Back to the Heat

I'm ready for some instant gratification and what better way than to heat up my encaustic palette and get to work. I will share some earlier works that haven't been on this blog and then a preview of new works on the drawing board. I've always dreamt of doing an installation and I am working toward that end.

Close To The Sun

This painting was chosen to be included in the EAI ( Encaustic Art Institute) juried show.

It is 6" x  6" in size and framed in a matte black museum floater frame. There is no glass on this type of frame, so the beautiful quality of the wax can be seen. This piece has a lot of texture in some places and is smooth and glassy in other spots. I have used a small amount of amber shellac on the surface and burned it in with a torch to give the bubbling effect.

                                                                     

View From Lake Louden

This piece is part of the Arrowmont Sevier County Biennial Juried Show, and will be on display through March in the main gallery. This artwork is framed in a matte black museum frame without glass and  measures 17" X 17" in size.

Fall Migration

This is a 12" X 12" encaustic work with a lot of surface texture in the top half of the painting, contrasting with the smooth reflective area below. It is left unframed with the cradled sides finished, which eliminates the need for a frame.

This next group is my newest work and is in the very beginning designing phase. These little paintings are on 4" X  4" X 2" blocks of wood. My intention is to combine all 9 of them and hang  them as a group (installation). Not sure yet what the configuration will be; possibly 3 rows of 3 across, or all 9 across. That decision will wait until they are completed. This is just the first layer,(some paintings can have 20 layers)  I really like these clear colors and simple lines.

Emporium Gallery Exhibit

I was fortunate to be included in the recent exhibition at the Emporium Gallery on Gay Street in Knoxville, TN.

The 12 x 12 cradled panels are oil and cold wax. The larger ones on the opposite wall are acrylic collage.

Patera Series: 1
12" x 12" x 1"

detail 

Patera Series: 2
12" x 12" x 1"

Red Vessel

10" x 10"x 2"

detail

Vessels
12" x 12" x 1"

These paintings will soon be for sale in my etsy shop: notsobland.etsy.com

Achieving a smooth encaustic surface

A Bird In This World
10" x 10"

This piece has the luminous, smooth surface that is typical of encaustic medium. Many layers are built up in the same way as a textured surface, so this painting still has approximately 8-10 separate layers. In order to get a smooth flat look, the surface must be hand scraped after each addition of paint. The paint should be slightly warm to the touch. If it is too warm, or if you scrape too deep, all the color from that layer will be removed. It's a judgement thing and takes a little practice to avoid making ridges.
For years I used single edge razor blades or long handled razor blade scrapers that house painters use.
These become dull quickly and are awkward to keep level.
I have found the perfect thing for the job, and it is used by potters for sculpting clay. It is a loop clay tool and comes in many sizes and, can be purchased where pottery supplies are sold.

I have utilized my hand dyed papers for collage and stenciling to create the crisp, bold images.

New work, a new beginning and a commitment to share...

The last year has been devoted to encaustic wax. With construction finished on my new studio with it's custom ventilation system, designed by husband, I have been spending hours and hours working with beeswax, oil paint, oil paint sticks and oil pastels.

My  Encaustic show in January at the Emporium Gallery in Knoxville was great and I'd like to share images from the exhibit.



This piece, Shoreline, is the largest one in the show, and the largest I have done to date. It really used a lot of wax and as the size goes up so does the material costs. I can see why most work that is seen in this medium is usually in the 12" x 12" format. The surface is highly textured and embedded with shell fragments, sand from the beach, feathers, and cheesecloth. Other texture is created by letting the wax cool slightly before applying, and adding layer after layer. The finished piece has 8-10 layers of medium.You can almost smell the salty sea air after taking a closer look at this piece.

Shoreline
24" x 28"

detail of surface