inks in Fine Art

Wine and Flowers Make Art