I finished Remembering Summer today then got to work on some frames. I've recently been trying to work out a way to remove the P.V.A. glue from the frames before staining. This can be a problem. When dry the glue is invisible and when stained will show up as light blotches. No amount of wiping when wet or sanding or use of solvents before staining seems to have any effect. My only recourse is to stain before gluing, which is not ideal; it's messy and it makes the clamping process more delicate because surface damage can't be sanded or fixed.
The blotch effect though gave me a creative idea. I wondered if I could use it as a mask. I decided to decorate the frame for the cat picture, and first applied a base coat of blue wood stain (green-shade phthalo blue, a good colour for wood staining). Then I grabbed a leaf and using it as a mask dabbed on some Golden acrylic medium (a more artistically stable chemical than wood glue). This was relatively simple but it was difficult to see... it's an invisible mask. It dried very quickly and I could just make out the patterns as glossy patches when viewed at an angle. A short time later I applied yellow wood stain (I'm not sure of the pigment for this, it looks and acts like a nickel azo condensation) and the results good. There is a beautiful depth effect that can't be seen in a photo because of the effect of the layers.
My next decoration will be for the Remembering Summer frame. So many options!
