Plastici-SEA: Rolling Tides (Disrupted Placidity)
There is an energy that enters the studio when you stop trying to control every mark and instead let the paint take over.
In this piece (measuring 8.5 in × 12.5) on a raw, fused plastic canvas, I wanted to explore the sheer kinetic force of rolling tides: that moment when heavy, crashing waves swell and break into calm, placid waters.
The Anatomy of a Studio Experiment
This work grew directly out of one of my small 4.5 in×3.5 in ocean studies, scaling up the composition to test how acrylic mediums and salvaged paints respond to recycled fused plastic. Working with a limited palette of three colours and set aside traditional brushes entirely.
Instead, the surface was built up using discarded credit cards and stiff cardboard offcuts:
Heavy Impasto Ridges: Dragging thick paint diagonally across the canvas created a dramatic, cresting wave structure that cuts straight through the composition.
Redaction & Sgraffito: Beyond adding paint, I spent time scratching and scraping back into the wet surface with the sharp corners of the cards. Carving away layers revealed the darker indigo fields and the raw plastic beneath.
Embracing Studio Honesty
Working experiment-first means accepting whatever the materials reveal..the mid-tone blue feels "toothpasty" to my eye at first—a chalkiness that can happen when white mixes into cool blues over synthetic grounds. But as the paint set, the sheer sculptural presence of the scraped ridges took over.
The act of scratching back into the wet surface f mirrored the wider story running through this entire body of work—the feeling of unseen forces circling beneath a quiet surface, taking a bite, and forcing you to react.
Raw Form & Floating Space
To honor the physical reality of the fused plastic, Plastici-SEA: Rolling Tides is presented in its completely unrefined state. It isn't trimmed into a neat rectangle, nor is it trapped behind glass in a traditional frame.
Mounted using a hiddenmagnet system, the artwork floats just off the wall, letting its torn, deckled edges cast soft, natural shadows. It stands as a testament to disrupted placidity—a reminder that when rolling tides crash into quiet waters, we find our strength not by resisting the wave, but by riding its energy.
• Cardboard paper
• Paper weight: 7.67–10.32 oz/yd² (260–350 g/m²)
• Size: 4″ × 6″ (101 × 152 mm)
• Paper thickness: 0.013″ (0.34 mm)
• Coated outer surface
• Blank product materials sourced from Sweden, US, Brazil, or China