Monday, April 18, 2011

New Series features 6x6 Encaustic...

Creating art and being inspired is a daily activity for me. I have been in my studio painting like a mad woman for months, it seems. I fire up the Encaustic palette and work away for several hours at a time. The smell of sweet beeswax permeates the air.
I have been working on a series of small pieces, 6x6, this series will be available at The Brunswick Inn, Blessings and Ornament Home and Garden Store. The idea is this art is small enough to stick into a suitcase and take home and pop onto a bookshelf or you can buy several to create a statement. This series is Encaustic (Beeswax+Damar Resin) which is carved with various sharp carving tools and then the markings are rubbed with a dark colored oil pastel to give it an engraved look.
The style of these pieces is old school. Featuring a Botanical Style, mostly Birds, Nests, Plants and Shells. I have a variety of colors for this series and they all work well with each other.

A little glimpse into my Studio World…
During work days I create without stopping, except for lunch and walks in the neighborhood or a nice jaunt down to the sea, 28 quick minutes. My favorite spot for local inspiration is on a small thin reach at the end of the Harpswells, a series of Islands reaching into the Casco Bay. Periwinkles, Mussels & Clam shells are everywhere. Sea glass and heart rocks also make an appearance. It is a fantastic spot at low tide. This time of year it is me, a few Eider Ducks, some Mergansers Seals, Loons and once in a while a Gull screeches and laughs, breaking the quiet, loud silence of the crashing surf. The air is still cold but the beauty is spectacular. This is why I live in Maine. 22 minutes from my door to what I think is paradise. Although it would not hurt to be just a bit warmer!

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Encaustic Bird & Birch Paintings...

I have been studying Birch trees lately. How they look on a snowy day and the various colors and textures in the bark.
Encaustic painting lends itself to the extreme texture and layers that make up the trunk and branches of a Birch Tree.
I first worked on the forest with the Cardinal. My next piece to tackle was the Pileated Woodpecker on a Birch trunk. Both pieces are Encaustic and are 12"x24" on cradled Birchboard.