Encaustic Work

Encaustics is an ancient art form. Painting with beeswax and pigment. These are the pieces I created in class on Sunday. The top one has sea glass embedded in it. It is called "Hunting for Sea Glass." The second one incorporated one of my paintings that I copied onto paper and a sketch I did. I call it "Naked. Open."

As I painted the wax on the board I felt so free, so unaware of time as I created each layer of wax. Just an unexpected drip from the brush could lead me in a whole new direction. Layer upon layer built up. When I scraped it off I didn't know what I would reveal, what turn it would take. I couldn't make a mistake. Like life each layer you built up makes you who you are. When you reveal your inner self you become the next layer, you take the next turn or twist of life. There are no mistakes, just new opportunities to reveal yourself.

Each encaustic piece has a life of its own and it reveals layer by layer who you are and defines what you are doing at that moment you paint or drip or mold the wax onto the board. Next you scrap off beneath the layers and discover what you made in the past and it too becomes something new, part of the present. The possibilities are limitless. My brain explodes with ideas. Where to start? Just one layer at a time.

Painting is poetry

I read somewhere yesterday that you should paint until you don't realize you're using paint anymore. I instantly understood that. Paint is just color and texture to me, a way to get my thoughts visualized. Like poetry it's an abstract way to get the visions in your head into a form others can see.

I'll have to find the website I found that thought on and post it later. Here's the website:
http://www.dallasartsrevue.com/art-crit/Michael_Helsem/process/How-to-Paint.shtml I think I ran across it because they had a piece on how to photograph artwork.