Round is better than square

My small encaustic works have always been signed with a personalized chop, a translation of my name in chinese characters. Last month I ordered a round stamp to replace the square shape I had been using. I don't know why I didn't figure this out sooner but the circular shape eliminates the worry about lining up the hard edges with the art.

These new works are all 2.5 x 3.5, mounted with foam core on 6 x 6 watercolor paper then placed in a 10 x 10 shadowbox frame. I continue to have success selling in my Etsy shop as well as in local galleries. My favorite subject is the New England landscape, particularly from my visits to Vermont and Maine. I love being able to add depth and texture to the wax by using paint brushes and sculpting tools.

"Rangeley Lake"

"Beyond the Meadow"

"Golden Mist"

Stamped, Mounted, and Framed

This last piece below still needs to be stamped and framed, what a difference it makes.

"Morning Passage"

I also wanted to share the final version of "Rain Dance" seen below. It is important to me to keep the cradled panel edges clean of wax, something I just started doing several months ago. What started as a series of paintings inspired by Topography then moved into the direction of the Australian Outback is now taking me into a study of Native American and Primitive art.

"Rain Dance", 12 x 12 encaustic painting

It feels good to be back in the studio plus I am looking forward to teaching a beginner encaustic workshop over the next two weekends.

Cave Painting

Finally, I was able to focus on new work today, and have been patiently waiting to do so. The last 2 abstracts from my Outback series were inspired by cave paintings and my drift toward native american influences are obvious. I need to explore further the primitive art that ties me to the earth.

I will have to wait for morning to add several more layers of wax and rephotograph with daylight, but I wanted to share this work in progress.

"Rain Dance", work in progress
12 x 12 encaustic and oil pastel on panel

The most exciting gift I received last month was a full set of Sennelier oil pastels. I had started using them with wax in November, transferring simple drawings into the encaustic medium.

LOVE these pastels.

It's encouraging that just last week I heard one of my new cave paintings "Cave Dwellers" was accepted into the Copley Society winter show, juried by Kaveh Mojtabai, the founder and publisher at Boston Publishing House LLC, Artscope Magazine. This is the first time I submitted new abstract work into a juried show.

Opposite of the abstracts, I continue to paint and sell small representational mixed media works. It almost feels like I am working in 2 completely opposite directions but no complaints here, just call me Sybil!

New Year

Happy New Year, Everyone!

I spent today getting back into the swing of business, shows, and life in general but it wasn't easy. I can hardly believe we are into a new year ... where does the time go.

Moving to Chicago is not just a far away idea anymore, it will become my reality in a few months once I sign an apartment lease. Last Friday I looked at a few apartments when I was in town and I discovered a very cool building; the lobby hosts small monthly art shows and even though the apartments did not work for me, I may be able to get into a small neighborhood show there around September.

Lobby at The Belmont (gallery space on the background walls)

My next trip to Chicago won't be until March when I can actually sign a lease. In the meantime, I have several upcoming shows and workshops to teach. Details are listed on the right in "Current and Upcoming Events".

The Copley Society, Small Works show -

Swampscott Art Association, Retrospective show -

The Swampscott Art Association is also having another winter show in Salem, I have until Friday to figure out if and what I will submit.

Next workshop I am teaching is January 12, Intro to Encaustic at Brush Strokes Studios. In March I teach my last watercolor workshop at Montserrat College of Art, and after that moving will be my job 24/7.

Online Support

The internet has changed the way we live and process events, it has changed the way we are educated and are able to develop personal relationships. From online support groups dealing with terrible tragedy... to art education, to personal shopping ... the world is at our fingertips.

Last week I joined another Facebook group geared specifically toward critiques. Usually I just read selective topics and take it all in, rarely posting. As many of you know, my struggle with abstract vs. representational art continues and I decided to post about my personal struggles in the critique group.

 Here is the condensed version of my post:
"Truth be told, I seem unable to create art without connecting landscape into everything I do. I started a series of abstract paintings this summer, but keep falling back into the small representational works.
So I struggle, do I push toward abstract, do I do both? or am I better off sticking to the small, salable, easy to relate to representational works? Is encaustic art suppose to be abstract? All feedback welcome."

I received such wonderful responses but the three that stuck out most in my mind were from three artists I have actually met.

Rodney Thompson -
"'So I struggle, do I push toward abstract, do I do both? or am I better off sticking to the small, salable, easy to relate to representational works'...which one thrills you, delights you, intrigues you, makes you most happy to see your finished work
?"
Rodney's art blows me away, his connection with spirituality and earth is like no one else.
http://www.rodneythompson.com

Laura Moriarty -
"It sounds to me like you are rushing the process of finding an authentic voice in order to put your work in the marketplace. Ultimately the direction of your work must be determined by you, not others. I think it's best to be clear about what you are doing before you start marketing it. For now, it may be best for you to sell the work you understand, while you continue to develop the complexity. Slow down, and let the new body of work build. Take your audience along for the ride in a way that helps them understand the twists and turns in the road. You do that really well with your blog, btw. But don't sell work until you have a chance to get really comfortable with it.


Laura's art takes encaustic into a deeper, more physical view of geographic wonder.
http://www.lauramoriarty.com

Hylla Evans -
"Robin, you do know some of us. Don't let lack of confidence into your studio. Paint, paint, paint. Save the second guessing for later editing what you want to show. Chill and paint.
 Landscape seems always to be referenced when an abstract is grounded in horizontal lines. That isn't a bad thing. You can sell them both. Don't think about finding an audience while you're painting. Save those decisions for afterward.
"
Hylla taught a color mixing workshop that I attended several years ago as well as a talk about artistic copyright. Her encaustic paints are rich and lush and remind me most of the Holbein paints I use in watercolor.
http://www.evansencaustics.com

There were many more responses, but what a wonderful place for professional (and personal) support.
Next month I look forward to following my heart and seeing where the paints take me.

I continue to sell small representational works. I add my signature using a custom made chop, a translation of my name in Chinese. After several years of trying to always stamp work in just the right spot I decided to order a new chop using a circular design. 4 different characters that translate my name both phonetically and literally make up the chop. I used the same company that I discovered online when ordering the first chop, and once again I embraced the ease and accessibility of online resources.

As easy as using the internet is, nothing replaces human touch and the need for a hug.

Lupines at Sunset

"Lupines at Sunset", triptych

I had a project take on a life of its own this week. What started as a simple request for two small paintings that paired together ended with a week of painting new work and a framed triptych. I had the frame in my possession before I even started this project and it just made sense that three of the new works hang together even though they were painted separately. The truth is, in the back of my mind I had been thinking these would make a much stronger impression if they were shown together. The idea of painting small works grouped together in a single frame could be something I pursue further, it's got me excited. I had done it once before after my visit to Cape Cod this summer -

My only concern was that the ready made shadowbox frame did not show off the small works enough, even though I floated each painting with 2 layers of foam core. I did not want the frame to distract from the dimensionality of the work. Creating textures and etching into the wax, for me, is the most exciting element in these encaustic paintings.

Below are two other lupine paintings from this week, framed separately... although these would also work well together in a single diptych frame. Finding ready made diptych and triptych frames will be more challenging than painting the actual work.

Looks like I will be ending the year with new ideas for new projects, that's never a bad thing.

Commissions and Creativity

Last night I received an email from an art patron who had seen my work in a holiday small works show. He asked me if I had another lupine painting that would be a similar match with one of my pieces in the show, he was thinking of purchasing a pair as a holiday gift. My December plan had been to take a short break from painting new work but his email request had me back in the zone and I spent the day painting.

"Lupine Sunset"

"Lupines"

Both of these paintings are new versions of similarly painted small works, each is 2.5 x 3.5, and will be floated on 6 x 6 watercolor paper with foam core, then signed with my chop stamp signature and placed in a 10 x 10 black frame. I decided that even if this patron is not interested in these new works they are still very salable ($105 framed). This leads me into my next thought...

Making salable art vs. making art that pushes personal boundaries.

Over the summer when I attended an encaustic workshop taught by Laura Moriarty, I focused on pushing myself into learning more abstract encaustic techniques. I discussed with the other artists in the workshop how I had always been able to sell the safer, more traditional landscape paintings but that my heart wanted to explore outside of my comfort zone. At that time, I made a conscious decision to continue to create these small landscapes because of their salability but that I would also pursue a more abstract art form (Outback Series) using newly learned encaustic techniques.

I am just now starting to show the abstracts I created since July, the jury is still out on the success and acceptance of these new works. I may add some smaller abstract pieces to my Etsy shop, soon.

What do you think, is it better to make more salable main stream art? or is pushing boundaries, exploring new art forms, (and possibly failing), a more professional direction? I ask myself this question all the time and still don't have the answer.

Transition into Holidays

While I begin preparing for my planned move to Chicago (June 2013), creative inspiration and new work is temporarily on hold. Studio space (the dining room) has been in a state of disarray since Thanksgiving, ever since I gave my son a shelf unit that was used to house small encaustic paintings, and throughout the month of December I will find it difficult to find undistracted studio time.

I am going to visit family end of December and possibly sign an apartment lease then. In the meantime, I have small works and prints for sale in several local and online shops:

Copley Society of Art
Lynn Arts Holiday Boutique
Etsy Shop *free shipping* use code 112912HOLIDAY
Fine Art America

I am teaching another encaustic workshop in January at Brush Strokes Studio and Gallery, (only a few spots remain open) and a watercolor workshop in March (and possibly another encaustic workshop) at Montserrat College. Details will be available soon.

December is always a crazy time of year but once the dust settles I hope to be sharing new works. In the meantime, here's to a joyful holiday season. Cheers!

The Art of Baking

I spent a good amount of time in the kitchen (rather than the studio) the past few days baking desserts in preparation for my adult children coming home for the Thanksgiving holiday. I put away my paints, palettes, and brushes in exchange for the mixmaster, cookie sheets, cake pans, and butter. My Grandma Esther would be proud, as I not only baked many of her family recipes but I also created a small cook book for my children, nieces, and nephews so that they each will have the opportunity to continue the legacy of what has become family favorite dessert recipes.

Below are crescent rolls that are filled with butter, cinnamon, sugar, and raisins. Once they are rolled they have to sit an hour before baking so that the yeast dough can rise a bit.

Fresh out of the oven.

Coffee cake, sour cream dough with a filling of brown sugar, white sugar, lemon and orange rind, walnuts, and raisins.

 Mandel bread, a buttery cookie with almonds and walnuts, very similar to biscotti.

Basic chocolate frosting, it goes well with anything and everything!

Chocolate buttermilk cake with frosting.

Banana cake with and without frosting.

Basic brownies sprinkled with powdered sugar.

My grandmother had 3 sons, my father was the oldest. I was the first born of her granddaughters and always felt a special bond with my grandmother. I have wonderful memories of family holiday dinners and in a way it felt as if I was channeling her with all of the baking I did this week and then by putting together her recipes for the kids. There is definitely an art of baking and cooking. On facebook today one of my cousins posted this comment after seeing some of these photos - "When grandma would make me scrambled eggs she would say 'a little paprika just for color'". My grandmother was an incredible artist in the kitchen, this post is in honor of her memory.

Grandma and me around 1965.

How Important are We?

"Rise"

24 x 24 encaustic on cradled panel

Primordial thoughts - thousands of years ago, how challenging was daily survival? 

Process and Growth

Less is more... that is my current mantra. Right now I have time to explore and develop encaustic technique and although painting representational landscapes has been my "happy place" with art for many years, I am shifting focus. My goal is to use minimal, essential lines and marks that make an impression and tell a story. This goal started nagging at me when I viewed Robert Motherwell's exhibit at the Cape Cod Art Institute this summer. Then I was sidetracked and fell into developing new techniques I learned this summer (building up layers of colored wax, then scraping and shaping down layers) which led to the Outback Series.

"Cave Dwellers" was created by layering and fusing wax with the addition of pigments and oil pastel.

"Cave Dwellers"

 

Primitive art continues to be a strong influence on me but mostly I just want to follow my heart and make essential marks that convey a story.

I have been following a private facebook group of encaustic artists. I rarely post in the group but have learned an incredible amount of information from everyone. I don't agree with some of what people are sharing but I have been exposed to such a diverse group of artists, it's almost like taking a class!

Below, 2 recent encaustic demo paintings, done at the same time with the same color palette using different techniques, neither of these pieces follows my "less is more" mantra, but I am working toward breaking a habit and it will take time.