Concrete Textures

[Hermes2020]

My concrete painting experiments are giving me exactly what I was hoping to get. The stainless steel mesh solution to stabilize the rapid set concrete is successful. In some areas I am pouring it on, and in others slapping on a thicker mixture, then distressing it with different tools. I am leaving the mesh partially exposed in some areas; in others I gouge out some concrete to create little rectangular depressions between the wires of the mesh. Some nice random rough parts are formed by throwing little lumps onto the concrete before it sets, which takes about 20 minutes.

This is just "underpainting" textures on the panels, before I apply painted colour effects. The finished paintings will be in very dark grey and charcoal colours, with rust and amber highlights. The raw concrete is so beautiful I will probably do some unpainted panels as well.

In the meantime, I though I would show you all my work in progress, with some details of the beautiful (to me) textures one can get with concrete.

Some zoomed in details:

That circle is 25 mm in diameter. The vertical mesh wires 12 mm apart.

The raised square is 60 x 60 mm.

 

[Artyczar]

Wow! I am loving how this is looking! Really interesting. I can't wait to see where this goes. Thank you for sharing the process so far.

 

[snoball]

Very interesting! I think with those textures you could make a great moonscape.

 

[Bongo]

Loving it. What are you using for the panel?

 

[Trier]

Very interesting and attractive, Hermes.
The first is an alien landscape but the rest are intriguing aerial view views of ancient ruins and abstract compositions. I would like to take a couple of images and color them for fun.

 

[Enyaw]

It's like a walk on mars or some unknown terrain. Little surprises all over the place.

 

[Hermes2020]

Thank you so much, everyone, for your words of encouragement! I am intrigued by the almost unanimous association with other-worldly landscapes. Oddly enough. that has never entered my mind; in fact, it is just the opposite. My intention is to point out the beauty in mundane textures on the walls and the sidewalks around us.

Bongo, I am using stainless steel mesh bolted to primed hardboard panels. At the beginning, I asked for recommendations on the best way to "paint" with concrete in the Studio Tips forum. I eventually decided to go with my own solution shown here:

This panel is 760 x 610 mm, and is the one I used for the work in progress I am showing here.

I know the characteristics of the fast setting concrete very well. I also used it for my life-size poolside reclining nude sculpture, so have a solid grasp on its behaviour.

 

[Hermes2020]

Very interesting and attractive, Hermes.
The first is an alien landscape but the rest are intriguing aerial view views of ancient ruins and abstract compositions. I would like to take a couple of images and color them for fun.

Please, go ahead by all means. You are welcome to use my images! Let me know if you want the full high resolution files, because the photos posted here are low quality JPG images.