Encaustic Image Transfer - Willow Flycatcher

The success of encaustic carbon image transfers is wildly dependent on ambient temperature. In the new studio I need more lighting so choose flood lights because they are big and bright. They are also hot and affect the cooling of the wax.  In contrast,  I now use an industrial fan to vent the studio and it creates a very cold breeze. I must have tried and failed six times before I was able to complete one piece, too hot and too cold, all at once.  My latest experiment is to heat the water used to peel the paper away and move piece away from the flood light. I'll keep you posted.

Flycatcher

I've been working on this little bird for a few days. The thing is, I drew it on colored paper and it did not scan well. So I futzed with it for a while until I was satisfied. I haven't had a chance to put it into wax yet as I've been fighting a cold for a few days - okay, maybe "fighting" isn't exactly accurate.  In any case, I'll look forward to how this little darling looks all coated in wax with some groovy fabric behind it. 

 

Winter Clarity

I'm putting up a small show at City Art Gallery today. The Opening Reception is Friday, November 4, from 7 - 10 pm. This will be included in the show, along with other small works that I finished recently. 

Potrero and 17th

November 6th from 2:00 - 6:00 is the opening reception for Studio Gallery's Tiny Show. I have quite a few pieces in the show which runs until December 23. Trish Tunney, Catherine Mackey, Wendy Miller, and many others from 1890 Bryant will have work there. Hope to see you at Studio Gallery!

Capp & 26th

I've noticed the birds in San Francisco seem to change their flight patterns in the fall. I know that migration is related to food availability, and there's plenty of that in the City, year around, so they're not migrating. But they do seem to fly around in big swooping flocks and land in new places. Last year I noticed dozens of birds on the lines around Bernal Heights and promised this year I would carry my camera to capture them.  Maybe they're stopping in on the way down South from Canada. In this shot, my neighborhood pigeons are hanging out, where I can count on seeing them year around. 

Analogue Ivy

At some point the power lines will come down and the urban birds will find new places to perch. In this shot, which is a favorite of mine, the ivy has grown around the telephone poll and given them a second option. I went back to Saint Mary's Park to get more images of this scene and the ivy had been cleared away. I wondered by whom. The City gardener? The telephone company? Do they even exist anymore?  Hopefully by the time the world goes entirely digital, I'll have moved on to new subjects. In the mean time, I'm working to capture this urban scenario that I can't seem to get enough of. 

Another view of the Bakery Outlet

The Bakery Outlet at 17th and Bryant is a puzzling relic. I know my years in California, along with my innate tendency to be impressed by healthy foods, fads, and happy cows, have taken me a long way from my Midwestern Wonder bread roots - actually it was Gardner bread in Madison, Wisconsin. So I have to wonder (ha!) how does that bread maker that bakes that yummy smelling "bread" survive in the land of gourmet baguettes and vegan, gluten free pastries? I can smell the bread being baked while in my studio up the street, so I know they're not shipping it in from the Midwest. I guess it's good the squishy white bread lovers of the City still have a place to buy day old bread.