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!

New Year, New Start

Happy New Year!

Lots of new projects, ideas and goals in the works. Stay tuned. This year promises to be a productive one, with plans for new paintings, commissions and exhibiting opportunities. More bee paintings are in the works along with larger scale California landscapes. I'm also very excited about playing more with encaustics.

In the meantime, I'm starting off the new year with a revamped website. Take a look and let me know what you think! New art, including a page for Birds & Bees, Encaustics, and California Landscapes. There's a new artist statement on there too, on the Bio page.

Thanks for looking!

Summer's Bee
2x2" (mini!), oil on canvas
©2010 Giselle Gautreau

Private Collection

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:



Framing Bees

It turns out that a lovely friend and collector of my work has an excellent eye for framing. In general I don't frame my own work. In part, I want the buyer to decide whether they want it framed at all, and how to do it. I'll be honest, it's also about economy for me, since framing can get expensive. My framing tastes tend to run toward the clean and minimalist. Simple floater frames for me, if any. In contrast, my friend went for whimsy and bold. She grouped my bee paintings together on one wall, and I love the effect.





This last one stands alone on it's own wall. I love what the frame does to the painting. It gives it an added dimension, drawing your eye in and giving it another layer of drama and presence. That is what good framing does.

Maison du Lac

Red Bench in the Garden-Maison du Lac
20x20", oil on canvas
©2010 Giselle Gautreau

This painting is my donation to my local school's fundraiser. They host an incredible event here in the Santa Cruz Mountains every October, raising money for our small public mountain school. Not only is the event a LOT of fun, it also brings in much-needed funding for our school. The evening brings us wine tasting, live music, a silent auction, dancing, and a very lively live auction. Can't wait!
http://www.lpef.org/LPEF/LPEF.html

About the painting:
The Gala is held at an incredibly beautiful venue, a private estate called Maison du Lac. Earlier this summer, with camera in hand, I explored the grounds and gardens. I took this photo of a red bench overlooking the little pond. The funny thing is that I took the photo with my iPhone, using a little application that emulates a vintage cameras, where you get to select the lens/film/flash options. The resulting image for me was compelling, and was the source for this painting. Old meets new: oil painting meets iPhone technology.
So, come to the Gala if you can. Look for this painting at the Silent Auction.