Tis the Season, Merry and Bright and Compass

Compass
encaustic on birch 8x10
 

 December is here.  The tree is up and decorated.  The elves are busy in the workshop.  Tis the season for Merry and Bright.  I hope that your season goes joyfully and you have time to take in the beauty and wonder.  Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  I'll be taking a break from the studio for the rest of December.  I'll be spending my time with friends and family, taking in the holidays and getting ready to start the new year with a flourish.  Thank you all for your very kind support here throughout 2015. It means the world to me and I am truly grateful. 

 



Momentum, Exploration and Crinoids

Crinoid

detail of something bigger :)

I've recently discovered - there is a sea creature that has my full attention - the Sea Lily or Crinoid.  Its a feather and its a flower and it lives under the sea.  My love for the sea has never waned, but to think there is a bird like creature that lives with the fish.  I mentioned in an earlier post that I was practicing and thinking about something with feathers that leads to something bigger.  And of course if you follow this blog, you know that the sea has a special place in my heart.  This painting isn't done, and its in is very early stages, but I feel this amazing lift and momentum that there is a bridge that I have just stumbled upon that brings together these two very different things - My things - and makes sense of them as one. 

A gust of wind in the sails, momentum in a direction that is not for the faint of heart.  Exploration is for the bold and the brave.  Following a thread of an idea can lead to nothing or it can lead to something bigger.  Momentum is the force that moves us forward into the unknown and on to the difference between the calm and being swept away in the current.

Thank you Linda Sivertsen (Book Mama) for putting these words in regard to momentum so eloquently -

"That’s momentum for you - you work and work to build it, and at some point it starts to build you. It starts to lift you to your next level, so you can create your next level work."

I hope you are living bold and brave and finding the wind in your sails and exploring things that seem different and grand.   Happy Friday everyone! 

Encaustic Painting, Memories and Wind Swept

Wind Swept
encaustic mixed media 18x24
 

This encaustic painting has been sitting in my studio for almost a year.  I started it, but never finished.   I didn't want to paint over it for some reason, as this scene has great meaning to me.  I finally finished it this past weekend and it finally came together with relative ease.  I realized today, that it has taken me almost a year to get the skills I needed in order to finish it.  I needed to be working with India ink, carving with an exacto knife, filling with oil paint and using caran d'ache neocolor in my work.  These are not things that I was doing a year ago. 

This scene is from our family beach house.  It is where I spent summers and every weekend of my childhood years.  The house was sold this time last year.  An end of a chapter, but one that had to come.  So, I wanted to have something that reminded me of those years and that place and those memories.  That's why this painting came to be.  I realized once it was finished that this is the first time in my life that I have not visited this place in the world in a year's time.
Below are details of the painting and I have come to realize that a series of these lovely trees may be in my future :)

Happy Friday everyone!

Encaustic Painting, Practicing for Something Bigger and Blue Flight

Blue Flight
encaustic mixed media on birch 10x10

I'm practicing for something bigger.  I wanted to see what it would be like to carve in feather detail in and encaustic painting.  I keep thinking of a painting of a really large feathered something in the future.  I've always hesitated to paint a big bird painting for a couple of reasons - the first is the wonder if a really large bird painting is a bit scary, meaning is it creepy to have a really big bird hanging on your wall?  And secondly, painting small means I can cheat a bit on detail, but on a large painting I'd have to step up and really get the detail right - no fudging.  So maybe the answer is like Blue Flight here, where there is no actual bird, but just a feathered something.  Each of these feathers is carved in with an exacto knife which in itself is very meditative.  And, I'm finding that I really love French Café Radio on Pandora.  Its really nice background music and I learned of it from a good friend and her lovely French dinner that she made for a small group of friends.  It played in the background as we dined on marvelous food and visited over candlelight.  Now as it plays in the background in my studio,  I can dream of going to Paris again whilst carving bird feathers.  Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

I'm also wondering about putting words into paintings.  For me there is a fine line between looking good and being a bit kitschy.  I like the idea, but pulling it off I think is difficult.  Maybe its the choice of words? 

Au revoir all, back to work - and happy Friday! 

Encaustic Painting, Carving, Graphite and Last Dance

Last Dance
encaustic, graphite and oil on birch 10x10

Fall is here and my walks are full of rich colors and layers.  Encaustic painting really excels in allowing beautiful layering in paintings.  I have been experimenting with using powdered graphite recently.  It really does some amazing things on the wax.  Although it is kind of messy and sticky to everything, the ability to shade and create interesting depth adds a new dimension to things.  Plus, I really love the subtle grays it produces.  I'm also finding the fine lines I can get using an exacto knife in the wax is adding another aspect to getting more detail with a medium that tends to be a little cranky when it comes to fine lines. 
For those of you interested in the process - the background is laid in with graphite and the fine drawn graphite lines are actually done on tissue paper and added to the painting.  The colors are wax and the white leaves are carved with the exacto knife and the line work highlighted with oil stick. 
I hope those of you in the Northern hemisphere are getting out and enjoying Mother Nature's amazing display of fall and all its beautiful colors and layers.
Happy Friday everyone!
 

Encaustic Painting, Chickadees and CeCe

CeCe
encaustic 6x6

I never get tired of painting chickadees.  They are one of my favorites and the ones I see the most from my window.  I truly wish that I had the same energy as one of these little ones.  They are forever active and flitting from branch to branch. Think of all the things I could get done in a day.  But, I do love to settle in the mid afternoon over a cup of coffee and a good book - taking a break from all the commotion even if just for a few minutes.

October is here, fall is starting to show her lovely colors - my favorites - the yellows, oranges and reds.  I've begun to start thinking of making soup and wearing sweaters.  Although, we are having a glorious Indian summer here in the northwest which means no sweaters yet.  

Happy Friday everyone! 

 

 

Encaustic Painting, Fish and Captain



Captain
detail encaustic mixed media on birch 6 x 24



There is something about encaustic painting and fish that just really go together for me.  The textures and the colors are incredible fun.  I'm still working the concept of bigger through modular, diptych or triptych.  This painting actually started with the center piece.  I was demoing to a friend and showing her how texture and mark making work in encaustic.  The panel just looked like it needed to be part of a fish and the rest came together from other 1/2 started panels on my work table. 

 



Captain
encaustic mixed media on birch
triptych 6 x 24



Sometimes images come together quickly and sometimes they seem to take eternity to present themselves upon the surface.  Captain here was a quick one once he got under way.  Thankfully, because we all need victories in the studio to keep the wind in our sails.  A few finishing touches yet to go, so Captain sits on my mantel where I can see him every time I pass by.  The small little nuances will come to mind,  a mark here a line there, a little more yellow, a little less yellow... we'll see.  But he's a keeper.

A happy first weekend of fall/spring to everyone! 

Oh and a Question for you all - do you think fish have that little dot of reflected light in their eye? 

Captain
detail

 

Captain
detail

Mod, Encaustic Painting, Combining Flavors

Dogwood
encaustic mixed media on birch 16 x 19

Modular painting seems to be catching my fancy these days.  I love combining the flavors of encaustic painting, ink drawing, printing, and both abstract and representational art.  The mixed bunch tells a nice story.  These individual paintings are glued together to create one large story panel.  While I like the random size, I'm also working on some that fit together into a regular rectangle.  I am finding the mix and match aspect of working a modular painting is really fun and giving a fresh feeling to the paintings.  Problem is, now I have lots and lots of mix and match pieces on my work table - now the trick is finding the combinations that work together. 
Happy Friday everyone! 

Treasure Hunting, Black and White and Feathers

plume
encaustic and oil on birch 6x6

I've been collecting feathers.  Seems I find all kinds, shapes and sizes.  There is an eagle nest that I pass regularly and every now and again I'm lucky to find one that has fallen from there.  I have an osprey feather, crow feathers, little downy ones, stripy ones and even a little sweet gray and yellow one.  Its become my own personal treasure hunt when I'm out walking.  In the beginning I brought all the ones home that caught my eye - now I'm a bit more selective as my collection has grown.   The fine detail of all the little filaments and the lightness of their architecture is remarkable to think they are responsible for flight.

I've also been thinking in black and white.  The simplicity of removing color and creating form and detail in the space of two colors is a good lesson for me.  I'm not giving up color by any means, but I do think that removing it teaches a valuable lesson.  For those of you interested in processes - the feather is carved into the wax surface with an exacto knife creating the fine line detail.  The lines are then filled with oil paint which is then rubbed off the surface and left in the lines.  Wax is difficult to get any fine detail and this in one of the best ways to achieve that. 

Happy Friday everyone!  I hope your time in nature is also a wonderful inspirational adventure and treasure hunt that brings you much reward. 

Encaustic Painting Process, Draw-Through Printing and Tissue Paper

Kiss (detail)
encaustic, paper and ink on birch

Trying old techniques in a new way again - this time a printing technique called draw-through printing.  Keeping things fresh and loose in art can sometimes be a challenge for me.  This little chickadee is a detail from a larger modular painting.  I've been revisiting some techniques I learned a while back and finding it really fun.  Thanks to the wonderful Stephanie Hargrave for being the inspiration. 

The drawings are done on tissue paper and then put into the encaustic painting.  Its a fun process and because of its nature, it keeps the drawings loose and fresh.  The first step is to get together all the things needed

1. printing ink - I used Akua, but there are other printing inks that work great like Daniel Smith printing inks. 
2. Glass palette
3. brayer
4. bamboo skewer
5. tissue paper

Step One - roll out the ink with the brayer - can't stress enough that it needs to be a thin layer. Think thin to win!

Step Two - gently place the tissue paper on top of the rolled out ink and weight the edges so it will not move when you do your drawings.

Step Three - Use the bamboo skewer, or end of a paint brush handle or even your finger nail - and draw.  Being careful not to touch the paper to hold it otherwise you will have finger prints which is ok, but just be mindful where they are.  You will see your line showing through the tissue as you draw your shapes. 

 

 

Step Four - carefully peel up the tissue from the printing plate and turn it over.  You will see your designs printed on the tissue. 

You can see in this photo the "noise" created in the print where the tissue stuck to the ink other than where the lines were drawn.  I don't mind a little bit of noise in the print.  A lot of noise creates a whole another look to the print.

Step Five - once the prints are dry - burnish the tissue into an encaustic painting and gently heat.  The white tissue will magically disappear into the wax and will leave only the printed lines showing.  Cover with a protective layer of wax and the tissue will totally blend into the artwork

 

 Noisy print on the left and only just a little noise on the right

As a side note, I did find that the tissue I was using had a shiny or hard side and a matte or soft side.  I found the hard side would stick to the ink in places that I really didn't want it to, thus, creating "noise" in the print like on the left above.  The soft side of the tissue would allow for the fine lines to show through without too much stickage (noise). I would re-brayer the inked area after every print, not necessarily adding more ink until I really needed it.  Its fun to do several when you have everything out - lots of different shapes and designs.  That way when you are ready to put the drawings into your artwork, there are lots of choices to layer and have fun with.  I'm also assuming it would work with a gel medium on an art journal page or other artwork than encaustic. 
Good luck and have fun.  Happy Friday everyone!

The Buzz, Honey Bees, Encaustic Painting

detail
Buzz
Encaustic on panel 6x24

I have a bush in my yard that the bees adore.  Its full of little tiny flowers that dance above the lush green leaves in a cloud of white.  The perfume of these flowers is what draws them in.  When I stand and listen, my ears fill with a buzz and a hum from all the tiny wings beating in a faint rhythm.  The busy bees are gathering pollen to return to their hive.  They are covered in a sweet yellow haze as they fly away.  The bush is beginning to fade now, but the bees will continue until their job is done and they move on to another yard.  They are mostly honey bees, but there are a few bumble bees too which are my favorites for painting.  Happy Friday everyone!

Buzz
encaustic 6x24

Unexpected Visitor, Chirping and Sparrow

Sparrow
encaustic on birch 6x6

Today I had the most amazing visitor - a little sparrow was hopping around in my living room.  I was in the kitchen and heard a chirping sound.  I came around the corner to find a sweet little sparrow hopping about.  She was chirping away and happy as could be and didn't seem to have a care in the world.  I opened the patio door to help her to find her way back outside.  She was in no hurry to leave and hopped under chairs and around and under the tables.  She never took flight, just hopped and sang.  I followed around and gently talked to her encouraging her to see the open door and her freedom.   She eventually made her way to the door and flew back to her life outside.  So sweet. 
Happy Friday everyone!

Encaustic Painting and Art, Beating the Saboteur, and Sparrow Song

Sparrow Song
encaustic on birch 6x6

There's so much going on it makes my head spin.  Yet, I know there is peace found in art and dropping into the zone of creativity.  The problem is carving out the time in between all the other things that make up the wonderful froth of life. 

The "do" list is long, yet slowly the items are scratched off even though there is no end to that list.   Today my day was eaten up entirely with errands and flat tires, and returns, drop offs and pick ups - the bank, the grocery store, the dry cleaners - its endless. I decided to write off today as a "get it done" day so tomorrow is  mine or at least partially mine.  Sometimes I find it hard to get past the "do" list and on to my own time - yet there is that nagging voice inside that says - get it done so tomorrow is free.  Yet, tomorrow never seems to be free.  Its that nasty self saboteur at work again. That is the part of us that keeps us from spending our time as we really need to be doing rather than what we probably should be doing. There is always the "do" list of life, it will always be so.  Excuses, excuses - is there really anything that is so important to keep us from pursuing our creative outlet - the thing that keeps us balanced and at our best?  Yes, in some cases - but for the most part... NO, these things are just distractions that can be managed in a way that allows us our own time also.  Its time to tell Father Time to take a break and the Saboteur to take a hike and let's get on with what we really need "to do" - our art, our dreams, our purpose.  Carve time, make time and make your art.
Happy Friday everyone!

I'm sharing studio happenings and inspirations on Tuesdays - if you missed this week, you can see it here.

Thoughts Become Things, Rescue Dog, and Wesley

Red Dog, Red Ball
encaustic on birch 8x10

I am a firm believer in "thoughts become things" or putting a thought, an idea, a wish, a dream, whatever - putting it out there - in the Universe - asking.  To me, by doing this, its like tossing a pebble into the water and causing a ripple.  A little tiny ripple which carries my thought on it across the fabric of the Universe - out there - to be answered and returned back to me when the time is right and the answer is just what I need at that very moment. 

 

We've been wanting a dog.  Its been close to a year since we lost our sweet dog to old age.  We were ready even though it means giving up a bit of freedom and spontaneity.  So, I did just this very thing.  I painted the painting of the red dog about a month ago.  I tossed my tiny pebble into the waters of the Universe and asked that a dog would come to us.  The right dog, the one we've been waiting for and is looking for us, the one not to replace the dogs I've had but to add to their history and compliment our family.

 

Unplanned, unready, bad timing... Here's Wesley - a half basset hound, half lab 1 1/2 years old surrendered to the Oregon Humane Society because his owner died and the people who ended up with him and his identical brother couldn't keep them.  We took Wes and another family went home with his brother just one day after being in the shelter.  Call it good timing, good fortune, call it what you like - but my little ripple was returned to me in a 50 lb package of pure love and snuggles.

 

I'm actually quite amazed at how closely he resembles my painting.  I missed the white toes and white on his chest but you have to admit its a bit uncanny (or not).

 

Wesley

Happy Friday everyone!  Hit the button and join the party -

 

Terminal, Giving and The Little Owl

Little Owl
encaustic on Masonite
6x4

Yesterday I found out that a good friend of mine has terminal cancer and just a short time to live.  Its all come down very quickly and the shock factor is still lingering.  I went to see her today in hospital empty handed.  What do you take to someone in this spot in life?  I couldn't imagine bringing flowers or magazines or potted plants or balloons.  These are all lovely gifts and we all give what we can and what feels right.  But for me, I only took myself.  Maybe it was enough for today, but I felt that tomorrow must be different.
I came home and I painted.  I had to try and express what I was feeling and what I can give in this dire time.  This little owl will go to hospital tomorrow and watch over my friend.  The owl has great meaning in the totem world plus it is also the symbol for Athena and all her wisdom and strength.  I couldn't think of a better guardian to be on duty during this time. 

Alchemy of Process, Workshop with Elise Wagner and Lisa Pressman, and the New World of Cold Wax



Workshop studies
cold wax, oil on paper

Just last week, I spent three game changing days in the Portland, OR studio of Elise Wagner.  Elise teamed up with Lisa Pressman for "The Alchemy of Process" workshop.  Two amazing artists sharing their processes and how they intertwine between their two styles to create something really magical.  Elise Wagner finds her roots in printmaking and Lisa Pressman is fluent in cold wax medium, together they share a love and common ground of working in encaustic painting.  While their artwork and methods are different, there are wonderful similarities that make this teaching duo a perfect pair.  Over the course of four days, a new door into the world of art was opened for me and I walked away with the keys. 

Elise Wagner and Lisa Pressman
Wagner is the winner of Pollock-Krasner Foundation Award for 2015
Pressman is featured in the Huffington Post article "Ten Memorable Paintings from 2014"

This is a four day workshop with our first day kicking off in the beautiful Butters Gallery where the works of both Elise and Lisa hung in the show "The Spaces Between".  The workshop is so popular that a second session was added this year.  The sessions ran back to back with an overlapping day ending the first and kicking off the second.  For day one, we talked - inspirations, shared artwork, and lots of questions around websites, artist statements, approaching galleries and any and all art profession questions we could dream up.  Elise and Lisa were genuine, helpful, and direct with their answers making us all feel at home in a nurturing and educational environment.  The next three days we rolled up our sleeves, parked all expectations at the curb and dove in to the alchemy of process. 

Colaberation
Lisa Pressman and Elise Wagner working together in encaustic

We worked with Elise making encaustic collograph prints on the first day.  The anticipation of seeing the first print after rolling it through the press has the same level of excitement as opening the envelope of 4x6 prints from a roll of film that has just been processed.  There was a lot of thought that went into the preparation and then the crowning moment of the reveal and seeing how you did.  Its pretty uplifting. 

 

Day two was about learning to use cold wax medium with Lisa.  She warmed us up with some drawing and mark making exercises that got us loosened up and then introduced us the world of working in cold wax.   I'm overboard in love with this stuff and the world of abstract painting.  Totally different than where I dwell in my little corner of the encaustic world.  Thought provoking, playful but not without a new set of frustrations that come with learning any new medium - like mud. 

 

Day three - encaustic and then whatever we wanted to work more on.  On this day, Elise and Lisa worked side by side at the hot wax palettes.  So interesting to see the differences in how they work the same medium so proficiently.  Different styles, different approaches, same language. 

 

Each day we learned to see more, to edit, to add and subtract.  We learned new mediums, new ways and magical insights.  Great meaningful discussions, questions answered, sharing and all of this in a comfortable and nurturing way.  Great teachers, great workshop.  I told them both that when I came on the first day I felt like for quite a while I had been searching for something in my art that I could not define, but felt like whatever it was I couldn't find it.  When I left, I felt like I could rest my search and stay in this spot for a while with all of the information that came in - there are answers for me.  But, I have to work it and experiment and play a lot for it to take shape in a tangible way.   Got a lot of discovery ahead of me which sounds like fun.  Many thanks to Elise and Lisa for an enlightening four days and giving me new tools of inspiration.

  

Happy Students
Melissa Lackman and Mary Lee and a whole lotta art created in 3 days

Encaustic Painting, December Reflections and Blue Jays

While You Were Away
encaustic mixed media on birch 6x8

Seems there isn't much going on for me in encaustic painting.  I feel lucky if I get some hours in the studio this time of year.  This Steller's Jay is one of the most recent and probably last ones I will do in 2014.  Its amazing to think that it's December and we will be waking up to Christmas Day not too far from now.  In addition to being totally distracted by the Holiday season, I've gotten bitten by the printing bug and it seems that my mind has shifted to thinking in terms of how to carve a linocut so that the positive and negative spaces work out.  So, I got the happy idea to make my own Christmas cards this year - all linocut of course!  I've been printing like crazy in the studio and have them all ready to be addressed.  I'm feeling very smug that I'm actually on top of it this year.  I'll share my Christmas card and printing endeavors next week. 

I'm also taking part in December Reflections with the brilliant Susannah Conway.  A photo a day (with word prompts) doesn't seem too overwhelming and is actually a nice pause during busy days. 

12/1:  Drinks
December Reflections

 

12/2:  Lights
December Reflections

 

12/3:  The Best Day of 2014
Today of course :) 
December Reflections

12/4: Red
My favorite foxy mug and my very first linocut :)
December Reflections

Hoping your Holiday season is rolling along smoothly so far.  Happy Friday everyone! 

Produce Produce, Encaustic Painting and Getting My Fruits and Veg

Produce produce - that was the request.  And here they are:
Five encaustic mixed media paintings that are all 8x10. 
When I say mixed media - although they don't really look it - their starts and under paintings are begun with layers mixed with paper, fabrics and book pages: tissue, patterns and whatever interesting things I can find to put into the works. 


Rabbit Food



Waiting for Smoothie

 

Red Bells



Heirlooms II



Green Fig

This was a fun subject for me to paint and try and figure out a way to do it that was interesting for me as well as hopefully for others.  Since I was happy how these turned out, off I went off to Whole Foods and bought another round of interesting subjects that will include egg plant, yellow beets, red pears, tri color carrots and I'm hopeful to pick up a turnip or two.  They will be round two of the produce produce paintings.  Happy Friday every one!

Blue Shoes, Foxes and Studio Time

I Will Take Them in Blue
encaustic mixed media on birch 8x10

Its October - wow.  I signed up to be the artist for the October Artwalk in Edmonds, WA.  My artwork is hanging in the Coldwell Banker Bain office on 5th St, for the entire month.  Last year, in April was my very first showing of my work publically and it was in this very same spot.  The show is much smaller this year but as I reflect back, its amazing to me how far I have come in such a relatively short time.  My artwork keeps changing and getting better as I find my way and hone my style. 
Encaustic is a very fickle medium but I enjoy it so.  Just when I think I've got it - I don't.  But I am a firm believer in showing up every day in the studio or at least in some form even if life gets in the way of true studio time.  Some days - its a walk outside and just taking in color, texture and line - seeing how light plays and shadows are created.  I let that information center itself in my mind for future reference.  Its as good as true studio creative time and just as important. 
Happy Friday everyone!!  And many many thanks to you that visit here and fuel my inspiration. 

Watcher, Summer and More to Come

Watcher
Encaustic mixed media on birch 6x6

Been painting some, but not enough.  Seems like summer is getting in the way - but I really don't mind.  There are many studio days coming my way as the season winds down. 
I just uploaded a bunch of new works into my gallery.  I hope you go have a browse. 

And just for fun - for those of you who are interested - Flora Bowley is offering Bloom True Boot Camp for the month of September - Here