Thursday, December 9, 2010

Storm Wave, 16" x 20" encaustic painting

Trying to make the time to paint this week has been a challenge, having constant interruptions has been an even bigger challenge! I can't decide if this is finished and I need to spend time looking at it from a distance. I love the abstract feeling the layers of wax create, and I realized today the reason I have been drawn to painting seascapes with encaustic is probably because of the fluidity in both. What I am thinking of adding to this painting is detail that will create more definition where the wave is, and possibly some 3-dimensional texture. The entire painting surface is smooth and I totally bonded with my torch when I painted this time! Using the wax abstractly is so different from what I had been doing with the image transfers that it's too soon for me to know how I feel about it.

10 comments:

  1. I know what I feel--it's gorgeous. For some reason, I think of Van Gogh.

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  2. I feel the waves, the atmosphere and the light. Nice job!

    You're onto something here. Keep exploring. Meanwhile, another trick to have in your arsenal, besides stepping back from the painting, is take it to a mirror and look at it backwards. Answers will forthcoming...

    -Don

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  3. The impressionists are my constant inspiration... Thank you so much for the association, Hallie. I am thinking my next encaustic painting will be sunset colors over the ocean.
    Don, I just looked at the painting in the mirror and it still works. The hardest thing for me when I paint abstractly is leaving it abstract - I usually end up adding touches of realism and sometimes it enhances, some times it doesn't. Thanks for the suggestion. Continuing in this direction is definitely going to be a challenge because I will be fighting my need to be more representational, hopefully I will be able to stick with it.

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  4. It's lusciously dynamic!! I totally get the feeling of the power of the wind and waves. Your subdued palette and swirling brushstrokes support this dramatic theme. Mesmerizing!

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  5. Thank you so much, Kathy. The qualities of the encaustic paints are so dynamic which is what draws me to the medium and using it this way but it is also what makes encaustic painting such a challenge.

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  6. I like this, there's a wild and liquid feeling to the whole thing. The "sky" is liquid to the extent that this would be equally at home as an abstraction of a submarine land.

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  7. Mark, the wax paint begs to be liquid! I think I will have fun focusing on fluid subject matter so I can enjoy the natural qualities of the encaustics.

    Thank you, Machelle

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  8. I agree with hw. As soon as I saw this, I was reminded of Van Gogh, my favorite artist of all time. You should continue with your seascapes - they are beautiful.

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