The date for this year's Jell-O art show has been set, and the Radar Angels have started meeting to figure out the theme and focus for the performance. We all enjoy the brainstorming phase which takes most of January and sometimes spills over into February. But we're on a short timeline so we have to get busy!
I made two batches of Jell-O, but nothing is really percolating for me yet. I need to brush up on my skills...I'm having trouble getting the gelatin out of the dishes, probably because I'm leaving it in too long.
To briefly remind readers how I do it, I work in dried gelatin so I can take my time and do things you can't do with wet. If you are new, I suggest you start with wet, and you can even use Jell-O brand boxes if you want. Use less water and try out some techniques like cutting it and using molds, etc. Buy some of the Knox clear gelatin, or the Kosher kind, and play with it, adding some dye or food coloring or whatever. It is not a particularly cooperative medium.
You can use plastic molds, anything you have or want to try. If you can't get it to release from the mold, get it wet, wait a bit, and let it rehydrate enough to be flexible again.
For my recipe, I fill a quart canning jar half full of cold water, and put in 6 ounces of gelatin powder. If you are using Knox, that is a lot of envelopes. I think there is 1/4 ounce in those little envelopes. So us professional dried gelatin artists buy it in bulk on the internet. Last time I think I paid about $10 a pound and try to get free freight as it is heavy to ship. If you have a lot, you can just throw it on the compost if you don't like the results.
I stir in the gelatin powder well, then let it sit for ten minutes or so to "bloom." You will see it solidify but in a grainy opaque way, so then melt it in the microwave for 2 minutes. When it is a clear liquid, you can pour it into molds or your planned containers. I use glass pie plates and plastic or glass bowls, trying for fairly thin layers so it will dry. Then I put it on top of the high pieces of furniture where the heat collects. In 6 or 8 hours it can be pried out and flipped over to dry on the back. You can cut it, tear it, fold it, lay it over shapes, do whatever to get shapes and pieces you can use for your plan or your play.
I usually then use melted gelatin to glue pieces together to make flowers, animals, birds, whatever. I spread out a lot of pieces of various colors and see what I can make from them. Now, when I don't have much of a plan, I just play with it to get myself in the mood.
Of course some people like to use the wet Jell-O to make sculptures in that last week or few days before the show. That's also fun, but you might want to practice a few things first just to get familiar with things. Gelatin does get moldy and rotten and smells awful so be careful if you keep it around. You can try a little bleach to get rid of the mold sometimes...or out on the compost it can go.
It's all supposed to be fun, remember. If you want to see more photos, there are a lot on the MKAC website where there is an event tab for previous shows. A call to artists will eventually go out but it is easy to miss the promotions and the little 3-hour show. You have to pay attention!
I do have a FB page, Gelatinaceae, and hope to regularly write here, so stay tuned. There is lots of instructional info in previous posts plus reviews of past shows when you scroll down. Get to cooking!
