A Grant, a New Material, and a New Direction - Evolon as a Painting Substrate

Introduction

After several years without writing on my website, this feels like the perfect time to begin again.

I'm honored to have received a grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission to support the next stage of my work—developing a new series of kinetic sculptures that combine painting, light, transparency, and movement.

The grant will help purchase materials for what has become one of the most exciting artistic explorations I've undertaken in years.

The Project

For months I've been experimenting with ways to merge abstract painting and kinetic sculpture into something entirely new.

Instead of painting on traditional canvas or watercolor paper alone, I've been exploring translucent materials that allow light to become part of the artwork itself. As each painted element moves, overlapping colors create constantly changing compositions that can never be seen exactly the same way twice.

I think of them as moving paintings.

The Journey

Like most creative discoveries, this project hasn't followed a straight path.

Some experiments have failed completely.

Others have produced unexpected breakthroughs.

I've tested different acrylic mediums, translucent substrates, primers, painting techniques, and layering methods, learning something from every success—and every mistake.

The grant allows me to continue asking those questions without rushing the process.

Why Evolon?

One of the materials I'm currently exploring is Evolon, a remarkably strong, lightweight synthetic textile.

It offers possibilities that traditional watercolor paper simply can't.

Its translucency allows light to pass through the painted surfaces while remaining durable enough to become part of a kinetic sculpture.

The most intriguing part of using Evolon is the fact that it doesn't warp when painted.  Every other material I have tried, paper, wood, canvas, etc warps when paint is applied or becomes too heavy to be a viable substrate.

I'm still discovering exactly how it wants to be painted, and that's part of the adventure.

Image of a mobile created with cut up pieces of evolon:

Looking Ahead

This grant isn't the finish line.

It's the beginning.

Over the coming months I'll be sharing more of the experiments, successes, setbacks, and discoveries as this new body of work continues to evolve.

I hope you'll enjoy following the journey as much as I'm enjoying creating it.

Thank you to the Mississippi Arts Commission for believing in this project and helping make these explorations possible.