1. Acrylic Lift Breadth Projects Part One AP 2-D Design Photography Mary Bailey Thomas, Instructor Forsyth Country Day School Lewisville, North Carolina

2. Acrylic Lift Project There are many methods of transferring your images to non- traditional photographic surfaces. This project explores using acrylic matte medium to lift off the image from a xerographic copy or laser print of a digital or film image. As an artist I often want to play with an image I have previously printed to create a new piece of artwork. Sometimes I want the image to create an emotional pull on the viewer, other times I just want to help the viewer see a different viewpoint, or to pause and ponder the meaning of the piece. This assignment is meant as a challenge to think outside of the box of our traditional photographic works for the Breadth Section of the AP 2-D Design Photography Portfolio.

3. How I learned to Create Acrylic Lifts Back in the dark ages (1977) while attending High Point University Dr. Allen Thacker of the Education Department had all the future teachers take a Media and Methods course before graduating. Since most public schools in the 1970s did not have the necessary equipment to produce overhead transparencies we were taught this method of creating our own transparencies using acrylic matte medium.

4. Acrylic Lift Technique Select one of your images to transfer to a surface. Make a xerographic copy of the image, or scan it into the computer and print a laser copy of the image. Use a soft brush and acrylic matte medium Paint alternating layers of the matte medium: – Paint a layer of horizontal brush strokes across the copy – Allow the layer to dry before applying the next layer. – Paint a layer of vertical brush strokes onto the image and allow to dry. – Continue this process until you have 5-6 layers of matte medium on the image – Allow the coated image to cure for 4 hours or overnight Place the coated image face down in a pan or tray of cool water for about 5 minutes Using your finger gently rub the backing paper off of the coated image; I find that circle motion brings the best results.

5. Americas Pastime, Brendyn Gronewoller, Senior 2007-2008 AP 2-D Design Photography, Copy of Analog Darkroom Portrait onto canvas with scanned and printed page behind the image, baseball cards and painted baseball.

6. " I knew I loved you before I met you; I think I dreamed you into life, Kalen Rearden, Senior 2007-2008 AP 2-D Design Photography Acrylic lift images on canvas with collaged tissue and magazine words.

7. Title Catherine Rice Senior 2007-2008 AP 2-D Design Photography Acrylic Lift onto canvas with crumbled, burned paper, paint and hand-writing. The Best Love Catherine Rice Senior 2007-2008 AP 2-D Design Photography Acrylic lift on canvas with crumble, burned paper, paint and writing.

8. Details of Catherine Rice Acrylic Lift

9. John Mutton, Senior 2007-2008, Beauty & the Beast, AP 2-D Design Photography Lifted Image onto canvas with collaged images.

10. Ryan Wallace, Senior 2007-2008, AP 2-D Design Photography Acrylic lift with color added collaged onto foam-core board with color photographs and dried corn husks.

11. Detail of Ryan Wallaces Acrylic Lift

12. Sebi Prandoni Senior 2007- 2008 AP 2-D Design Photography Acrylic Lift onto Plant Pot with painting underneath

13. Sebis Analog Silver Gelatin Print

14. Kyle French, Senior 2007-2008, AP 2-D Design Photography "Climbing Up, Lifted Image onto wood with painted text.

15. Detail of Climbing Up Acrylic Lift by Kyle French

16. Kristen Hardesty Senior 2007-2008 AP 2-D Design Photography Acrylic lift onto canvas with painting and text, Power of Prayer

17. Shea Vogler Senior 2007-2008 No Place Like Home AP 2-D Design Photography Acrylic Lift onto canvas with newspaper, film negative roll and text.

18. Devin Sloan, Senior 2007-2008 Desolation AP 2-D Design Photography Acrylic Lift onto sheet metal with text, nuts and bolts Devins Straight Silver Gelatin Print

19. Matt Rotroff, Senior 2007-2008, AP 2-D Design Photography Traditional Silver Gelatin Print

20. Matt Rotroff, Senior 2007-2008, AP 2-D Design Photography Sea Cliffs, Acrylic Lift Project with Dripped Candle Wax

21. Critiques of Acrylic Projects We use a variety of critique formats. We used a short format for this project as all three levels of photography (Photo I, II and AP) had projects up for this critique. They were given four questions to answer for each project assigned. All critique notes are then used by the student to compose short statements as homework assignments, saved as word documents and then emailed to the instructors email address for grading. Keeping up with paper is a challenge for me and this method ensures each student that send the work in on time received full credit, no confusion as to when it was turned in and also eliminates, Ms. T I know I gave it to you! When I am able I then copy and paste all the comments for each student and send them to each student with the critique comments being anonymous. I have used the sticky note approach when I know I will not have time to compile the answers. Several seniors last year showed me they had kept all the comments written about their work over their three years in photography! My students seem to really grow from this process, both from the observing, writing and then the reading of the comments of their peers.

22. What really stands out about this work? What do you really like about it?" What could be improved in this project to make it even more successful? List the strongest (3) art elements and (3) principles of design that you see in this work of art (use the chart as a reference tool). Devin Sloan, Senior 2007-2008, AP 2-D Design Photography, Desolate Photo II students critique of Devin Sloans Acrylic Lift: The unity and originality of the piece really stands out in this work. He obviously put effort into how to use his medium and took it to the fullest extent in proving his talent and creativity. I like how it looks rustic and almost vintage in appearance. He made a possibly bland subject into something definitely worth looking at and thinking about. My suggestion for improving his project would be if he tried different angles in which to take the picture or ripped the edges to add even more age to it. The strongest three art elements in his work are Shape, Space, and Value. The strongest three Principles of Design are Balance, Unity and Harmony.

23. Part II Acrylic Lift Mixed Media Projects Photography II Class 2007-2008 When we have a critique all three levels of Photography Classes at Forsyth Country Day School participate. My Photography II Class asked to do the Acrylic Lift Project after seeing the AP 2-D Design Photography Students Work

24. Amy Lewis Photo II Photo Acrylic Lift on Canvas with text, art, rings and lace

25. Catie Maloney 2007 – 2008 Photo II Photo Acrylic Lift with Sand Dollar, Starfish, Dried Flower, and Poem on Canvas

26. Catie Maloney, 2007 – 2008, Photo II Detail of Photo Acrylic Lift

27. Masha Block, Photo II, 2007 – 2008, Acrylic Lift, Sisters for Life Text, Ink, Paint, Rose Petals on Canvas

28. Masha Block, Photo II, 2007 – 2008, Acrylic Lift, Israel Newspaper Clippings, Acrylic Lifts and Paint on Canvas

29. Masha Block, Photo II, 2007 – 2008 Details of Acrylic Lifts: Sisters for Life and Israel

30. Lindley Battle Photo II 2007 – 2008 Acrylic Lift Text, Music Score, Paint, Ink and four photo acrylic lifts on canvas

31. Lindley Battle, Photo II 2007-2008 Details of Acrylic Lifts

32. Sean DSouza Photo II, 2007 – 2008 Acrylic Lift on canvas with spray paint

33. Sean DSouza Detail of Acrylic Lift

34. Nicole Marks Photo II 2007-2008 Acrylic Lift with seeds, shells, starfish and paint on canvas

35. Nicole Marks Photo II 2007-2008 Detail of Acrylic Lift

36. LeWynn Newsome Photo II 2007-2008 Acrylic Lift with Poem, Silk Flowers & Petals, Leaf on Canvas with Paints

37. LeWynn Newsome, Photo II 2007-2008, Detail of Acrylic Lift

38. Students were required to use their photographs from darkroom projects, digital images or old family photographs for this project. This acrylic lift was made from a laser print of a scanned black and white photograph my father developed and printed while we were stationed in Cuba in the 1950s. ©Mary Bailey Thomas Sis, Mom and Mary at the Cuban Beach Acrylic Lift on canvas hand-colored collaged with sewing pattern pieces and threads. Women in the Arts Grant Exhibition Keenan Art Institute at the NC School of the Arts, April 2007