Blue, Never Cry - Encaustic

 

This was a stream-of-conciousness type of exercise where I choose words and images that spoke to me, without thinking much about them. I wouldn't have created this if I was planning it out, but now that it's done it does make sense to me. 

(I just discovered these tiny-size encaustic boards - 2.5 x 3.5 inches. It's nice to make really small art like this! You can just play without worrying about messing up a big board. It feels very free.)

Long Journey, Sail On - Encaustic

I know it's the journey, not the destination-- but don't you feel sometimes that the journey to a goal takes way longer than you thought it would?

This piece is meant to be encouragement along the way...SAIL ON!

For this image, I wanted to go back to painting with colored wax. It's a great way to add bright color fast!  Also included: paper, fabric, inlay, and pastels.

detail from image

Treasure. - encaustic

This piece is a reminder to treasure the little things in life (flowers, stars, the mystery of it all.)

I discovered a few new techniques in this piece. That's what so great about encaustics - there's so much to experiment with!

Black (the darkest color) House - encaustic

This piece is truly mixed-media. I think I used every item in my art supply drawer. My art teacher told me that I need to focus on "editing" but I guess I'm not ready to do that yet.

This started simple, but I couldn't help adding more. I like cluttered images. Most of my favorite artists make busy images. I like the stuffed-full, almost-overflowing feeling of them. But I also know I need to follow my teacher's advice. Next time, for sure.

detail from image

Monoprint - Collage

More experimenting! I love workshops because they break me out of my usual routines and make me try new things. (Plus I got to spend 6 hours doing nothing but art! That is a total luxury!)

Monoprint experiment

In this monoprint I was trying to be looser and experiment more. I set a deadline for myself to finish it. If I don't do that, I can take forever to finish a piece. I wanted to keep the process fast and fresh.

detail from image

Monoprint Workshop!

 

I just took a monoprint workshop that was so much fun!! I forgot how much I love the look of printed ink on rich BFK paper. So dreamy!!

detail from image