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.

Pouring the Wax On

This is another painting trying out more new techniques. I taped the sides of my board with masking tape to form a barrier all around the piece. It stuck up about an inch from the surface, and the first layer of clear encaustic medium was poured on. After cooling it slightlty I embedded painted raffia ribbon mesh in spots. Then poured on another thin layer of clear encaustic medium. At this point there was no color added. I began using colored wax and oil pastels (the red scribbles) to layout the design. The buterfly image is a laser copy I cut out and collaged on with a coat of clear on top. The next layer has the black shapes transfered on the surface and a thin layer of clear painted over. The beautiful white lacy efferct is the shellac application, this time painted very thinly, and lightly hit with the torch. The final layer is applied 24 hours later over the shellac to set it. I tinted clear shellac with white oil paint to get the color. Amber shellac can be used as is out of the can and gives the burnt sienna look as shown im my previous post,"The Day the Winds Came"  I am really pleased with the white lacy look of the shellac and the way it brings the elements together. I will definitely try other colors and methods of application. I like the oil pastel drawing as well and want to do more of that. But I don't know about the pouring, it was a lot of work to keep it level and I don't see where it made much of a difference in the finished product.