Painting On: roses

The title of this post is bringing back memories of the yearly What I Did On My Summer Vacation essay we were subjected to in school! This weekend I set aside two days to devote exclusively to encaustic painting. My friend Carol had an Open Studio and there were four artists working side by side to create encaustic work. We shared ideas and inspirations.

This is Carol's studio in Torbay just outside St. John's . It's a very conducive spot to paint because it is perched on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. You can hear the ocean in the background. Luckily the wind was gentle and blowing in the right direction for the fans in the windows. Four hot palettes need lots of ventilation.

It was a beautiful day (16 degrees) and we had lunch on the patio. That's hard to believe for November in Newfoundland. From left to right Carol Bajen-Gahm, Anita Singh and Carolyn Morgan. I am represented by my plate.

As I noted in my last post I'm going through a dry spell and this was a way to kick start my painting focus again. It worked. I was rearing to go and kept up an energetic for the two days. I arrived with everything but the kitchen sink.

The work I created took several different routes and it isn't all finished yet. I find encaustic a great process material that encourages you to experiment and go where the materials lead. If you are stuck in a rut it is the perfect way to break free.

I began with several warm up pieces that were small 6 x 6 inch squares that I will display in a set of four. Fragments of Beauty II continues an ongoing exploration of what I find beautiful in the world. The rose petals and other organic materials in the pieces were given to me by Anita who is the best collector and sharer of materials I know.

Here's an idea of how the first of four pieces was developed:

Stage 1 -- Apply two coats of encaustic medium ( clarified beeswax and damar resin), then gold embossed paper& another coat of medium, fusing between each layer.
Stage 2-- Dip dried rose petals and stem (from a pineapple actually) in encaustic medium and apply quickly to heated wax on surface. Fuse.
Stage 3-- Add torn bits of gold embossed papers around the petals. Apply one coat of medium with a brush. Fuse.
Stage 4 -- Pour wax around the petals to further embed them. Fuse.