Commitments, Style and Inspiration

Style Statement
encaustic on birch 10x10

Way back in March,  I committed to doing a painting for an upcoming raffle.  The raffle is just a couple of weeks away and I decided that I needed to get on it, after all, I had committed a painting.  There's still a little tidy up work to do on this pair, but for the most part they are done.  I've been wanting to experiemnt with incorporating the style of one of my favorite artists - Wayne Thiebaud.  He often uses a plain off white background and that awesome blue for shadows.
I'm actually glad that I waited to do this because I have used some of the techniques that I have been playing with over the past week or so.  The background is done with tinted off-white shellac over the off-white background.  I just painted it on leaving lots of brush strokes horizontally.  I wanted kind of a striated line.  Its a shame that encaustics don't photo better because the background, while subtle, is pretty good.  I did start with a bright orange layer, then the off white, then the shellac, then clear wax to get what I was looking for.  I also used the exacto knife and black oil paint for outlining, like in the zentangles from last week.  I did have to tighten up a bit as all the play was really wigging out my inner critic, who has been howling with all this playtime.  I've delegated her to take a seat in the back of the bus with fear and doubt.   The three of them can keep each other company in the back seat, while I do the driving. 

I am still working on playing in the studio.  I've also been digging into books for inspiration.  In keeping with my thoughts on loosening up and stretching my wings to try new things... I signed up for an online painting class with Flora Bowley called Bloom True.  Its going to be a stretch for me, a biiiiiiiiiiiggggg stretch,  but in a good way I think.  I'm deciding whether to try it in wax or actually go for it with acrylic paints.  I have time to mull that over as class doesn't start until September 3.
Its Friday.  Its Party Time.