Squared.
Oh friends I spent the tail end of winter playing with hot wax and, be still my beating heart, was it ever dreamy. I'm a bit smitten. Last summer I began dabbling in the art of encaustics. Got myself an old griddle from the secondhand store, heated up a bunch of beeswax and slathered it onto several flower prints. I spent way too much time with a heatgun attempting to make meticulously smooth surfaces, but the results thrilled me. After reading several books and watching umpteen youtube videos on encaustics I decided to take a class in technique. Last summer I used the wax as a coating, but did not incorporate multiple layers or color. This class I just completed was a spring board that sent me flying into a world of layers and color.
Most of my pieces began with a watercolor painting or drawing as the base layer and then were layered with various bits of paper, dried flowers and drawings. I carved into the wax and filled it with encaustic paints. I etched into the wax and filled it with oil paint. I ironed the wax. I scrapped away layers to reveal the heart of the piece. Manipulating this waxy medium is not exactly easy, but the process of relinquishing a bit of control to the experience was a sort of meditation, a portal to my own heart. And so one more tool has been added to my maker's box and oh girl am I excited about it.
A Gardener's Heart is in Her Hands.
To add to this excitement my teacher, the lovely Jenny Learner, will be showcasing my work at the Zhou B Art Center this Friday on the gallery wall outside of her studio as a part of their monthly 3rd Friday event. Three of my pieces will be on display: Polinate, Waiting for Spring and A Gardener's Heart is in Her Hands. Below are brief descriptions of each of the pieces. I'd love for you to come see. The event begins at 7p.m. and runs until 10p.m. at 1029 W 35th St, Chicago, IL. I will be there from 7p.m. until 8p.m. to answer questions and hobnob with you and yours.
Pollinate: For years I have dreamed of keeping bees. I sleep with the Beekeeper’s Bible next to my bed and am prone to researching the pros and cons of different hive styles late into the night. Colony collapse has been a greater inspiration and of course the delight of urban beekeeping and providing a local home for urban pollinators continues to color my imaginings. This year I hope to expand my backyard urban farm into a flower farm and next year, bees, perhaps! This piece is a watercolor collage encaustic conjuring of the mystical path of such dreams.
Waiting for Spring: Each year as we creep from Winter to Spring I wait with baited breath as the snow turns to rain and the sun shines ever brighter, ever longer. I wait for the time when we can be out of doors unswaddled by winter woolens. I wait for the time when we can tromp through the mucky woods in rubber boots. And, I wait for the time when we can plunge our hands into the earth, burying seeds in hopes of new growth. This piece is a watercolor collage encaustic in the spirit of this waiting.
A Gardener’s Heart is in Her Hands: I have so many memories of my grandmother gardening, puttering in greenhouses, on her knees in the garden, dressed in cheery colors. She had a passion for plants that ran deep from orchids to herbs. Her love covered the vast territory of horticulture. This piece, a watercolor collage encaustic, attempts to conjure the beauty and love that she brought to her botanical endeavors.
Waiting for Spring.
I have also been playing with wax resists and dying paper and stitching bits back into said paper. My studio is strewn with strands of folded, dyed, stitched papers...just wanted to share a peek at that too, more on this too come.
Cheerio for now!