Did you ever wonder what to give an artist friend for their birthday? Read on.

I wandered into the new exhibit at the River Falls city hall gallery last week. The current exhibit features local artist Hjordi Van Ausdal. It looks like marbling, but it’s not. I had seen marbled paper used as a background for calligraphy, religious texts and to decorate special books. This is definitely similar, but different.

The 10^th century Japanese had a technique called Suminagashi. They used black ink made from soot dropped onto a condensed liquid to get a marbled effect. Also 13^th century Persia developed a marbling technique called Ebru which was accomplished by floating oil paint on water and applying it to paper or material.

Van Ausdal has applied acrylic paint to her canvases, so I knew there was more to her art than I understood. When I contacted the artist, Van Ausdal said:

“I started with the paint pour technique because I hadn’t seen it before. It intrigued me. I got a bunch of paint for my birthday last March and I started watching YouTube. It’s been fun to try different styles. I use acrylic paint mixed with floetrol and sometimes silicone oil. I layer it in a cup and use different tools to apply it to the canvas. Then I use a hairdryer or balloon pump to spread it out. I love painting over the base layer too. The birch trees have been very popular. My favorite piece has become my logo.”

When asked to clarify, Van Ausdal said, “The technique I use is actually called paint pouring or fluid art and is a different technique than marbling.”

Van Ausdahl works on canvas where she creates and blows it around.

“It takes a lot of paint for each painting and there is a lot that runs off,” she added.

When asked if she had thought of giving classes at the Art’s House she said,” I have thought about giving classes, but right now I am enjoying the learning process and exploring new techniques and color combinations.”

The Van Ausdal paint pour exhibit is an enjoyable visit to city hall gallery and will run through March of this year.

Since this is the first Art Beat Column of the year, I wanted to share two of the most enjoyable art books I read this past year. “Get the Picture” by journalist Bianca Bosker (2024) and “Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art” ( 2010) by Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo. Both books will open your eyes to new ways of thinking and looking at art.