Sunday, January 30, 2011

Sea and Sky

Morning walks with my dog Charlie inspired my first encaustic seascapes and I am still painting with the influence of this winter season. My challenge has been understanding the dynamic qualities of the encaustic medium and I feel as if I continue to refine my skills.

"Another Gray Day", encaustic, 16" x 20"


I always start with 3 layers of clear medium fused on the cradled wood panel. Fusing with heat evenly is tricky although I am getting better at it.


The initial layer of color on top of the clear medium appears spotty and thin. It's just a starting point.


More pigmented wax, and layers of clear medium; the concept of building up the colors combined with the medium is very similar to how I build up layers and create depth in my watercolor paintings.

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7 comments:

  1. -DonJanuary 31, 2011 at 3:50 AM

    Oh, this looks like so much fun! Thanks for sharing a bit more about the process.

    "Another Gray Day" is really cool! This whole thing just pulses with a wonderful energy.

    -Don

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  2. Autumn LeavesJanuary 31, 2011 at 6:00 AM

    I love hearing and seeing how you come to your pieces. This looks amazing!

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  3. UnknownJanuary 31, 2011 at 8:23 AM

    Wow - I really like your critique and the results. So effective!!

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  4. Nancy GoldmanJanuary 31, 2011 at 12:17 PM

    Thanks for posting pics of your painting as it progressed. It looks like such an interesting process. I am going to try it one of these days. One of my friends uses encaustics. Maybe she will let me play with her supplies.
    Is the clear medium just wax or is it something else? Those clear layers must really give your paintings a sense of depth.
    Also, since Charlie was with you when you got your inspiration for this painting, I think we need to see a picture of him too. : )

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  5. hw (hallie) farberJanuary 31, 2011 at 3:57 PM

    This is fun to watch. I like the gray with touches of yellow.

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  6. AnonymousJanuary 31, 2011 at 4:03 PM

    Another beautiful piece Robin! What a process to get to your final product. I can see what a lot of work it takes to master this technique.

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  7. RobinFebruary 2, 2011 at 9:38 AM

    Don - glad you feel some energy... painting the snow is getting old, especially now that we are in the midst of another big storm!

    Thanks so much, Sherry.

    Kathy - posting about my process also helps me learn too, thank you.

    Nancy - the clear wax medium is a mixture of beeswax and damar resin (which is a hardening agent) otherwise the beeswax alone would be too soft. Charlie has been on my blog posts, a few storm posts ago!

    Thanks, Hallie, the yellow ochre is close to the color of sand.

    Pam - I am far from a master but practice makes perfect!

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