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!

Encaustic Landscape Painting, Texture and Unsticking the Stuck

Somewhere Between Here and There
encaustic mixed media on birch 30"x30"x2.75"

Encaustic lends itself to painting landscapes quite well.  In fact, encaustic + landscape are meant for each other.  Imagine being able to just slash away at the wax to create all kinds of luscious texture, melting and dripping and more gouging to create the beautiful textures of nature.  How fun is that!?

Landscape art is new to me - but somehow I couldn't resist the want to try it. I actually started this painting the early part of summer and it got stuck in the ugly teenager state and ended up kicking around the studio for the entire summer until I just got tired of looking at it and tripping over it.  Its rather large at 30x30, so it was hard to ignore it.

After a late summer visit to Eastern Washington and a drive through apple country, the landscape of the great wide open with billowing fields of grasses stayed in my mind.  I roped in a couple of good artist friends and got their opinions on how to unstick the stuck painting.  Lucky for me their guidance was what I needed to get at it again.  Can't tell you how important it is to have artist friends to discuss arty things with.  I mean who else would listen to the woes of stuck paintings, color choices and the benefits of diagonals in composition?  Definitely need these people in my life.  *thank you - you know who you are :) 

I pulled out all the stops for this one - paper, fabric, oil paint, pastels, and Plej radio on Pandora - anything and everything to create texture.  I figured it could only get better from where it was, and if it didn't then it would become an under layer for the next big idea.  This big guy takes up my entire work table and its hard to reach the entire surface from my usual spot.  So, I hopped up on my little step stool so I could be above it a bit and went at it with pokey tools, ice pick looking things and scraping tools.  Heat, oil sticks, paper - more heat, more wax.  Standing it up and heating it til it dripped - laying it down and scraping away.  I just let the creative process take me away.  It was fun and nice to be loose.  A little of this, more of that and so here you have it - the first of many landscapes to come.

Happy Friday everyone!

PS - the Art Walk last night was well attended for an October evening.  Thank you to those who came to share the evening!

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.