Following you can see some of the work I have been doing these last couple of days. It’s been such a fun and creative process. And I LOVE the smell of beeswax…
You can also see some photos of me at my encaustics workshop with Leah McDonald and Athena Petra
Working at Leah McDonald’s studio. Photographer Toni Robertson on the left and me on the right
As with most of my work, be it oils, watercolors or encaustics like this one, I imagine in my head how I would like it to look or what I think I am doing but it never works that way. It usually ends up looking totally or somewhat different, which is how I want it to look now and it might end up being something totally different than when I started out. That for me is the fun of creating. I love to experiment and try new things out. I love to work with shapes and that’s usually how I start, but you never know where it will take me.
I need a title for this painting. Could you help me out and give me some ideas. You can leave your ideas in the comment section.
This piece I started to do at the workshop but then kept playing around with it and ended up looking totally different.
For those of you who don’t know me, I love Poppies and all kinds of flowers so I had to try “My poppies” out with wax. I even stuck little mirror (that Heidi, my partner took off her jacket) in the middle of each poppy. See, we don’t throw anything away, we recycle everything and Heidi takes it to the school where she teaches for the kids to create with them. Now that I’m using more recycables myself with my encaustic work, I need to go through the bag before it goes to school and pick up goodies for me.
This piece was done at the workshop. It has several steps. Everything that you can see are photographs that I took and then cut up. They were glued on to the substrate along with other collage papers that I found in Leah’s big box of magic collage “stuff”. Then it sat overnight to dry and was continued the next morning. I painted it with some faded encaustic paint and then used mostly clear bees wax. Afterwards, I used tools to scratch around in order to be able to see some of the photos in the background, I filled in the scratches with black gesso, cleaned it all up and then highlighted the images with oil sticks and oil paints. I even stamped it with a flower stamp. Next time I will photograph the whole process.
Dora, your art just makes me smile-it is so vibrant and bold! Thanks for sharing your methods!
Lovely!
Thank you Hannah and Joyita! I really have fun with it!
Dora, It’s so great to see photos of you! I especially like your untitled piece, I keep wanting to look at it again and again. This process looks fascinating. I can’t wait to see more!
OH Dora!!! I am swooning over the many photos and the way that your enthusiasm bubbles up off the page like so much hot wax! and Yessss isn’t the aroma of warm bees wax absolutely heavenly…I had two hives in my yard until they were all lost to a deadly mite…but the wax remains and I brush it unto paintings and breathe in the beauty of what the bees do.
I love your new blog look…so easy to take in the art…love it.
‘OH’ is my favorite although each piece is a little gem.
So fun to see these pictures of you, Dora. You a jamming on this blog! It’s really looking good.
Great to see your encoustic pieces and to see you intently involved. Thanks for letting us “in” to see you at work! Keep on truckin’!
Dora,
Itis fun to see you and your pictures! The way your blog is written, you bring us right into the action. You asked about a title for the first piece. I can’t quite think of a title, but the words “summer, street scene, Rome & Athens” all resonate.
Thank you guys for all your comments!
Alyson, I’m glad you are liking it!
Carol, thanks for stopping by to visit my new blog.
I was happy that Athena Petra from the workshop took these pictures and sent them to me so I could share them.
There is something so magical about the transparency of encaustic. AS if all the world were glowing and warm. Very informative, both in the discussion and the images. Thanks for sharing!
Liza, Thank you for your comment! I do agree with you. There is something magical.