Spring is here! As we are busy trying to find a new storefront in Langley, we each continue to produce new art. We are anxious to have our art seen again. I got up at 3 AM today because there were so many ideas running through my head about things I want to create. I made drawings, notes and tried to go back to sleep at 4 AM. At 4:30 I just gave in, got up and quietly tried to paint.

I have added encaustic painting as a way to express myself more freely. Encaustic painting allows me to create a piece in a few days, instead of the months it takes to do a bronze. I tell myself that it's a little like sculpting and casting because it still uses heat, just not a furnace roaring away. The bonus is that I don't have to go up to my cold studio/shop in the middle of the night to work on my art. But they are different kinds of art; I know when I cast a bronze, I am making something that will last a very long time. Encaustic painting is less durable than a bronze, although some have been recovered from Egyptian tombs.

Encaustic painting uses colored wax as the medium. As with sculpture, there are steps involved in the process. First you melt the bees wax and add the pigment and resin. When I prepare my wax, I make little blocks so that when I am ready to use a color I only have to melt a small amount at a time. This is a perfect opportunity to use recycling in your art. Old cans are perfect for this part of the process.

When you are ready to paint, melt the various colors of wax and paint. You can change the results with a torch or some other heat source. You can also gouge, scrape, layer, and add objects to change your painting.

I look forward to sharing some of these creations with you.