Healing heART - waxing poetic

This past week, I finally got into my studio and began to do some encaustic painting, 

after a very, very long hiatus. 

 So much has been going on, with my dear friends decline, and trying to fit life into my life, that making art and especially cranking up the hot plate and doing encaustic painting, has totally fallen by the way side.

 But it was exactly what the doctor ordered, so to speak.  I decided to create some loosely related Valentine encaustic paintings, with the thought of having some of it   being  included in a group show.   around Valentines Day,  but what really happened was my opening up to HEART energy.

 Working on these pieces, had the effect of not only opening my heart, but soothing my heart, which has been in various stages of grief for over 6 weeks now.  I lost track of time, slowing down and being engulfed in color, image and playful exploration.  Trying to get in touch with what was I trying to say, or express and then letting go.  To say it way healing for me is an understatement.  I found myself in bliss, happier than I had been in months....at the very least.  I loved what I was doing, and found myself returning to the studio even in the evening, when it is cold, cold, cold out there.  Happy as a clam ( a clam being enclosed in a protective shell, which is what I was doing with my art making...)

This final one, of the series so far, really brought me in touch with release, letting go and letting love guide me.  I love how each of these is so filled with vibrant color, which of course is one of the beauties of encaustic paint, as well of how much they speak to what is going on for me right now, as well as love in all its varieties and depths.

No one has to remind me of how creating art is healing, but I had to remind myself again, as I became immersed in this process, finding happiness and joy in the moment, self soothing myself through color combinations, and the placement of images that called to me.  I am thankful and can't wait to get back into my studio again this week, and let the molten hot colors take me away to another land, a land of joyful creative abandon.  Blessings to all... Ciao

Playing with Paint

My process:   I always try to make use of the paints that my clients and group participants leave on their palettes.  I hate to waste acrylic paint.  I have had a few canvases that I keep undercoating with left over paint.  The other evening after a young girl I work with left, I started dabbing away at the canvas with her left over colors.   This painting is what emerged.  I like it.  I had fun without attachment and the entire process made me happy.  I had so much fun with this piece that I moved to another canvas.
( both of these are 10"x10 by the way)

This time I took off in another direction, using a stencil and working around it with color, line and letters.

Now I am thinking about going back to the first one and adding the word Inspire in painted cursive.  What do you think?   I always love to play with words that have meaning for me.  If anyone is reading this post and has an opinion let me know.

I actually haven't painted with acrylic in quite a while, other than to do backgrounds for collage pages in my journals, but I had so much fun on these canvases, that I might do more.  Once again the appeal is in the play not so much the product, but when I like what happens, it makes me happy.

Finally back to Encaustic Painting...

Once again, I am lax in posting on this blog.  Life has a way of taking me away from the computer.  Then its just like getting in touch with a real old friend, so much catching up that it seems over whelming to even begin.  Another thing, is that I feel I need to be significant and post something meaningful, rather than the facebook like updates that we are all so accustomed to.  So, I put it off and off, and then bite the bullet and post again.

I have been back at working on my encaustics.  I set up the studio and had a studio day with an art therapist /friend and that primed the pump for me and now I am in the mode again, and excited.  I have begun working on a piece, exploring map as art, or my life as a journey...I did a series of mixed media map collages...that I printed up on tracing paper and adhered with encaustic medium to a cradled hardboard.  As a jumping off point.

This is the beginning of the process.

The piece began taking on geographical significance for me..  Their is the Sea of Sicily, where my family is rooted...and Chicago where I grew up, all peering through the encaustic medium.

One of the things I found frustrating is that, the encaustic medium adhered wierdly to the underlying tracing paper background...but I decided to just go with it.


And continued to over lay collage imagery on top of the piece.

I then began to paint in areas, forming land and sea.

I also began articulating a series of
diamond shapes.  I love to make triangles in repeated patterns..something so satisfying in that for me..

A ship traveling across the safe waters, brought up lots of wonderful metaphors I thought I could add, ie the winds of change... being one that became a refrain in my mind as I worked.  A moon or a sun and a house to place at the center of the Heart Land, came next....

It still however, looks chaotic and disjointed...but is moving along.

So I added more collage elements, to bring grounding to the land, sea and sky as well as delineate the land and sea masses, using color.  Still the medium and paint, pool on the tracing paper, even with adding layers of medium inbetween colors.  But there is nothing else to do except go with the process, and see what emerges.

Close up of the Sea of Sicilia...

The land mass....

and sky line .....So this is as far as I have come with this piece.  I am sitting with it, planning on carving in, bringing in more contrast and pulling out more words, and perhaps revealing some of the maps in underneath.

So far so good.  I am engaged and excited by the process.  More to come.  I hope to get into the studio today and do more on this piece.  Have a great Sunday.  Ciao.

Encaustic- Back in the Studio on a Hot day....yay

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6"x6" on cradled clay hardboard

Here are two new encaustics that I did in the past two days....It was hot in the studio, but I was happy to finally get in there and crank up the hot wax and hot plate.  I am selling my jewelry at an Italian Festa on Oct. 11th and decided to do a few encaustics that somehow related to my Italian, sicilian heritage.

The Mandonna encaustic is from a photo I took in Sicily outside my zia Dora's house.  It was built into the stucco wall in the back yard.  These little nichio's or altare's are hidden in many backyards all over Sicily.  I wish I would have taken more photos of them when I was there.  Maybe next time..( hopefully) 

I loved the photo but never knew what to do with it.  I this piece is another addition to my nichio, madonna, goddess series.  The Sun is just a lovely old middle ages etching that I photo transfered onto an encaustic background.  I plan on writing Buon Giornio on it with carbon paper or?? not sure yet.  I have to say that I was excited to get back to my wax work after just not being motivated for quite a while.  I think its the fall that gets me going.   Blue and orange are colors that keep calling me these days.  I put beeswax on about 4 more small masonite panels as well, so we shall see where I go next with my Italia series.  Horray... I am having waxy joy buildup!

Encaustic Challenge Process

Where to begin....what to do?  Here is what happened

As part of the etsy encaustic artist "Beeswaxteam Challenge"  I received a panties pattern and a nylon stocking in the mail from another encaustic artist on etsy.  The challenge and it was one to start with, was to create an encaustic painting incorporating any part of the items received.

At first I really had no idea where to go with these seemingly random but connected items.
Then I started going through some vintage family photos thinking something might click and I came across several of mother as a young woman with her friends.  I vacillated between two photos then decided I like this one of my mom and my "aunt Margie"  under an arbor.  These two were life long friends. 
The other image I considered was one of my mom and her friends actually in their panties outside probably on vacation somewhere.  I saturated the cradled hardboard with encaustic medium and dipped the nylon in it as well.  The nylon began to form a sculptural frame for the image...hmmm,
I began to apply some transparent colors of encaustic paint....ie R&F paints very diluted with encaustic medium.
I wanted the words from the pattern piece to show through.  However I wasn't really enthralled by the colors at this point.

The center where I was planning on tranfering a copy of one of the photos was too lumpy over the pattern so I scraped it down to the medium.
Placing the copy onto the board I burnished and then peeled away the layer rubbing it with water.
Here is Addie and Marguerite peering through...I love the mystery of photo transfer.

From this point on I kept adding color and playing with possiblities
Hmmm, not sure about the gold rickrack but it needs something...
Its a bit dull and needs more contrast and something more done to it
Taking it another step with more color and starting to carve into the wax a bit here and there.
Then I decided to darken the blue a bit...This is where I left it after the first day of working on it. One thing is for sure, this challenge has challenged and inspired me.  It has been a while since I heated up my hot plates and worked at it again, and this really got me engaged and excited.  More to come..

And Another Encaustic- Quan Yin in the Garden

Here is another encaustic mixed media painting that I recently brought home.    Quan Yin in the Garden is 5"x7" on hardboard.

I love to look at  her she is so serene.  I have incorporated stones and fabric, gold leaf and lot of hand carving into this mixed media encaustic painting  

I posted this piece in my etsy store.  I have so many encaustic paintings that I have done over the years, that I am hoping to move them out into the world, to justify creating new pieces.  

Encaustic Open Studio Monday.....

On Monday morning, three women who have been coming regularly to my studio for encaustic classes, joined me in an open studio morning.  After a weekend of hot hot weather here in Northern California, it was a lovely welcome relief to have a cool morning.  The natural air conditioning of the great mother Pacific, brought us relief.  Perfect for working in encaustic.  

I am posting the work that emerged that a.m. 

This piece is one that I worked on with a background I have been struggling with for awhile, finally coming together.  Cheese cloth, collage, photo transfer and sennileir oil pastels over the encaustic.  The image is a from a photograph that I took in Sicily of an altar in the side of one of my relatives houses.     I love it.  It is small but strong.  

Liz continues to work on her family photos in the piece...

with a map of Texas collaged into the encaustic.

This is one of Paula's dragon fly encaustics....

sure looks like a fairy doesn't it.

 I love the colors. 

Another one of Paula's  so rich with beeswax...yumm.

             Peace..

Honey bee was done by   Randy who is a beekeeper. 

The only person who came her is new to the medium... this was her first try at encaustic, 

she is a natural.

Another encaustic by Randy.

I drew with oil pastels on cradled clayboard for this piece, and applied encaustic medium very thickly over it. I love the colors.. This piece however, does not exist anymore. I kept adding colors and working it and it now is something else.  It has become the first image on this post.  NOt sure it is complete either...but I have lost the original....we shall see where the Dream goes.  

A Vision of Possibility- Intentional Encaustic

Dreams are like the paints of a great artist.  

Your dreams are your paints, 

the world is your canvas.

Believing is the brush that converts your dreams

 into a Masterpiece of Reality.

Encaustic Dreamscapes

The Encaustic Dreamscape day was very intriguing, everyone not only got totally into the process of working in encaustic, but also gained insight and joy from the pieces they created.  As is the case with all art making, the art gave us information  that was revealing, sometimes unexpected and filled with hope.

I enjoyed incorporating guided imagery, free writing and intention setting into the encaustic experience.  I am sure I will do this again in the future.

Here are some photos from the class.

This is my dreamscape, incorporating photo transfer, collage and oil pastels drawn directly onto the substrate board.  It is in process, but made me aware of where my personal focus for change is meant to be.

Creating a new home...

Here is Patti sharing her dreamscape piece

Buddha

Ani's icon.....

Finding, embracing and loving the authentic self

Paula sharing the story behind her piece 

The Portal

Here is Victoria sharing about her Dreamscape Portal....

....in process.....

Patti's vision board....to help manifest the perfect new home....in process

....The beginning place for Paula's Dreamscape

and   Fusing, of course......