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).

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.

Peaks and Flights

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.

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.

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. 

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.