humidity, art and hong kong
This is a bit delayed as the weather has now changed for the better, but the last week had been pretty hellish.
It is now “Spring” in Hong Kong, and that means it’s VERY HUMID.
For those who do not live near the equator (I know, Hong Kong isn’t THAT near either), when I say very humid I mean anywhere between 90-97% humidity… that’s enough to make my walls sweat and my windows weep. Stuffed toys placed near the window? Big no no, they just get soggy (even drippy) as they soak up all the condensation that forms on the windows and puddles on the window sill. (I wish I’d taken a photo instead of hurrying to save my not inconsiderable collection of plush animals)
Of course my little fan in the bathroom decides to die at this time and in addition to having fogged up mirrors after a shower, all the towels are still wet the next day. Nothing dries and you can feel the bacteria growing in that room… ugh…
I need to buy a dehumidifying (although electronics stores are sold out on all the good brands… will have to wait till April for new stock).
In the meantime, how does this affect my art journal? A picture is worth a thousand words…
The gesso felt dry when I began writing on top of it, but two days after completing the page, I come back to find that the words are no longer legible. Apparently it wasn’t through-and-through dry…
During the winter, I could dry the pages by hanging them over the heater, but it really is too warm and stuffy during Spring to have the heater on. This makes journaling a very very slow process… Perhaps time to get another journal (and do two simultaneously)?
Or don't use gesso? Perhaps just paint on some plain paper. I lived in Japan for a couple of years and the mold wrecked my old Lp records (yes, it was quite a while ago). I was surprised at how destructive the humidity can be. (Now I am living in a desert and the sun ruins everything).
ReplyDeleteI don't think it was just the gesso, I think it was the acrylics or the watercolour pastels... lol
ReplyDeleteAyra,
ReplyDeleteThe humidity can really be a beast! I had family that lived in Hong Kong for about 10 years, and that was their biggest complaint. I just signed up for the Remains of the Day class...I think your pages are wonderful, keep going... truly it is all a learning process and you get out of it what you put in. :-) See you on Blissfully Art Journaling!
I LOVE how the words have melted into the background - that is the coolest effect ever. I know it wasn't your intention but it still looks really neat!
ReplyDelete@Jennifer and Shelley Thanks for visiting and commenting.
ReplyDeleteI ended up signing up for another class first - I think I want to learn more about what to put into a journal first before I learn to make one.
As for the effect, I don't think I can recreate it if I tried... but it was interesting to see the change in the page -- with no effort on my part.
I know what you mean about humidity. In Florida it takes forever for things to dry. I took an art class once in Phoenix in August (first time there, which about killed me) and we took our paintings outside to dry. My first thought was that these would still be wet if left outside in Florida even days later. In Phoenix, they dried so fast...it was amazing; just like a little oven!
ReplyDeleteCheers, RM :)