Backlit Resin Compositions - Allen Schill

Untitled (Fourteen Rectangular Mirrors), Nov. 2023-Jan. 2024. 12.4 x 12.4 x 0.6 cm.. Mirrors, resin, gray colorant. (id#1573)

The mirror came from an old secretary (a desk, not a person) with hundreds of these small mirrors the size of microscope slides, and much of the silvered surface had come off. The darker parts here are where the reflective coating remained. The pieces of mirror were embedded in resin in a square cardboard box that served as a mold.

Untitled (Small Square Plastic Sheet with 25 Holes), Dec. 2024-Jan. 2025. 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.6 cm.. Plastic, resin, gray colorant. (id#1731)

A small square of self-adhesive plastic scored with holes for the no-bump discs used in cupboards, cabinets, and door frames to damper the noise of closing. The sheet of plastic was embedded in resin in a square cardboard box that served as a mold.

Untitled (No-Bump Sheet), Dec. 2023. 7.2 x 7.0 x 0.7 cm. Plastic, resin, gray colorant. (id#1579)

A small square of self-adhesive plastic scored with holes for the no-bump discs used in cupboards, cabinets, and door frames to damper the noise of closing. The sheet of plastic was embedded in resin in a square cardboard box that served as a mold.

Untitled (Square Cardboard Box - Sixteen Glass Rectangles with Pale Gray), Nov. 2023-Feb. 2024. 10.1 x 10.2 x 0.6 cm.. Glass, resin, gray colorant. (id#1574)

Sixteen pieces of glass were embedded in resin in a square cardboard box that served as a mold.

Untitled (Clear Glass Fragments in Light Gray long), Jan. 2024. 8.8 x 16.9 x 0.6 cm.. Glass, resin, gray colorant. (id#1585)

The pieces of glass were embedded in resin in a rectangular cardboard box that served as a mold.

Untitled (32 Glass Fragments in Cardboard Tray), Dec. 2023. 12.4 x 12.4 x 0.7 cm.. Glass, resin, gray colorant. (id#1652)

Here, 32 pieces of glass were embedded in resin in a square cardboard box that served as a mold.

Untitled (Square Cardboard Box - Sixteen Glass Rectangles with Pale Gray ), Nov. 2023-Feb. 2024. 10.1 x 10.2 x 0.6 cm.. Glass, resin, gray colorant. (id#1574)

Sixteen pieces of glass were embedded in resin in a square cardboard box that served as a mold.

Untitled (22 Irregular Rectangular Mirror Pieces in Light Gray), Feb, 2024. 12.4 x 12.4 x 0.7 cm.. Mirror fragments, resin, gray colorant. (id#1586)

A number of pieces of an old mirror were embedded in resin in a square cardboard box that served as a mold.

Untitled (Phone Box Tray with Nine Plastic Strips), 15.8 x 7.6 x 0.7 cm.. Plastic strips, resin, gray colorant. (id#1605)

The plastic strips are those made to tie things together. They were embedded in resin in a rectangular cardboard box that served as a mold.

Untitled (Plastic Rings in Square), Oct.-Nov. 2024. 12.3 x 12.3 x 0.8 cm.. Plastic rings, resin, gray colorant. (id#1697)

The plastic rings here come from the droppers for liquid medicine, and were embedded in resin in a square cardboard box that served as a mold.

Untitled (Spirograph Pieces), Dec. 2024. 11.7 cm. diam. x 0.9 cm.. Plastic sections of Spirograph set, resin, gray colorant. (id#1724)

The Spirograph, for the unacquainted, is a set of plastic pieces, variously straight or round. with teeth like gears. One or more pieces are pinned to a sheet of paper, and other pieces are rolled around these to create fascinating shapes, using colored pens or pencils. Fun for children of all ages. Not the first time I've used these pieces in resin works.

Untitled (25 Metal Rings in Light Gray), Jan. 2024. 7.3 x 7.0 x 0.8 cm.. Metal rings, resin, pale gray colorant. (id#1592)

The rings, which came from a looseleaf binder, were embedded in resin in a squarish mold.

Untitled (24 Metal Rings in Medium-Light Gray), Feb. 2024. 6.0 x 9.2 x 0.8 cm.. Metal rings, resin, pale gray colorant. (id#1593)

The rings, which came from a looseleaf binder, were embedded in resin in a small rectangular cardboard box that served as a mold.

Untitled (30 Metal Rings in Medium Gray), Feb. 2024. 6.5 x 7.8 x 0.9 cm.. Metal rings, resin, pale gray colorant. (id#1594)

The rings, which came from a looseleaf binder, were embedded in resin in a small rectangular cardboard box that served as a mold.

Untitled (Array of Sixteen Small Rusty Staples), April 2024. 4.1 x 5.3 x ? cm.. Rusty crate staples, resin, pale gray colorant. (id#1649)

The staples were embedded in resin in a small rectangular plastic box that served as a mold.

Untitled (80 Rusty Crate Staples in regular configuration), April 2024. 12.4 x 12.4 x 0.5 cm.. Rusty crate staples, resin, pale gray colorant. (id#1646)

The staples were embedded in resin in a square cardboard box that served as a mold.

Untitled (Staples), Sept.-Oct. 2024. 7.8 x 7.8 x 1.2 cm.. Rusty staples, resin, pale gray colorant. (id#1693)

The staples were embedded in resin in a square cardboard box that served as a mold.

These are compositions of various materials and objects made to be seen by transmitted light (perhaps suspended in a window). As such, they were mainly photographed on a light box, or occasionally against a white background, or even a black background, to show how their appearance changes. They are mostly monochromatic, being made with a resin tinted a pale gray, or untinted. (One, tinted a bright azure, pops out amidst all the gray.)

I've used a variety of molds, made out of small cardboard boxes or trays, plastic, or a mixture of silicone and flower. Usually the surface and the perimeter of the mold are coated with a thin layer of clear silicone so that the resin piece will detach itself easily when done. An initial layer of resin is applied and allowed to harden. Then another layer is poured in, and the pieces are arranged in the wet resin. (This arrangement is carefully worked out in advance, as working with wet resin is no time for those decisions.) This layer may include colorant to make the form of the objects within stand out. When that has also hardened, another layer or two may be applied tp completely cover the materials inside.

if the piece is to be hung in a window, I drill two little holes at the upper corners and string a wire from one to the other.