Navy Pier

Navy Pier

30" x 30" 

encaustic collage on cradled panel

I continue to be inspired to paint places I have been since moving back to Chicago. These new paintings are turning into a series, and the key elements are landmark locations and architecture in Chicago, working large, using wax as the primary medium. I have printed a group of my favorite photos, this is the 2nd of 5 photos to be collaged, and the first of what will be a transition into new techniques and materials.

Rather than transferring the black and white photo (what I have always done in the past), I collaged it into wax medium directly on a cradled birch panel. After fusing layers of wax underneath and on top of the photo, I decided to add dry pigments (recently purchased at the encaustic conference), using copper, graphite, and silver. Safety is a priority, I put on rubber gloves and rubbed the powdered pigments directly into the encaustic medium fused onto the photo. I also added oil sticks (white, blue) rubbed into the sky, and then dipped a strip of mulberry paper into wax, collaged it to add sculptural qualities to the prominent building on the left, Lake Point Tower. I also collaged paper on the far right along the wooden wall structure in the foreground.

I have been running so many ideas through my mind ever since the conference, I have new supplies and tools, and want to continue to experiment and discover new ways of sharing my creative energy with the world.