Encaustic Workshop - Day 4

I am continuing to search for clarity and direction in my work as I work towards my MFA. From this encaustic workshop I learned a plethora of new ways to paint with molten wax. All the ideas and techniques made my head spin. I have many new things that I want to try.

Encaustic is an extremely versatile art form. Hopefully over the summer months I will be able to introduce and excite some readers about painting with molten wax. I will document my explorations as much as possible.

Below I show a small sample of our last days work together.

A classmate working on a pallet collage.

Adding pigment to wax with chalk pastels.

Creating sculptural surfaces with molten wax.

Creating forms with molten wax that can then be added to encaustic art work.

Fusing sculptural items.

Suzanne Gibbs, 2012. Carved wax with pigment added (blue lines) and poured wax forms (black and white).

Suzanne Gibbs, 2012. There is no end to how many layers of wax - it can become sculptural.

Suzanne Gibbs, 2012. Selection of works from Day 4.

Finishing touches.

Time to clean up!

Some of us worked until the very last minute.

Merilee B Allen, 2012.  In progress woven rice paper and mono printed encaustic paper.

In the past 4 days I shared bits of what I learned about encaustic painting.
Day 1, Day 2, Day 3.
 
To learn more about painting in encaustic please refer to Wax Works West. A school dedicated to encaustic painting located on the west coast in California.

Making a Happy List

As a creative, every once in a while it is a very good idea to take inventory, to think about what drives the work that you do. Or you can simply call it a Happy List. Here is my partial list:

Houses

Homes

Decorating

DIY

Children

Comfort

Interior Design

1950's Style

Industrial Design

Bauhaus Influence

California Style

Shoes

Taking Responsibility

Color

Brightness

Family

Words and Typefaces

Books

Reading

Organization

Everything in it's place

Giving stuff away

No TV

Puzzles

Women's place

Collage

Children's books and Illustrations

Education

Minimalism

Building family

Motherhood

Kindness

Sleep

Industrial and commercial spaces

What gets covered up?

Less is more

Rice and beans

Bees

Drums

Children Singing

The beach

Breezes

The smell of oil paint

People laughing

Juice from a fresh fruit dripping down my chin

A phone call from a friend

Sunrise

Sunset on a beach on the west coast

Making stuff

Suzanne Utaski Gibbs, 2010, Super Soakers, Pastel on Paper

Every once in a while I like to take the time to write a list like this - usually I seem to to this task in the summer or in the dead of winter. Then I look at whether I am putting some of the good stuff into my life. 

A little random lunch art - Jeffrey Gibbs, 2010

Often finding Happy does not cost anything, it can be as simple as a morning walk and listening to the birds. Ah that makes another item for my list - listening to birds chirp! How about you what would you put on your Happy List?

A Happy Field Trip

Could you share a few so we can all go to a Happy Place? Thanks!

Wine Glass

Wine country is a bit soggy this year. Raining with a chance of flooding.