Mixed Media Artist

I work primarily in acrylics and collage.I use collage and beewax in my assemblage works and am now completing several shrines using found objects. I have been experimenting with encaustic collage and have found the medium very challenging. The paint is a combination of melted beeswax and pigment. A small amount of damar resin is added for hardness. I mix these paints myself and while painting all custom colors are mixed directly on a hot palette.
I will share my progress with this exciting medium with photos of work in progress and finished pieces.

Friday, January 23, 2015

NEWEST OIL AND COLD WAX ARTWORK

Since my last post I have been busy working  on oil and wax paintings for a group show of regional artists at the Emporium Gallery. It is located on Gay Street in the historic art district in Knoxville. I love this open contemporary gallery, because it is full of light, and has abundant space for display. The opening was January 5th and will run through February 4th. The photos of my work did not come out as well as I would have liked, so I'll retake them, and then I will post the ones included in the exhibit. These are some new pieces I have done, and others that were not ready to include.

This series is all 12" x 12" cradled panels, 1 inch deep. The medium is traditional oil paints mixed with Dorland's Cold Wax Medium.






I used a palette knife to add the paint and after it dried to the touch I scratched through the paint with a sharp needle tool.





I used ink brayers and a 4' squeegee on this one, and scratched though to the various layers.




This is one of the Patera Series for the Emporium show, that was not ready. I had applied the paint very thick so it took a while to completely dry. Patera is a bowl or vessel used in ancient Rome for drinking or pouring.





This piece is painted on heavy 300 lb handmade watercolor paper with a deckle edge.  More paint is needed when painting on paper as the first layer gets absorbed, and the heavy texture of the paper leaves small white indentions where it is lower than the surface. The first coats were applied with a palette knife, then a brayer and squeegee. I did like the finished product very much and was able to scratch and remove paint in much the same way as on a wood panel.