Oil Pastel and Encaustic, first attempt post conference

"Yamdrok-tso", 6 x 6

Today I finally moved out of the cloud in my mind and attempted to paint a small, simple landscape. It was the first time I had the knowledge and technique details used by several of the artists at the encaustic conference although I think the person who I am most inspired by is Rodney Thompson. The hardest part for me was applying the wax medium evenly and without causing it to bubble when I fused between layers. I used the iwatani torch and have definitely conquered that fear however I still feel more in control when I use the heat gun. I am sure the more I fuse with the torch the easier it will be for me. It was the first time I attempted a landscape without using an image transfer and I used more layers of wax medium than I had ever used in the past but I think it's still not enough! Learning a new medium and starting without years of skill and experience has probably been one of the most frustrating aspects of this whole thing, but I am comparing how I am feeling to when I am teaching watercolor painting to new students and I can definitely relate to them better now. My hope is to work through the summer painting encaustic landscapes in the same manner and style as watercolor; my motivation continues to be striving to attain an ethereal and mystical quality in each of my paintings.