August 2011
16 posts
18 tags
Plan with a small p
Starting this piece on Thursday, I realized I was going through the same mental process I do with any medium. And again, I realized I was finding my rhythm with encaustic. THANK GOODNESS! I was losing hope. Maybe that is when we always find our rhythm with anything - when we’re almost out of options.
For me it’s best if I don’t plan too far ahead - it just limits my...
8 tags
The Space I'm In
As I worked yesterday I thought randomly about the space I was in and the changes I’ve made over the last few months. My other love is animals and quite a bit of my energy is focused in that direction. A couple of months ago, I reigned my rescue efforts in a tad so my daily studio schedule could get back on track.
In the short time since, I’ve found my flow with encaustics. As I...
When it's scary.....click
Walk the dogs, go to the gym, take a shower, pick up a Friend of Retrievers donation, meet the AC repairman…
OKAY!
Now I can go to the studio! Yep, it was noon before I got there today and I got this crazy idea to photograph my painting each time it was “scary”. That is, when I was pretty sure I was on the brink of disaster. It was a good way to keep my sense of humor...
4 tags
Some things SORT OF change....
I wonder if I’m the only one who has this lifelong problem. I have trouble using my art supplies! Some things I can plow through, almost wastefully. If I’m accustomed to using something then I have no hesitation. But if I win a set of paints or receive a wonderful gift set and I’m not quite sure what I want to do with it…..then caution sets in and I may keep it for...
Taking a chance
It’s hard to tell what this subject is at this point, and it really doesn’t matter. It’s actually part of a railroad car but I really don’t know what it is. Anyway, I started this piece and I like it right where it is. The sky, the structure, and the finish feels good to me. I’m pleased.
But I really want some texture so I take a deep breath and proceed to mess...
5 tags
Yesterday and then TODAY
Yesterday I began this piece and was feeling good about the direction it was going. I had a little problem with the wax being too thin in one area of the sky but I managed to correct it. I was looking forward to continuing today.
And then I got an email from a dog rescue friend and there was a slight change of plans…..
I spent today with these two! Two rescues needed a ride from one...
7 tags
I went back
Back in the studio today, I did one last thing to the poor lost soul of a painting I was working on yesterday. I have one CD that can usually start my day off right — The Drifters and the first song is “Stand by Me”. I’ve been depending on it for years. It’s a cheap CD that hit a happy note for me one time many years ago so it still brings back a feeling of...
10 tags
Does a palette count?
Yesterday my palette was more interesting than the painting I worked on. Sad but true. A painting is simply a series of decisions and I think my third decision was off course. From there, I couldn’t get what I wanted from the painting. It’s hard to figure out what happens in a case like that but I’ve learned from past experience that if I start over and try again,...
Close to home
We don’t have to look far for inspiration. This is the view from my front studio window. It truly isn’t particularly fascinating but at the right moment, it is beautiful. Like so many places and times in life, it can be appreciated if seen in the right light.
As a painter, I always have my camera with me when I travel or anticipate seeing something new. I actually started...
1 tag
Finished
I think I’m finished. There may be a few more things I’ll decide to do here but for the most part, I’m ready to call it done. I hope to start a new drawing tomorrow morning - I have a green boxcar picked out that I’ve been thinking about doing in wax. I think it’s time for it.
This piece got a little tricky in the last hour. The wax in the center, on the...
8 tags
Still On the Rails
I was back at it again today. Carving away details, filling with pigmented medium,and scraping back with a single edge blade. I got in the groove and the day flew by. Here, I’m using a dental tool to carve.
Scraping back is delicate work and the further along I get with a piece, the more up tight I get about it! There are more layers of wax so the piece might be less...
Wax on Monday
Today started with a drawing and a Diet Mountain Dew. I’m doing a simple drawing, actually a rough plan, on tracing paper. Then I put four layers of wax medium on my 9” x 9” board.
In the center,here, you can still see the board through unpigmented wax. Above and below, I’ve cut away areas and filled with pigmented wax. The color is added to the wax with R&F...
8 tags
The Art of Caring
For years I was a road warrior, heading down the interstate with a ton of art in the van and a pile of CD’s to keep me entertained. Many times I hit the brakes when I saw a stray dog wandering along the side of the highway. Turning around at the next exit, I’d search and often chase him in the median - but could never lure a dog into my van. The kittens around the motel dumpsters...
5 tags
What good is a plan anyway?
This piece is photographing strangely. The coupler is doing some very odd things! I’ll work on this tomorrow and think I’ll probably be able to finish it. I’d like to put only one more coat of medium on it, so one more session of details and then a coat of medium is the plan. I hope I can STICK TO THE PLAN!
The question is….why do I even bother to plan? I guess a...
Forward motion
I nudged this piece forward today - I only worked about three hours at the encaustic table because of other duties in the studio and errands to run. And some days it seems like I spend as much time warming up the palettes and thinking about what I’m going to do as I do directly painting. Today was like that but it didn’t seem like wasted time.
It’s interesting how some days...
5 tags
Staying in Motion
I started a new piece today and it felt good to push the green wax to the back of the palette! Whew, I’ve been overdosing on green. This piece is full of grays which I’m interpreting as blue/gray and tomorrow I’ll add some warm colors. After I was into this piece for a couple of hours, I realized I was using my materials more efficiently. It has taken a long time to become...