Encaustic and Spackle, BFFs - Who Knew?

Running up to working on the solo show next month, I experimented a little with some new ideas.  (I'm hoping to get back to that after the chaos has died down...)  In the Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch workshop from almost 2 years ago, we played with joint compound or drywall spackle on the wood supports underneath the encaustic paint and medium.  That idea has been rattling around in my head for awhile and I finally found a piece that sort of screamed for me to explore it more.

Tangled - finished piece

Let me back up to the start of this image.  I was editing some shots from a photoshoot with my long time model, muse, and friend Anna. There were several from this one location where I had fallen in love with the color and texture on a concrete block wall.  Not being able to decide which shot to use, I dabbled in Photoshop for awhile.  Here are the original shots:

I finally got over the love for that sickly green color and converted one of the images to black and white.  Then the ideas started flowing!  At some point late that night of processing, I finally realized that I was being a silly left-brained photographer - thinking I could only use one image at a time. I converted all 3 to black and white and combined them into one long image.

The next hurdle was to decide how to approach a substrate for such an oddly sized, super-long image.  This was an opportunity for some growth on my part.  I had a 12 x 24 inch cradled birch board so I glued down the prints.  I carefully pieced the first two images and the last one together into a line because the largest paper I had was 13x19.  That left most of the upper third of the board above the image raw wood.  I knew that I wanted to extend the idea of being tangled and stuck in that empty space above but I wanted to find a less expensive approach to filling that area than just using encaustic paint.

Earlier that week, I had seen a wonderful blog post from artist Lisa Kairos where she discussed how she tinted encaustic gesso for her underpainting.  I didn't have any encaustic gesso at the house, so that lead me back to thinking about the bucket of spackle just hanging out in the garage without any drywall to be repairing.    

Here is a closeup of the board after I applied the spackle.  I put it on with a palette knife and ran the end of a brush through it to create more lines like the ones in the images.  After that dried and no longer felt cool to the touch, I decided to hit it with some watercolor to see if I could mimic the color and texture of the wall in the image.  

 After the watercolor dried, I sanded the spackle to bring back some of the white and add even more mottling.  Then I started adding washes of very thin encaustic paint, medium, and used neocolor crayons to add more tangled wires above the image.

I lost count of how many layers where finally added and carefully fused so I didn't mess up my lines and the delicate neocolor crayon additions.  This was a good learning experience for me.  It has already sparked more ideas of working outside of the space provided by the image alone.

Obsessions with a Butterfly

I've had this blue morpho butterfly piece kicking around the studio for the better part of a year at least.  It started as a 6"x6" little test piece that turned out pretty well when I was first starting out.  I decided to go nuts and have it printed at 24" by 24" and glued it to a new cradled birch board.  In the midst of producing work for shows and attempting to put in the requisite studio time to learn some new skills, this large canvas has been quietly waiting for me to get brave.  My goal, since I started studying how to use encaustic processes with my photography, was to find ways to integrate painting and my photography work.  I admit that I am still a complete neophyte but there's finally some progress to report!

This is what the image looked like after 3 layers of encaustic medium, a few swipes of paint on the background behind the butterfly, and a small amount of mark making with a blue grease pencil.

First Marks and Background Paint

I liked the effect of making the background more abstract than the original photo.  It pushed the background back farther visually.  I also used my heat gun to move the paint around on the background to even increase the abstract qualities.  At this point I was also thinking the mark making had potential but was going to need a lot more layers.

I ended up using grease pencils, oil pastels, and Caran d'Ache Neocolor I Wax Pastels.  Finding the neocolor pastels was an answer to a big problem!  On cool wax they make a wonderfully distinct mark without the residue of an oil pastel.  Because I didn't have a large set of colors in the neocolors, I ended up figuring out a way to work with the oil pastels too.  After I had finished a round with the oil pastels, I would fuse ever so carefully and then come back with a little mineral oil and a paper towel to remove whatever hadn't fused.  I learned my lesson the hard way on a previous piece about leftovers and smearing once you come back in to do any work with a brush!

A new R&F paint had come in the mail around this time.  I used their graphite gray on the body and this was a turning point for me figuring out how I wanted to finish the piece.  The almost sculptural quality of the way encaustic paint can be applied is definitely fun.  I liked the 3D feel it gave to the body of the butterfly.

Around this point, I decided that I wanted to knock back the mark making under some layers of transparent paint.  I laid out every shade of blue I owned and starting mixing news ones too.  

The painting and drawing classes I have attended in the past have taught me that I work kind of tightly.  I've admired others broad expressive strokes with vine charcoal while working away with a sharp pencil...  Encaustic painting has forced me to cut loose a little.  You can certainly make sharp lines but working with larger brushes has forced me to rethink things.  Part of loosening up is to try to listen to my gut.  The first dots and drips of paint were a happy accident, but they mirrored the scaled texture in the wings so I started dripping more purposefully.  

To finish off the piece, I added many layers of translucent paint to build in more of the highlights and shadows and to push the marks back a bit.  The fusing I was doing at this point on top of the butterfly was taking a lot of patience!

Having more room to work on a larger piece was helpful in the learning process and I'm now in love with the neocolor crayons.  Being able to draw on the wax surface is definitely going to get more exploration.  Here's the final piece and a detail shot.  

More Lessons Learned...

I've been putting in quite a bit more studio time in the past few weeks and have learned a few more things - some the hard way!

• If you are feeling impatient waiting for your cold, wax-laden brush to warm up and become pliable, don't use your heat gun to try to hurry the process along.  Even non-synthetic brush bristles can be burnt if there's enough heat.  Then, when you use said brush, you will spend the next 20 minutes picking little black specks out of your previously pristine painting!
• This one is going to seem really obvious but as a gentle reminder, do not let your heat gun's tip touch anything when you sit it down after using it.  I have made a very interesting plastic sculpture out of what was a perfectly good power strip.  That is a smell that lingers and reminds me of my mistake everytime I heat up the gun now! 
• If you use an oil pastel to make marks on an encaustic surface be sure to wipe off any excess that did not get fused before brushing anything else over it.  It didn't take me too long to scrape off the smeared portion of my beautiful marks but I'd rather skip that step next time.
• Cheaper paper towels are your friend when dabbing oil paint off of the surface of an encaustic painting.  I bought some very nice cloth-like Viva paper towels and boy did they shed lint all over my nice wet oil paint! 

• Not all lessons are bad... I tried using a china marker/grease pencil on an underpainting to make some gestural marks.  As long as you fuse carefully, that works wonderfully.  The underpainting was a light cream color and I played with a white grease pencil.  The effect was nice and subtle while still adding a bit of interest.

• Test, test, test, and yee shall find the answer - eventually.  I had this neat portrait of Anna in infrared and knew it was meant to be a mixed media piece.  I wanted to have a look of something hiding her eyes - perhaps lace.  I printed out a trial piece when I printed the good one to be pasted to a cradled birch board.  The trial piece ended up looking like my old ratty Barbie dolls after years of "love", but it definitely served it's purpose.  By finishing time, I felt much more comfortable about what I needed to do to the real piece.  

A Peek Inside the Chaos

I also thought about naming this post When Everything Goes Wrong on a Deadline...

I'm in the process of preparing for a two person show that is set to hang on February 2nd.  Things were going well - too well.  I had my images selected, printed, and even partially prepared when life decided I needed to up my game.  A family medical crisis, an ER trip, a doggie health scare, and an out of town photoshoot have exceeded the bounds of my dance card.  Que the Queen music in the background.  I'm not sure if the song should be Under Pressure or The Show Must Go On.

Rene painting tiny details

I've learned something interesting preparing for the show.  Sometimes what I know as a photographer will get in the way when working with a mixed media process.  As a quality-minded photographer, I try to use the very best paper I can find.  Rene introduced me to a wonderfully heavy, textured paper called William Turner made by Hahnemuhle.  We made prints on the 310 gsm weight version.  They turned out to be divine!  (Deeply saturated color and amazing detail)  If I was making prints just to frame, this would be the optimum solution.  However, this paper turns into a sponge if you coat it with encaustic medium.  It has taken between 4 to 5 layers of medium before the paper is completely covered.  Now we are experimenting with Epson's cold press watercolor paper.  It's not as heavy as the William Turner but a little more substantial than Epson's regular matte paper. 

I've been trying to push myself while working toward the February show.  To that end, here is the start of Baubles:

I'm trying to see if I can find new methods of combing my photography with more painterly qualities.  The image was glued to a cradled birch board and coated with several layers of encaustic medium.  I made some gestural marks around the pearls and filled them with white oil paint.  On the left hand side I carved out wavy lines using a notched metal sculpture tool.  Then I added layers of wax to build up an accretion effect.  Now I'm trying to figure out my next step.  I have 2 very distinct sides and need to figure out how to unify them.  That's the nice thing about having so many pieces in process right now.  I can walk away from this one and take some time to think about it. 

Here's a preview of one of the images that will be in the show:  If you are in the Lexington, KY area during the month of February, come check it out!  Our opening party will be on Friday February 15th from 5 to 8 pm.  

Life of the Party

Notes on the most recent photoshoot:  There's this high school in downtown Cincinnati I've been dying to use as a location and I finally had permission so I couldn't even consider axing this event even though the time crunch caused me some rapid breathing.

You know when this greets you at the front door, it's going to be an amazing location:

Here are two of my three models waiting to get into the building - way too early in the morning.

Here's a look at the location.  It was an amazing space that definitely presented some lighting challenges.  Pretty much, it was a large open square room with banks of windows on all four sides.  There was great potential for lens flares with light coming from every direction.  Plus the window locations presented challenges for composition.  I tried to be really aware of what would be in the background when setting up a shot.

I love it when models are multi-talented.  Look what awesomely decayed location Kiersten suggested:

Props on location

I asked my models to bring shoes they liked and maybe didn't get to wear very often.  They certainly delivered!

Year in Review

I'm so glad I started keeping a blog this year!  This was probably the first time I've ever made and kept a New Year's Resolution.  Now I can prove to myself and those nagging negative voices that progress was made and fun was had!   

On the photography side of the house, my subject matter has widened considerably.  I've made the transition from shooting people as objects to adding models to a comprehensive narrative and actually shooting them because they are people!  Silly as it sounds, this was a leap that was a long time coming...

On location - It looked like a props bomb went off!

Rene and Lora taking a break

On the encaustic side of the house, I have come from not knowing what encaustic was to having a show of encaustic photographic pieces in the works for early 2013.  More on that later... 

This was certainly the year of workshops!  They allowed me to grow my skills tremendously and I made so many new and wonderful friends.

Speaking of new friends - I'm delighted to tell you that I have a new gallery home!  In 2013 you can find me at the MS Rezny Studio/Gallery in downtown Lexington, KY.  It's going to be a crazy busy year!  In February, I will be part of a 2 person show with Rene Hales and my work will also be featured in a solo show in October 2013.   

MS Rezny Studio/Gallery 903 Manchester Street, Distillery District Lexington, Kentucky (859) 252-4647 www.msrezny.com

Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday

I will definitely remember that this was the year that I welcomed Dick Blick as my new master and overlord.  Seriously - can't I just direct deposit my paycheck there?  I showed Jerry's Artarama and the Fine Art Store some love too.

Before I forget, I need to thank one particular individual without whom most of my projects would never get finished.  My diningroom table.  Seriously!  It came into the family about the same time I did.  My parents are fond of reminiscing how they paid $35 dollars for this magnificent creature because it had a horrible finish on it which they quickly remedied.  When Wills and I got married, my father pulled him aside and gave him a stern talking to - not about keeping his only child in the manner to which she was accustomed, no!  It was to tell him that no matter what happened in our marriage that the diningroom table stayed in the family and that it was his job now to lemon oil it on a regular schedule!  This sturdy oak behemoth has seen the death of two sewing machines, been a surface for pounding clay, is the perfect width for full size mat board cutting, and is the setting for every major holiday meal.  What a humble, steady work horse!

In my most humble honesty, this past year would not have been possible without a huge cast of art & photo buddies, models, and a very patient family.  I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and a peaceful New Year!

And Now for Something Completely Different...

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending an informal, deconstructed screen printing workshop/mini-Arrowmont reunion.  OK let me explain because this does have a link to encaustic... While at Arrowmont this past June, I oohed and aahed over the most gorgeous abstract paper and fabric one of my classmates (and wonderful fiber artist) Trish had brought.  Long story short, another classmate LeeAnn and I (being two crazy Southern chicks) talked Trish into having a reunion and giving us a workshop on her screen printing process.  Art friends are simply the best!  What transpired was a fantastic weekend at Trish and her husband Ray's house.  Not to already get me off track but you must know that Trish and Ray's house is surrounded by a beautiful wooded forest which on this first week in December was still displaying some awesome color.  More on this later...

Screen printing is a new topic for me so please excuse the lack of details in this simplified post.  Deconstructed screen printing seems to be in some ways the opposite of regular screen printing.  You take a screen, put it on something with texture, apply thickened dye to it, let the dye dry, and then use a goopy sodium alginate thickener to release the dye to make prints.  Being a huge fan of rust, I was immediately drawn to these colorful abstract prints plus this process is just good, messy fun!

Trish went through the process with us and then we were set free with squeegies, vibrant procion dyes, and screens. 


LeeAnn hanging a wet print on the clothes line.



Trish manipulating the wet dye on the print.

This was my favorite screen.  What's not to love about poka dots?

Well - as you have probably guessed, everything turns into a photoshoot with me right now since I'm gearing up for two shows next year.  The second day we woke up to rain and the screens we had inked and left drying the night before had all been washed clean by a cruel, vindictive Mother Nature!  LeeAnn graciously offered to model for me in the glorious woods once the rain had slowed to a slight misting.  With Trish as props master/photographer's assistant and Ray as location scout/briar bushwacker, we tromped off into the woods to make lemonade.

I only brought one prop - a rusty Santos crown with rhinestones.  I'm trying to get more comfortable working with what I find around me and rolling with the experience.

Trish devising an unobtrusive way to secure the crown to LeeAnn.

Ray helping LeeAnn navigate that slippery trunk

Trish stepping in to provide some motion in the scarf when we lost the breeze

Here's two of the images I got this weekend.  What an amazing, soul-feeding time.  I can't thank Trish, LeeAnn, and Ray enough for their generosity.