March & April Events

I have 15 paintings that will be on view at Many Hands Gallery in Capitola, CA as part of their Birds & Bees show.  Let me know if you stop by or need me to come meet you for a cup of coffee when you stop to see the show.  Gayle's Bakery is just a few doors down.  What more could you want? 



Some of the new work are this group of new encaustic paintings.  These 6x6" paintings all group together nicely.



I did say it was a birds & bees show.  Here are the bees.  Three new 12x12" oil and wax on wood panel. 



A bit more information about the show and the list of other artists who are participating.


In the coming days I will post more detailed images of all of the pieces in this show.  In addition to these pieces, I have a great jump start on the year's work and have quite a few things going on in the studio.  I will also be hosting an open studio in April.

February

If you're in the Bay Area, and you don't want to shlep up all the way up the mountain to come for a studio visit, then just stop by Los Gatos Framing Company. I have 12 paintings on view there for the next month or so. There are two small bee paintings and five encaustic paintings, in addition to the pieces below.

Eastern Shore





Salt Marsh (one of my favorites)


The owner & staff of Los Gatos Framing Company. are incredibly nice and really know there stuff when it comes to custom framing. Lots of local art in there. Right next door to the new Title Nine shop, and you don't have to dodge chickens and dogs like you would if you came for a studio visit. Let me know if you stop by the frame shop!

I Think I'm In Love

I've always wanted to try my hand at encaustic painting. This is a process that involves painting with melted beeswax that's been mixed with damar resin and pigment. Each layer of paint/wax is fused with the layer below by using a heat source, such as a torch. It's an ancient process, and also surprisingly stable and strong. What's appealing to me is that with all of those layers of wax and paint, the effect can be very luminous and ethereal.
This past summer I attended a demo by the women who run WaxWorksWest, an encaustic studio in Corralitos, CA. The demo was impressive, and I immediately signed up for one of their one-day workshops. I learned a lot in that one day, and I'm really looking forward to going back. Here are some of my fellow classmates in the Encaustic Boot Camp Class:


Here we have a hot plate heated to about 200 degrees. Those little tins hold the pigment and wax combo. A flat thermometer helps us keep track of the surface temperature. If the wax is overheated, it can become toxic. Several box fans keep the area well ventilated. The best part was playing with fire, in this case butane torches, to fuse the wax. I somehow managed not to ignite anything that I wasn't supposed to.

At the end of the day, I had four completed pieces. I loved the process. To me, it was such an experimental and playful process. I had a blast, and can't wait to make more.
Detailed images of these paintings soon to come.

I've started gathering the materials and tools needed to do these on my own, in my studio. In the meantime, I've signed up for another day-long workshop. Care to join me on November 12th for the Encaustic Transfer Techniques class? You can see the complete class list and schedule on their website: