New Encaustic Painting

"Babel Series, #1" Encaustic & mixed medium

24 x 24

I finished this yesterday. The CD of this painting was submitted to a juried show in Detroit today. The two others I had finished were off to a gallery the day I finished them, so no pictures of them to post here yet.

This is my largest encaustic painting so far . . LOTS of wax when one goes larger. I go through the paint and medium very fast, so this means making more encaustic medium (melting damar resin crystals with beeswax in weighed proportions .. very slow process, as the damar needs higher heat and the wax lower). I would say I went through a pound of encaustic medium (different than just beeswax).

I feel drawn to use some shades of orange and burnt sienna. In my regular life I don't like orange. There is not one piece of clothing or item in my home that is orange. But I just go with what "wants" to be there. It is really useless for me to "struggle" with it. So much more fun to "go with the flow" of what wants to be there. I do love real rust (it's organic and seems almost alive as it changes and weathers). Perhaps that's where it comes from.

I  plan on continuing with my Semiotic series (signs & symbols). I had been planning on a series called "Babel" which reflects all the different manner of written and verbal communication (and perhaps confusion) around the globe. As I never know where a painting will end up when I start, I decided that this one would be the first in my Babel series. The one above has numbers and Chinese, Russian, and English characters, and the vertical is a quote in French. Besides circles I am drawn to script . . any script, and many, many signs and symbols from many cultures. What takes a while is deciding on not only the symbol, but also the technique I will use; whether to use wax or wax with oil, charcoal or graphite rubbings on the wax, or collage embedded in the wax.

Each time I do an encaustic painting, I learn new and subtle techniques (the effects of different temperatures on the surface and fusing with the torch when oil has been rubbed into the surface), so that I don't lose my intuitive intention. There is dance between control and spontaneity with encaustic for me. And the other dances I have are: combining geometric and organic; neutral (B&W) v.s. color; and space in my painting. I think that (space) will come slowly. I have a pinterest board that has "2D art with space." 

I had been going through a rather dry spell with my art, so I'm glad I can post something. I'm learning that "just doing it" starts my art engine running. Then it is humming.

Encaustic painting video with Shawna Moore

Although I had seen this video on youtube a while ago, when I saw it again on Pinterest and posted it on my Pinterest board (encaustic painting = bee + artist), I wanted to share it . . enjoy!  
                                                                    

Shawna Moore

She lives in Montana. My son (who loves flyfishing and nature and now lives in New England) spent a year in Montana going attending the University of Montanta in Boseman. He LOVED it. He said the people were so friendly, and the beauty of nature was incredible.

The beeswax she is melting looks to be finely ground, although that may be the resin crystals that she is adding (when painting with wax, resin needs to be added for strength, as beeswax alone is too soft). I wish I had some way to grind those sticky resin crystals to a powder! The resin takes a while to melt into the wax.
                                                                                                              . . and another video that shows her working with a student in a one on one workshop.

How I would love to have a private workshop with her!! She works large, and you can see her paintings on her website here.

She mentions the word "alive" when describing working with encaustic (beeswax + damar resin). That word resonates with me. It's a wonderful description, as I have a "je ne sais pas" (I don't know) feeling, that keeps propelling me to use it. I have heard other artists using terms that I also resonate with . . like seductive, luscious, and more that aren't coming to mind at the moment.

I've been intrigued by collage, assemblage ("boxed" a la Joseph Cornell), and the variety of ways to create textural surfaces and depth with textiles, cement, plaster, clay, wood, and on and on. I have learned so much through other's blogs, tumblr, and now my pinterest site.  But I am always drawn . . again and again . . back to the wax. It almost feels like I have no choice! I am seduced!

"LUSCIOUS" wax! ... two videos of artists who pour encaustic

The month of December brought some very large challenges in my life . . so I'm "switching gears" so to speak! I will be posting the two paintings from my last post, when they are completed.

I so appreciate seeing your icons here, and I hope you enjoy viewing these videos . . . . .

The two artists' videos here are Leah MacDonald and Howard Hersh. Leah uses encasutic medium with her photography, and Howard Hersh uses pigmented encasutic medium in his paintings.  


I came across Leah MacDonald's video on pinterest. She combines encaustic medium with her photography. (Damar resin crystals are melted and combined with melted beeswax to produce this wax medium. The resin gives the wax more strength, as the beeswax alone is not strong enough to give a painting the durability and resilience it needs. It may be tinted with pigment or oil paint or used clear. The clear medium produces depth and transparency. The more layers that are used, the more transparent the surface becomes. Then there is the scraping to selectively reveal.) It "feels" very, very luscious to me, and I believe that is the reason I was so drawn to using it. Viewing these videos "feels" really luscious to me! I am entranced.

If you click on this youtube's video link above, there is a description of her "In My Body" project that relates to this video.

Visit Leah's website to view her luscious images. She also has a blog . . www.bliss-etc.com and she is having an upcoming workshop in her Philadelphia Studio on March 11th and 12. I don't have a set-up to pour encaustic, but I would LOVE to be "a fly on the wall" to watch her process . . luscious!

The next video shows Howard Hersh pouring pigmented encaustic paint to create his paintings . . 

This video is also on his website as well as youtube.
(This video was created and produced by, Cari Hernandez, who also paints with encaustic.

Click on her name (her website) to see her paintings. She also has a WaxTwist website . .
 a resource for artists who work with encaustic plus information on her workshops & DVD's.
 On her youtube channel you can view her encaustic demonstrations
as well as videos she has created and produced of 
 other artists who work with encaustic.)
I love watching encaustic process!

Howard has a much different set-up for pouring wax to create his paintings. As you can see, he places his painting surface on workbenches and pours the pigmented encaustic. The paint drips over the edges of the surface and sticks/hardens on the benches, creating multi-colored horizontal lines of paint. As encaustic dries quickly (as soon as it is cooled by the air), his benches become three dimensional wax "sculptures". I also would like to be "a fly on the wall" of his studio.

Thanks so much to these artists for sharing their process on video! I could (and will!) watch them over and over and over . . LUSCIOUSNESS!!! . . and . . I love being able to satisfy my "hunger" for viewing art through the internet!