This assemblage is called “I’m Sorry”. That’s a veiled reference to my reluctance to ring these bells and disturb someone who likely stepped away from their post for a good reason. The nine bells are superglued to a wood panel. I thought I might paint it but I’m happy with it just as is. Thanks for visiting!
30/30 Challenge Day 2
This little collage was inspired by the women in my little artist book class this summer. Breaking some rules I've always worked by: covering the entire surface of the piece, making things big, making things match, avoiding the number 13. 13 has been lucky for me so I'm celebrating it here. Enjoy and thank you for visiting.
Day 30 of the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge
This painting began with several layers of encaustic medium, fused between with the heat gun. I used oil sticks to get the vibrant colors, fusing while the oil was still wet enough to move around the composition. I used the letter set to place the text, and metal stamps for the crown likeness. These were all filled with oil stick, then the excess was wiped away.
This is my little "me too" painting. Thanks for visiting!
Day 29 of the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge
I wanted to make something in response to the concerns over our national parklands. This is a small weave of two parks under consideration for oil drilling. I put them together on the ground and then wove the two where they overlapped. I coated the weave with 4-5 layers of clear wax medium and then embedded the pastoral landscape from an old dollhouse a friend of mine built. Finally, I added some grass-like string for texture and balance.
I enjoyed making this piece; it allowed me to think about some important issues and feel a tiny bit of control over an unfortunate situation. Thanks for visiting!
Day 28 of the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge
This piece began as an experiment in alcohol inks. I started with a gesso'd ground - a clear white surface. I painted a design with the inks but had difficulty getting the effect I was after. I lived with the painting for a number of days and then decided to coat it with about 8 layers of wax medium (fused in between with the heat gun). Some of the design showed through and the colors reminded me of a map-weave I had on hand. I pushed the weave into the surface, then added a couple of other strips of map. Finally the piece was coated with medium containing a rose hue, which I matched with the pinkish twine.
This piece reminds me of a frosted cake; the texture is everything I hope for when I set out to delve deep into the wax. Thanks for visiting!
Day 27 of the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge
This is a simple, straightforward celebration of a photograph I took several years ago on a friend's porch. This beautiful and intricate spider's web was captivating. I changed the color photograph to black and white and then printed the image on transparent paper. It was floated onto a white-gessoed ground with seven layers of encaustic medium (fused between each layer with the heat gun, of course). One thin layer of clear medium was painted over the image to give it a creamy look.
Sometimes simple is best, and the image speaks for itself. Thanks for visiting!
Day 25 of the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge
This is a photograph that I printed on rice paper and floated onto molten wax to give it a transparent look. The image was embellished using my favorite wallpaper stamps and then filling them with oil stick. A final coat of medium was layered over the top of the piece to pull all of the elements together.
I love this simple tree photograph, and, though it was manipulated to maximize the eeriness of the scene, the image appropriately communicates the feel of that place in time. Thanks for visiting!
Day 24 of the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge
I printed this image on vellum a while ago, intending to use it in an encaustic piece. This is the third in a series using this pair of hands. I mounted the photograph over several layers of encaustic medium, fusing in between layers to create a smooth surface. I used wallpaper stamps to create the lacy cuffs, filling in the depressions with purple encaustic oil sticks. I painted the fingernails with crimson wax and then carved a lacy ring on a finger. This was also filled in with an oil stick: orange/gold this time. The entire piece was then coated with a final 2 layers of medium, carefully fusing in between so as not to move around the oils too much.
I like the final effect: the white, white hands with the red, red polish remind me of my mother's hands in the 1960's. Thanks for visiting!
Day 21 of the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge
This piece began with a mapweave. I photographed one of my favorite weaves - northpole/southpole - and then printed it on rice paper. The ground was prepared with 8-10 coats of encaustic medium, and the top layers were liquified with the heat gun. I floated the image onto the melted wax and smoothed it down. 2 more layers of wax coated the image and I incised the design, filling it with rust-colored alcohol ink. The rusty piece was pushed into the soft wax and then fused into place. Finally, several strands of multi-colored twine was fused into the rusty piece and allowed to drape over the elements.
I enjoyed making this unplanned aseemblage. I'm sure I'll go back to it and make some changes in the coming weeks as it has a certain pull. Thanks for visiting!
Day 20 of the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge
This piece started with 9-10 layers of encaustic medium, fused between layers with the heat gun. I wanted to create this 3-dimensional thread grid, and I wanted the threads to appear to float above the medium. Each layer of threads was coated with 2 more layers of medium (fused in between :) ) to create a transparent appearance. This piece was actually made last week, as a back-up in case I missed a day in the studio. Today was a full-day teaching gig so I'm posting this piece now.
I like the simplicity, the colors, and the creamy-ness of the wax. I think it works nicely with the button piece from Day 9. Thanks for visiting!
