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. 

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.

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.