paintstick

The black paintstick that Richard Serra uses in his drawings rarely produces the same effect: It can thicken like asphalt, pucker delicately like lace or pour down paper like a sheet of rain.

Sculpting on Paper Ellen Gamerman 2011

The exhibit, which runs through Aug. 28 before moving to San Francisco and Houston, showcases Mr. Serra's methods, which include pouring molten paintstick—a combination of pigment, oil and wax—onto a flat surface, pressing a mesh screen over the material, covering that with paper and pressing the back of the work with a metal tool before peeling the paper back to reveal the image.

Sculpting on Paper Ellen Gamerman 2011

He looked up, met gray eyes ringed with paintstick.

Wonder Woman and the Lasso of Truth Boudreau Freret 2010

She was playing Wizard's Castle, lost in it, her gray eyes rimmed with smudged black paintstick.

Wonder Woman and the Lasso of Truth Boudreau Freret 2010

Christie's Basquiat's "Untitled (Boxer)", an acrylic and oil paintstick on linen work owned by Metallica drummer Lar Ulrich, sold for $13.5 million.

Fall's Contemporary Art Auctions 2008

She was playing Wizard's Castle, lost in it, her gray eyes rimmed with smudged black paintstick.

Neuromancer Gibson, William, 1948- 1984

He looked up, met gray eyes ringed with paintstick.

Neuromancer Gibson, William, 1948- 1984

Each sheet contains three of four paintstick verticals, noting the shifting of the plates' upright edges.

SFGate: Don Asmussen: Bad Reporter Chron kennethbaker@sfchronicle.com (Kenneth Baker 2012

The next room contains two tall vertical paintstick drawings whose black-on-white shapes appear to foreshadow sculptures Serra would make years later, particularly "Ballast" 2006, his tall, two-plate vertical steel piece on the UC San Francisco Mission Bay campus.

SFGate: Don Asmussen: Bad Reporter Chron kennethbaker@sfchronicle.com (Kenneth Baker 2012

And finally, I wrapped up the day with some work on my two complex cloth pieces - I decided to use paintsticks on both of them - the first one, I didn't want anything too dominating, so I have used a pearl white paintstick all over with a flower texture plate underneath - the flowers are heavier in some places than others and I have let the edges of the plate show in places as well.

Bank holiday sewing day katelnorth 2008