I have for the longest time in my life been against alcohol anything, well until COVID came along and then had me all-embracing the humble iso-propyl alcohol. In high school chemistry I particularly aced organic chemistry and should have found my inkling then, but two decades later I have isopropyl alcohol on my desk again. This time not on the pages of my text book but on the pages called ‘yupo paper’ and it is setting my imagination on fire. The flow is uncontrollable it is largely subtly guided over a little directed air. While alcohol ink art is largely arbitrary and abstract there are ways to again guide the ink into a coherent picture. A landscape or a portrait perhaps, sometimes just a pretty flower all zoomed in. The layers provided by the transparent-ish paint with ample dabs of isopropyl alcohol give rise to a visual splendour. It is indeed a wonderful medium to work on elevations of buildings or particularly walls in interior spaces. Putting colours together is the first and the most important step in the whole process, and then the intelligent application of quantity versus everything else. While purple and pink are a great combination with a dash of gold, other wondrous colours combined to perfection include sunset orange, black and crimson red, an earthy brown with effluent turquoise tinged with an ochre yellow can remind one of an oasis in the desert, lovely marigold yellow teamed with zesty scarlet and speckled copper reminds one of celebrations galore.

As a more suggestive art, it hinges its tidings on impressionist art with a whole lot of surrealism imbibed in it. Beguiling and thrilling.

My work is now on etsy!