Unveiling Nature's Emotions Through Encaustic Expression
Welcome back to week 2 of the Blessings Project! This week I’ll be showing you how to start your encaustic pieces. This video will demonstrate the first 3-4 layers of encaustic medium and fusing but the remainder pieces I will complete offline and then just work on different techniques on each piece.
Collage using music paper and red tissue paper will be shown.
Let me know if you have any questions on any of the techniques!
I am starting a new project called Blessings. I am going to do a video each week documenting my process. This is my first video so please be kind!
The cutting with an X-acto knife was much more difficult than I was expecting! I got them all completed (a little wabi sabi) but I love the first marks on each of these.
Just a little background about how I chose black alcohol ink for my lettering. In order to use encaustic medium on a piece, it needs to have an absorbent ground.
The illustration board is absorbent, but if I were to start my lettering with acrylic paint that substrate would no longer be absorbent. Alcohol ink is still absorbent and you could also use india ink, charcoal or even watercolors as an underlayer before you add the encaustic wax.
If you didn’t want to use illustration board, you could use a cradled wood panel or even a piece of raw recycled wood. You could use a piece of watercolor paper but it would need to be adhered to a rigid surface. Wax is heavy and it would weigh down a surface that is not rigid.
Start your own mixed media project! Use the supplies that you have on hand to make your first marks. We’ll start next week with our first technique.
Life is so busy! I’m sure everyone would agree that you always have more to do on a daily basis than you have hours in the day. My to-do list drains my creative mojo! There are so many other things I need to get done, when I sit down to my creative work, sometimes I can’t get started.
I have to admit a deadline helps me. Does a deadline help you? If you are creative, I highly recommend joining an artist association or art guild in your area. I have talked about my artist association here before but I cannot stress enough how important it is to join an association of like minded artists to get you inspired.
The current exhibit at the Artists’ Association of Elk Grove Village is our annual tree exhibit. I have to admit, I usually don’t sit down and think I really want to paint a tree today. This exhibit has pushed me into my creative zone to get my mojo back! My work is definitely whimsical, sometimes abstract, and always colorful. Having a deadline to make a tree was an excellent way to get creating! Here’s my piece.
This exhibit will be at the Elk Grove Village Public Library in Illinois until June 2nd. Stop by to see all the amazing local artists doing their thing! All work is for sale. The exhibit is open whenever the library is open and the large meeting room is open. If you door is closed, just ask at the front desk if you could see the artwork. They love to have visitors walking through the exhibit!
Next month our exhibit will be Small Works! If you’re looking for an affordable piece of art done by a local artist, this is your chance! Let me know if there are other exhibit themes you would like to see!
There is a new exhibit at the Elk Grove Village Public Library! If you are local, please stop in to see the fabulous pieces all portraying trees! There are so many unique styles, sure to excite every personal preference. This is a juried show so there are 1st, 2nd, 3rd place ribbons and 5 honorable mentions.
All pieces are for sale and if you see something you are interested in, you can contact our exhibit chairman. P.S. that’s me!!
I have a piece in the show that is called Swirling Magic pictured here. It is a mixed media piece made with encaustic wax. I am really enjoying learning and experimenting with this process.
I begin on a cradled wood panel so framing is not necessary. After adding 3 layers of wax, fusing in between each layer, I then start with the base of the tree. Through melting and layering, adding and subtracting, I get a texture that I just love! The smaller branches are then incised in the wax with oil sticks.
The colors that you see are either oil pastels or pigmented wax buried to create an abstract background.
Encaustics is an ancient art form used to preserve mummies in Egyptian times. It is nothing new but has certainly become much more popular in recent years. I hope you can stop by the library to see the exhibit first hand.
The Elk Grove Village Public Library is located at 1001 Wellington Avenue, Elk Grove Village, IL and the exhibit is in the large meeting room and is open to the public whenever the library is open.
One Inspired Evening is our annual fundraising gala that includes an art auction, silent auction, raffle, and live music. All proceeds from the event go directly to supporting Inspiration Corporation’s mission of helping people who are affected by homelessness and poverty to improve their lives and increase self- sufficiency through the provision of social services, employment training and placement, and housing in an atmosphere of dignity and respect. (visit inspirationcorporation.org for more info)
Last night I was one of the artists accepted into the juried art show as part of a Gala to raise money for this wonderful organization! One Inspired Evening is an annual Gala that was so much fun!! All of the cooks and servers were people who have benefited from employment training so not only did we get to eat their wonderful food, but we also were able to interact with them and hear their story.
We were at Venue West in Chicago and to my naive suburban upbringing, I was a little concerned when we pulled up. But inside was a wonderful Gala like nothing I have ever been to before!
Here I am with some of the other artists from our local Artists’ Association of Elk Grove Village plus spouses. Each of us had a piece accepted into the show and were sold to the highest bidder! I was so humbled when my piece went just over the value at the last second before the bidding closed! It was such a beautiful and exciting night! I can’t wait for next year!!
The piece I submitted is on the right and is from my FloraVine series. The medium is encaustics with alcohol inks and shellac. I plan on making more in this series!