Making Encaustics again...

Whenever I finally get back to cranking up the hot plate and waxing some panels 

with encaustic medium, I am so happy.  

  It seems I work in cycles, and put aside one media for another, and then resurrect it based on what inspires me, or if I have a specific idea or goal to work on.

 I wanted to create a series of wine themed encaustic paintings, to have available for a Trade Show for the wineries represented by an organization called The Wine Road, here in Sonoma County. I live in Wine Country if you don't already know that.

  So I resurrected a series of images of wine themed encaustic paintings that I did and sold when I was represented by a gallery called ARt and All the Jazz in Healdsburg several years ago.

 I have my art and my Art pendants at a store called Made Local, here in Santa Rosa, and they are hosting this trade show at the beginning of August.  I decided to take advantage of the opportunity.

 I made high quality prints of my original pieces, and then saturated the images in encaustic medium, adhering them to the 6"x6" panels I had.

 After fusing them, I added more medium and painted over and around them with encaustic paints

 some more so than others, and walla they turned out exquisite....at least to me they did.  Each one of the pieces in these series are charming, rather folksy looking and some of my favorite pieces I have done. The beauty of this medium is that I can make them anew, revise them, add on to them and bring these originals back to life in new pieces.    Now the question arose from someone, are these true encaustics... and my answer is yes they are encaustic collages, in a way, from my own original art.  So rather than sell prints, I can sell actual pieces of my favorites.  We shall see if anyone is interested in these sweet little paintings.

The last piece that I did  during this time frame, was this  encaustic. I did a photo transfer of a photo  of a  winery landscape that I took a while back.  Then I painted over the transfer with encaustic paints, bringing it to life with color and more depth. (12"x12" cradled hardboard).  Subtle but successful, letting the unique quality of this medium and the beauty of the landscape around here, be the  emphasis of this encaustic painting.  I think I took this photo on a road in Alexander Valley.

I intend to create more encaustics of the Sonoma County Landscape soon. We shall see if I get any of my pieces in any winery tasting room gifts shops or not, I hope so, but we shall see.  By the way, I also created a line of pendants using the  my La Dolce Vino imagery as well. I will post some of those photos soon.   Now I have reason to get out into the country side to take more photos of the beauty all around me.  There are those, who lament the mono culture of vineyards that have taken over Sonoma county, but I love the repeating pattern of the fields of grape vineyards, and taking photos of them.
Ciao.

Mandala Day - Opening to What is Flowering...

This past weekend I taught a Mandala Workshop at the lovely Journey Center in Santa Rosa.  

 This was the first workshop I facilitated, without my dear  friend and partner in the Mandala Workshop Process, Patricia Waters, who passed away in February.

 Although I have taught many mandala workshops without her over the years, our shared teaching of this process for over 20 years, was a delight and something I was very comfortable with.

 I was worried before this workshop that I would be emotional and felt as though it was a day I had to get through, kind of like getting back on a horse after you fall. But,...

 it turned out to be a wonderfully healing day for me and for everyone who attended.  I was very blessed to have several dear friends participate, who also were close to Patricia, so I felt very held by them.  But more than that, I felt held by my friend Patricia and Judith as well.  Judith Cornell, created this deep work, and  was my teacher in the Mandala Process.

 I felt support on many levels as I continued to share this work with others.

 These photos show a bit of the days process and each person's work, with some exploring  this healing art process for the first time

 I came away, recommitted to continuing to doing and sharing this approach in the future.

 It is always so satisfying to have people participate who feel they can't draw at all and leave feeling transformed by this gentle work.

 We worked surrounded by flowers and each person have a personal vase of flowers that they picked for themselves.

                               Opening to what was flowering in our lives at the moment,

                    and  to  what we wanted to come through more clearly in our personal gardens,

                                                  the drawings emerged and developed,

                                        like mystical flowers from the  procreative darkness of the paper

                                          Each unique mandala unfolding like a flower,

                                          like we unfold from the center  of our being .

                                                                 out in our lives

                                                I am grateful to have this opportunity

                                               to express the inner sacred through art

                                                              with others....

Each of these mandala's have a story to tell, just as the process was an inner journey for each person as well.

                           But best of all    I have  a  new mandala to work on and that always makes me happy.

                                       and also helps to ground and center me in my daily life.

                             What a blessing, I am so lucky to be able to be with others

                                                         and share this work as

                                                             my right livelihood..

         I am now considering offering a Second Sunday of the Month - Mandala Morning at my studio...

 Get in touch if you are drawn to learn this work.  I will post more about it another time.

                                                 Until next time  Namaste'......Caterina