Saturday, November 17, 2012

Cool kids

Is it really November already? Did Open Studios really come and go and now the holidays are here? Is it possible I have to deliver art to two galleries but am afraid I have nothing new to say? Tomorrow I am going to my studio, and it feels like I'll be visiting an old friend or distant relative, what if we have nothing to talk about? Wish me luck!






Sunday, September 23, 2012

Warm Secrets

I finished this commission today and found myself pretty excited and challenged to be painting, rendering, creating highlights and shadows, in wax. I haven't worked on a still life of this magnitude (16" x 16") for years. It was really fun to get the pigments out and be reminded how rewarding it is to struggle and finally make things appear three dimensional in wax. 




Tuesday, September 18, 2012


I am sitting at work, not eating my lunch because I am still whirling from Art for AIDS post auction buzz. My piece sold in the mixed media section to a long time Art for AIDS supporter and art collector. 
The event was held at City View above the Metreon with dramatic views of San Francisco as the back drop to a fabulous event. If you were there, I would love to hear what you thought. If not, do not miss this event next year!




Monday, August 27, 2012

Building Things

I just completed a four day printmaking class with Jenny Robinson and my gang of artist friends. This is not one of the pieces that I made, but it's a funny thing the way printmaking and encaustic painting overlap. They each demand humility and a huge capacity to let go. However, in printmaking, once you put the print through the press, or cut the plate - there is no going back. I'm not sure how much of that permanence I can take. I am super excited about combining the two medias and seeing what happens. 


Monday, May 21, 2012

Birthday Birds

It's been a while since I blogged. I continue to spend time in the studio but the process has slowed considerably as I focus on learning a new job and taking good care of myself while I do. I know art is a crucial element of self care and that I will find my way back to a regular routine, but for now, I'm stealing studio time and getting super excited when I do. Here's a fun little surprise that happened last night.


Friday, April 6, 2012

Big Little City (20" x 20")

This is my submission for Art for AIDS this year. I did it using six different image transfers, which I had never done before. I'm amazed they all took, and I didn't have to redo any of them. Reapplying carbon transfers means scraping all the carbon and bits of paper off, re-heating the wax, and applying a new transfer. I'm not sure how well all that would have worked on a multiple, so I was happy I didn't have to learn about it (yet).


Sunday, April 1, 2012

Flycatcher for Iselin

Iselin created this piece for her friend. Really. She contacted me and said she wanted Clarky, which has long ago gone to someone's home, or something similar. I don't have anything remotely similar because I haven't used paper like this in a good long while. Ever since I discovered all those bright, groovy fabrics, I've been so obsessed with big and bold, that I forgot all about these gorgeous little mono-print papers. 
I am very happy with how this turned out. Hopefully Iselin's friend will agree.



Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Red Tipped Rufous


I've begun to play with collage a little. I have so much respect for people who do it successfully - making an interesting composition out of scraps of things is really challenging. In this piece, I dipped my toe in a wee bit just to see how well the additional fabric and paper would adhere just by placing it into the wax. I've prepped a couple of panels but the process has me yearning for acrylics.


Saturday, February 4, 2012

Structures


I was playing around in my studio in December and this little guy emerged. I was hoping for a series - and maybe there's one in me still, but maybe not.


Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Acceptance

I like things tidy. I like glassy surfaces worked to perfection by applying an exact amount of heat over the entire surface. I like my images to transfer evenly, perfectly, with no peeled carbon or broken lines. 
This is a crazy medium for someone who craves this degree of order. Encaustic image transfers are messy, scratchy, broken, and faded. 
For this image, I tried and failed to get the transfer to stay intact and after numerous attempts I discovered that if I did not insist on a perfectly smooth surface, void of any brush strokes, I would be less likely to destroy the image. You may be able to see the brushstrokes even in the photograph. This is my attempt at acceptance. 



Wednesday, January 18, 2012

The Middle

Happy New Year Bloggers! It's hard to believe it's the middle of January already. The studio move is slowing morphing into actual progress. I went from a tiny space to a rather large space and I still haven't moved any of my furniture but the new studio is already pretty full. I've been fortunate that I've been able to take my time with the move, but at some point, I'm going to have to haul the big stuff out of Anderson Street, even if it lands on the side walk. In the meantime, I have a twelve foot table to work on and this is one of the pieces I completed in the new space.