Table Top Color Bridges Game

A game to play solitare or with 2 to 4 collaborative players

Thread and  paper define area for making volumes

 12" Ceramic tile made at Sure Fire Design, Albany

Layered Transparency Watercolor Collage Changed into two

"Day and Night - a layered transparency #1"

An unresolved layering of transparency




"Falling  - a layered transparency #2"

Truth of Layered Transparency, watercolor collage

Attempted Volumetric Color Collage that just screamed for transparency.

COLOR BRIDGES COLLAGE and volumetric color game varIation

Volumetric Color permanent collage

COLOR BRIDGES  (a board game copy right 2013) My game is an amusing way to increase sensitivity to shapes of color and their placement on various color backgrounds.  Color Bridges can also create bonding between players especially as an interactive introduction for abstract artists to connect with their audiences.

The object of the game: Two to four players take turns placing a layer of color shapes on a felt marked with a grid.  The resulting construction can be displayed on the felt as a temporary painting until the next game time. The temporary painting can be disassembled and combined with other pieces to make a new bridge construction. 

Another possibility is making the picture permanent.  The picture can be transferred to various backgrounds.  When a background is chosen, the construction can be glued down in place as a finished work.

Rules:       From the color palette bag the first player selects a laminated game piece and places it on the felt grid.     The next two players do the same leaving at least one grid space between the palette pieces.  Players take turns picking at least four containers from which they will build the bridges between the palettes.

  The suggested rules for proceeding are flexible as long as each player gets equal turns to build.

  In each turn a player adds to a single square adjacent to another filled square.   In the adjacent squares place painted color pieces of paper. The addition must be a color transition.

As soon as one of the players recognizes that the color palette pieces are bridged without a gap, they can make a formal suggestion on their turn. When they suggest the building is complete, the other players can opt to pass or take one turn to change the picture.

The resolution of the game
    The Color Bridge construction on the felt grid can be viewed as a picture on the wall by sandwiching it between the black matt board and Plexiglas secured tightly with the alligator clips.

  To continue to find color surprises flip the secured sandwiched construction on a table with the matt board on top. Remove the clips and matt board and felt so the back of the construction is exposed on top of the Plexiglas.  Place the Mylar on top and affix with clips the felt, and matt board. Flip again so the right side of the construction is again visible.  Remove the clips.  Use the Mylar sheet to transport the construction to any number of backgrounds.

After transporting the construction, the pieces can be glued to a new surface to make a permanent collage or the pieces can be returned to the containers for use in another game.

VOLUMETRIC COLOR is a variation of the Color Bridges Game in which a selected player chooses a felt silhouette and places it on the grid playing board and felt.  Then three color pieces are played per turn with the goal of constructing the appearance of a three dimensional volume.

 

Watercolor collage generated from Color Bridges # 3

2nd abstract watercolor collage generated by Color Bridges

Three game pieces were placed on the felt  grid then painted papers were added to make transitions. To hang the construction on the wall I sandwiched the paper and felt between a Plexiglass and a black mattboard. 

 To view the color construction on new backgrounds, I had to devise a way to flip the picture and slide in a clear Mylar sheet to support the lay out when transferring it to new backgrounds. When I found a background I liked, I substituted new color pieces for the ones that belong to the game.

First completed abstract generated by my "Color Bridges"

Three laminated squares from "Color Bridges " game from which I built transitions for the final abstract .

without adhesive painted paper collage adaptation for children or for temporary uses

Without glue some of the pieces of paper slipped when the picture was framed under plexiglass. Maybe if all the papers were the same thickness the picture would be more stable under pressure. Maybe some poaster frames at craft stores would be easier to put together?

Painted color swatches on various backgrounds

an abstracting painting tool - a photograph and color swatches on plexiglass

A photo of a Washington State Alpine Meadow is my point of departure.

Color swatches on a plexiglass cover

Inspired by Pygmy clowns in Leopard Skins 3000 BC, Egypt