Day 16 of the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge

This was a fun little collage that started as something quite different. I wanted to create a snowscape and started with a white-on-white landscape on top of 2 layers of wax medium over an encaustic gesso ground. When I incised the trees to add thin branches to the snow-covered leaves I realized I was starting with to shallow a wax base, and the ink spread out. I went with it and created an abstract collage, adding bits and pieces from old works. I encased each element into its own wax layer to add depth and then dripped some of that beautiful alcohol ink onto the top layer. Finally I added a tiny rusted pipe fitting, dead center. 

I like the abstract piece and the colors, and the rust works well with all of the materials. Now, revisiting the piece, I think I'll add some wire elements, threaded through the little pipe, so it may not be finished yet. Thanks for visiting!

Day 14 of the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge

This painting began with 4 coats of wax medium over a ground of encaustic gesso. The white background was painted over with titanium white wax pigment on a cool surface to create texture. The red oil stick was applied and rubbed into the textured surface. The heart shapes were incised with a pin tool, and oil stick was also rubbed into the channels. Finally I added the text using metal letter press punches.

This was a quick, fun little piece. Happy Valentine's Day, and thanks for visiting!

Day 11 of the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge

This piece combines working with the alcohol inks with incising. I started with 7-8 layers of medium, fusing between each layer with the heat gun to create a smooth surface. Next I dropped circles of the alcohol ink in a random pattern, following an online demo. The stems were scored with a pin tool, then the ink was dripped into the channels and the excess was wiped away. The "grass" at the bottom of the frame was created with oil sticks, then the scoring was repeated and ink added to create a textural element. The ink was fused lightly, then a final coat of medium was applied over the entire surface.

This process is extremely difficult to control, so the piece is loaded with imperfections. But I do like the result; serendipity can be a great element of these processes. Thanks for visiting!

Day 10 of the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge

This is a very simple image I created with a stencil to honor Street Art. I have a photograph of this figure, from the street in black against a white brick wall. I wanted to do the opposite and appropriate the character in white against the raw wood of the base. I did coat the ground with four layers of wax medium, fused between each layer with the heat gun before taping the stencil to the piece. I used a titanium white oil stick to color in the stencil, fused it lightly, then let it sit for a while to cool and dry. Finally, the piece was coated with clear wax medium to seal the image.

I knew I wouldn't make it to the studio today because of the snow forecast so this was created in my kitchen with a suitcase full of materials and tools. Thanks for visiting!

Day 8 of the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge

This construction was made by cutting up pieces of old maps and music manuscripts along with some other decorative papers I found around the studio. The background was glued directly onto the wood panel. Next the paper pieces were dipped in wax and pressed over the glitter paper. Two-three coats of wax medium were added, fusing in between coats with the heat gun. Finally, the wax was scraped away from the background to give the glitter its full voice. The title of the piece is "Moonrise".

This was a fun little collage; at one point I painted in some details, but decided to wipe them away. I like the simplicity of the design and the combination of papers. Thanks for visiting!

Day 7 of the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge

This little painting is adapted from an image I took at Dead Horse Bay. I love the bottle green color, and I wanted to play with it in encaustic.. The colors are so luninous. It was painted with oil sticks over 6 layers of encaustic medium, then covered with medium and fused between each layer with the heat gun. That's it; simple and fun.

If I had more time I might add some design elements in the background like little white stars.. Thanks for visiting!

Day 5 of the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge

This is a simple little landscape. I was practicing layering the wax, mixing color and creating texture by varying the temperature of the wax across the piece. The composition is borrowed from a demo I watched on line; I added the sunset colors. I used some oil paints to deepen the color. The streaks are caused by my impatience; not allowing the oils to dry completely before adding the final layer of wax medium. I think it looks okay, and even adds some movement to the piece, but in the interest of full disclosure - there it is.

I enjoyed experimenting with the oils and wax. This technique opened up a more flexible way of working with color than using the pigmented wax alone. I'm looking forward to practicing and refining the the use of these materials over time. Thanks for visiting!