Well I haven't gotten back to the encaustics yet, but I have been slowly cleaning, sorting, rearranging and getting into playing with possibilities.
I have joined an ATC (Artist Trading Cards ) group to get me moving creatively...even though I have made ACEO's before and sold them on my etsy site...I haven't traded them.
There is something very freeing about doing art just for the sake of it, without worrying about selling it.
So I decided to post my process. I
just am having fun playing with possibilities. These are still in process by the way.
Speaking of process art, which is what my work as an art therapist is all about, and what primes the pump creatively. Last week I attended Patricia's Creative Process open group, ( my friend and partner in the Creative Arts Studio, and fellow art therapist).
She shows a film of an artist for inspiration....and then participants do art in response or influenced by what they saw in the film. She showed a film about
Betty La Duke who is one of my favorite, contemporary woman painters. This oil pastel drawing is what came through for me that day.
I was so engaged that I worked on it some more
when I got back home.
Later I realized that this piece was all about RELEASE and opening up to messages from the
unconscious, as well as embracing the spaciousness that has come with me no longer working everyday working at Santa Rosa J.C.
I forgot how much I love working in oil pastels and just letting what wants to come through to come through.
So far, I haven't gotten back to the mandala I created at the retreat...but I will soon. Ahh, so many directions that call me, no wonder, I am so busy even though I am not working in a traditional manner any more.
Speaking of reorganizing the studio...I am doing this because I hope to build up my private practice once again, fill my womens group and get ready for a two day Encaustic Class I plan to do at the end of next month. MOre to come...
Here is the final piece....using a series of photographs made into zerox's over the encaustic paint
I am having soo much fun...who knows what comes next. 
Well I haven't gotten back to the encaustics yet, but I have been slowly cleaning, sorting, rearranging and getting into playing with possibilities.
The new location we used was lovely and it was a full moon, which we all were able to watch rise over Sonoma Mountain at the end of the day.
Here are some of the mandala's with color applied being viewed on the wall. Once again the images are blurry but you can get a sense of the variety and splendor of them in this shot.
Here are some of the earlier in the day small mandala's a black and white one's prior to color being added.
The illuminated glow of the white scale of light on the black, really has power.
White on black small mandala's .
unfortunately some of the photos are not clear but it still gives a sense of their power
I will show the mandala that I began and show its progression on a later post. I just love having mandala to work on and spend delicious time focusing on it and my intention. More to come. 
