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ANSWER TO MYSTERY TECHNIQUE #24: This is an example of decalcomania, a favorite technique of Surrealists Oscar Dominguez and Max Ernst. I applied a thick mixture of acrylic paint and gel medium to paper and then firmly pressed another piece of paper against it. Next I pulled the 2 pieces of paper apart at an angle, which created the branching patterns. Find out more about the process here: http://classes.yale.edu/fractals/panorama/art/decalcomania/decalcomania.html

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ANSWER TO MYSTERY TECHNIQUE #23: This is an example of paper marbling. First I prepared the paper with alum and let it dry. I then used straw whisks to drop many layers of watercolor paint onto the surface of a mixture of carragheenan and water in a large tray. Drops of Spirits of Soap created the ghostly white edges. Transferring the image to the paper was the trickiest part.

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ANSWER TO MYSTERY TECHNIQUE #22: I started with a pink underpainting. After it dried, I partially wet the paper with a spray bottle and then used an oval brush to gently coax the blue to follow the water.