Memorial Day weekend

"Silhouette", 12" x 12", encaustic painting

Happy Memorial Day, everyone. Traveling to foreign countries always makes me appreciate life here in the U.S.A. and Memorial Day is a reminder that our freedom comes at a cost, however... being in Italy last month was incredibly inspiring and continues to stimulate my creative juices. Thankfully, the holiday weekend allowed me time to work on a project I had been planning for weeks.

I wanted to use a photograph I had taken in San Gimignano for an encaustic image transfer. I also knew I had a special custom panel and frame I had purchased from Rodney Thompson last year at the National Encaustic Conference. The cradled wood board came wired and with a deep, black wood frame.

My biggest concern was finding a composition that would work well in 12" x 12". I had to crop my photo and I actually like it better now. The most important element to me was the texture of the different bricks and by using the encaustic medium I was able to create literal 3-dimensionality.

It's always challenging transferring the image without creating holes or rips in the paper but as you can see below, once the heat fuses the paper onto the board, it takes on a translucent appearance.

After the photograph is fused I add details with pigmented wax and this allows me to fill in any of the holes created during the transfer process. The vibrant, colorful highlights are the reason the painting "pops", and the reason I love working with the encaustic medium.