Durational Art Supply Tips
Cathy Salser, Founder & Collaborator
AWBW Founder, Cathy Salser, shares art supply tips for Durational Art journeying. Focusing on how Durational Art has been at the core since AWBW’s inception, she shares a few favorite techniques.
Inspiration
Glass Pendants
Christina Kataoka, Wings Against Hate, Venice Beach, CA
Glass Stone Mural
Nancy Katz, Jewish Roots Project, Jewish Alliance of Rhode Island
Paper Hands
Lucy Tschachtli, Community Hands Mandala, Buffalo NY
Fabric Butterflies
#PrisonersToo, JDI at South Carolina Department of Corrections
Fabric Ribbon
Dellis Frank, Fabric of Change, Women's Caucus for Art
Puzzle Pieces
Shreya and Grace, Windows of Connection Project, LA, CA
River Rocks
Blaze Bernstein Memorial Rock Garden, Orange County, CA
Beads
White Buffalo Calf Women's Society & JDI, on the Rosebud Reservation
Key Chain
Christina Kataoka, Wings Against Hate, Venice Beach, CA
Paper Butterflies
#PrisonersToo, JDI at South Carolina Department of Corrections
Paper Scrolls
Laurie Talbot Hall, Eighty-four Days of Gratitude / hand-written scroll assemblage
Shrinky Dinks
Lucy Tschachtli, Journey Keepers Project, Buffalo NY
Super Sculpey
Arzie Umali, Stepping Stones at University of Missouri, Kansas City
Paper Hands
Christy Turek, Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Santa Monica CA
Paper Hands
Neda Mouridpour, I Can We Can pledges, Gallery Neuartig, CA
UV Resin
Tanya Taylor, Black in Mayberry Advocacy Discs
Recommended Links
Glass Stone Supplies
We recommend 1.25″ (35mm) class cabochons. If you are purchasing large quantities and can allow for slow overseas shipping, we recommend purchasing from Yiwu Chanfar Jewelry at Alibaba, and letting Lee Chen know you are with AWBW. (chanfar.en.alibaba.com). To create paper circles for this size stone, we recommend the 1.25″ Circle Punch. Paper suggestions are below. Paper suggestions are below. See touchstone demo here.
Glass Pendant Supplies
1-inch glass cabochons can create powerful wearable pieces via cabochon settings and key chain swivel hooks. To create paper circles for this size of stones we recommend the 1″ Circle Punch. Paper suggestions are below. Paper suggestions are below. See pendant demo here.
Glue
We recommend Aleene’s Clear Gel Tacky Glue and lip gloss containers to create personal glue tubes
Paper Suggestions to create Circles
We recommend either using various colors of card stock or paint on printmaking paper (less expensive than watercolor paper).
For suggestions on how to create watercolor textures on the paper, using acrylic paints, see Circle Painting Tutorial Series. You can also purchase painted circles from AWBW (see below).
UV Resin Discs
With UV Resin, beautiful acrylic keychain discs can be created. We recommend this UV Lamp, Resin, and Paint Pens with 2″ Discs or 3.5″ Discs. To attach we recommend keychain swivel hooks with silver and gold jump rings, and tassels.
Shrinky Dinks
The Ruff-n-Ready style is translucent for tracing templates, while the Opaque enables different drawings on the two sides (eg a “from” & “towards”).
Deli Paper
With sharpies on deli paper, many participants can simultaneously create expressions to add to a collective piece. Then with mod podge, the deli paper vanishes and it’s as if everyone created directly on the canvas. See an example of art created with deli paper here.
Puzzle Pieces
These 4″ puzzle pieces lend themselves to beautiful symbolism of connection, powerful take-aways, and fun photo-ops.
For large groups we recommend 200 piece kits. You can find self-adhesive magnets here.
For puzzle project ideas see our Windows of Connection series.
AWBW Offerings
Glass touchstones are a favorite resource offering a quick, easy way for participants to create a beautiful and lasting durational object, even by adding just one word. For those wanting pre-made kits, AWBW offers the following below. Please allow 10 business days for shipping.
Touchstone Tips
When using the painted circles and glass stones, you can create beautiful expressions simply using a pencil. See our Quick Tips video to spark ideas for your journey. You can also use other writing/drawing utensils of your choice. Sharpies/permanent markers work great, especially ultra-fine black ones for writing. Colored pencils are fantastic for adding opaque layers of color and blending. Most gel pens can be wonderful too (test first, as there are a range of types of gel pen). Acrylic paint with fine brushes can also work.
NOTE: Ball-point pens tend to run when the glue is applied, so they are not recommended for the front of the touchstone. They do work well on the back however, for writing words and date.
Special thanks to Sonia, a middle school student with wonderful talent, who creates AWBW Touchstone Circles.
Become part of the AWBW co-creative Journey!
Join the Impact Journey Circle to access quarterly hands-on zoom workshops.
