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

WAXING POETIC - encaustically speaking

Painting in encaustics, which is an ancient, artistic medium, is my newest creative passion. I feel as if am participating in mystical alchemy through the process of heating, melting, adding, fusing and peeling away hot, brilliant color.

The process takes over my consciousness, and I imagine myself on an archeological dig, diving deep into the realm of the archetypes.

I am lost in an ancient journey of discovery, carving and digging for patterns and imaginal motifs.

My encaustic pieces remind me of ancient encrusted treasures, with each work becoming a sacred artifacts.
This process allows me to participate in a deeply physical way, with an ancient artistry and seems to naturally bring forth images of healing and myth.

Here are some of my encaustic paintings..
..."The Blessing"...

..Spirit House.....


......A Prayer for the Earth.....

......" Joyous Union.....



Notice how rich and lusterous the colors are....encaustics glow and shine like colorful jewels....

Not only that...although the process is labor intensive... it is also both fun and magical.....

Enamored with Encaustics....

I have finally found time to get back into my studio...
and am ready to do some encaustic painting.......
finally!!

Inspired by a photo of malta ....however, I left that behind and the piece

became something else again...
This encaustic is not finished, still in process.

It needs something more...as well as some carving...///

I am documenting every step in the process of this one piece
so the following are photos of each step...(almost)...so that is what follows..

The first images are my stopping place for the day....more to come... more possibilites ...still not complete.






HOT PLATE...with melting encaustic medium...










FUSING THE WAX WITH HOT AIR GUN..a grey under coat








ADDING COLLAGE IMAGERY...





MORE FUSING....






HOT PALLETTE with paints melting




ENCAUSTIC PAINTS.....what lovely brilliant color...

What if......

This collage ( which I created several years ago) often acts as a guide and reminder for me to be open and accept what is, as well as to look for the guidance available right in front of me.

Last week I read this poem, written by Oriah Mountain Dreamer, .... as a reminder to accept wherever we are at in the moment in our lives..whether it be the drawings we do and our internal critical voice about them,
or anything else that is up for us in the moment.
One of my students requested I copy it and bring it into class this week...so I decided to post it here. This is something we all have to re remind ourselves of daily.

How would this shape your choices about how to spend to day?
Perhaps letting it inspire you to do some art around it....

WHAT IF …by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

WHAT IF it doesn’t matter what you do but how you do whatever you do?
HOW WOULD this change what you choose to do with you life?

WHAT IF you could be more fully present and open-hearted working as a cashier in the corner store - able to really see and be with the people who come into the store – than you are when you are striving to do what you hope or think will make a more important contributions to the world and the lives of those you love?

HOW WOULD this change how you want to spend your precious time on this earth.?

WHAT IF your contribution to the world and the fulfillment of your own happiness is not dependent upon discovering a better method of prayer of technique of meditation, not dependent upon reading the right book or attending the right seminar, but upon relly seeing and deeply appreciating yourself and the world as they are right now?

HOW WOULD this effect your search for spiritual development?

WHAT IF there is no need to change, no need to try and transform yourself into someone who is more compassionate, more present, more loving or wise?

HOW WOULD this effect all the places in your life where you are endlessly trying to be better?

WHAT IF who you essentially are right now is all that you are even going to be?

HOW WOULD this effect how you feel about your future?

WHAT IF the essence of who you are and always have been is enough?

HOW WOULD this effect how you see and feel about your past?

WHAT IF the question is not why am I so infrequently the person I really want to be , but why do I so infrequently want to be the person I really am?

HOW WOULD this change what you have to learn?

WHAT IF becoming who and what we really are happens not through striving and trying but by recognizing and receiving the people and places and practices that offer us the warmth of encouragement we need to unfold?

HOW WOULD this shape your choices about how to spend today?

Drawing The Light From Within

Recently I have been placing my attention on the positive, regarding some personal, life challenges.

This process has made me realize how my on-going involvement with the mandala process has deeply influenced me.

So, I am posting some of my images as well as ones created at Illuminated Mandala Retreats that Patricia Waters (art therapist and my co-partner at the Creative Arts Studio) have facilitated at past mandala retreat days.

By drawing on black paper with white prismacolor pencils and using the pencil as a light orb, directly connected to the light within the heart space, we transform traditional shading into a powerful, dynamic metaphorical process for drawing the light from within.

This amazingly simple art process allows us to manifest an image of the creative life force directly in front of our eyes, on the richness of the deep, black space of our unconscious...represented by the paper.

For more information on our next Illuminated Mandala Retreat Day...
Sunday March 25...see our website
http:www.creativeartstudio.com .... (click on the mandala & workshop pages)

Both myself and Patricia my partner at the Creative Arts Studio are facilitators of the Mandala process developed by Judith Cornell.

For more inforamtion on the work of Judith Cornell, see her website....
http://www.mandala-universe.com