A Day of Encaustic Painting...

I attended a studio workshop of encaustic painting at SRJC this Sat...taught by Kathleen Thompson. I took this class about 5 years ago when I first got involved with this engrossingly tactile art form. It was good just to work in a studio atmosphere with others experimenting and play and push myself in new ways.. Heres what I did on Sat.

Playing With Collage

Here are 3 new collages the first two are in process...and will definitely change over time...



OPENING THE BOOK OF BLESSINGS... is complete

I will post changes later....

Evolution Of a Mandala

Here is the ongoing process of the Spring Mandala that I started at the last Mandala Retreat that I facilitated with Patricia.











The Finished mandala....

Studio Time

"A man's work is nothing but the slow trek to rediscover, throught the detours of art, those two or three great and simple images in whose presence his heart first opened."...Albert Camus









I have an unabashedly open 7 days ahead of me due to Spring Break. I am excited and ready to get some art made in my studio.

Here are some photos of my studio...where I not only do my own artwork, but work both privately and in small groups doing art process experieinces...

Fred BAB's has a wonderful poster that says "Go To Your Studio and Make Art!"


This posting is a reminder to me, as well as sharing with the universe at large, to just go make ART!!!

Spring Time Mandalas

Just this past Sunday we facilitated another Illuminated Mandala Retreat Day in honor of the blossoming of springtime in our lives as well as the flowering all around us.









It was a wonderful day and everyone flowered in there artmaking as well.

Here are a few photos of some of the participants flower mandala's in process... as well as the ongoing the progress of my newest mandala as well ...

Busy Encaustic Painting

I created two more encaustic paintings in the past couple of weeks...fitting it in between teaching and swiming and walking..which is a wonderful life if I must say so...
Here they are..



Il Primo...The Red Window...

This one is has been reworked a bit..




Springtime in The Country...





By the Sea, by the Sea by the Beautiful Sea...

I have posted many more of my encaustic painting on a flicker site.. If anyone is interested check it out.
the link is:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/waxingpoetic/

Encaustic Evolution

This is the finished encaustic...I posted its ongoing evolution a while back. At least for now its complete..thats the beauty of encaustic painting... The process is ongoing. By the way I am already working on another encautic paintings...
more about that later...

For those interested... here is some more information on encaustic painting.


Encaustic or hot wax painting originated in the 5th century BC in Greece. It was originally used as a means to decorate ships and later evolved into a fine art form, most often used in mural painting and funeral portraits.
Our childrens crayons are a direct decendent of encaustic paints...

Encaustic is beeswax-based paint that is kepy molton on a heated palette. It is applied to the surface and reheated to fuse the paint into a uniform enamel-like finish.

Encaustic has a long history, but it is as versatile as any 20th century medium. It can be polished to a high gloss; it can be modeled, sculpted, textured, and combined with collage materials, It cools immediately, so there is no drying time, yet it can always be reworked.

The durability of encaustic is due to the fact that beeswax is impervious to moisture. Because of this it will not deteriorate, it will not yellow, and it will not darken. Encaustic paintings do not have to be varnished or protected by glass.

The 20th century has seen a rebirth of encaustic on a major scale. It is an irony of our modern age, with it's emphasis on advanced technology, that a painting technique as ancient and involved as encaustic should receive such widespread interest.

For those who want even more information on this fascinating medium see the r & f paints website.

www.rfpaints.com