Face of Buddha

We are in the midst of primary elections here and there is no escape ... from the daily news, the debates ... the disrespect between candidates, between different political parties, and the lack of compassion and respect has led me to a feeling of disconnect and political hopelessness. I rarely let myself get caught in political controversy. I don't like conflict.

In general, when I am challenged with relationships in life, I have always found personal comfort in Buddhist philosophy; to simply lead a moral life, to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions, and to develop wisdom and understanding.  The search for a quiet, tranquil place has led me to a new series, "Face of Buddha". My goal is to create 100 Buddha paintings, some inspired by actual statuary others inspired by feelings and abstract concepts. I plan on sharing these during the upcoming festival (and election) season and hope I am able to encourage meditative thoughts and actions.

All of the paintings in the series are 10" x 8", mixed media encaustic on cradled birch panels, (and priced at $250). I have completed 15 paintings to date and plan on continuing developing the series until I reach my goal of 100.

New directions

January came and went, and after recovering from the holidays my creative energy was focused on continuing the development of two distinct bodies of new work. In addition, I resumed teaching encaustic painting classes and workshops at two locations on the North Shore of Chicago. Class information is posted on websites for The Evanston Art Center, The North Shore Art League

In the fall I started working with encaustic using a Tjanting tool combined with a wax pour. My desire to create time and place by simply using color and the sensibility of depth has kept me entranced.  Understanding abstract art and painting with pure feeling led to the "Elemental" series. A few new samples below:

"Squall"

encaustic on cradled wood panel

10" x 22"

"Ice"

encaustic on cradled wood panel, diptych

10" x 20" 

I decided to submit "Ice" to the juried winter show at the Copley Society of Art and the best feedback for me was hearing this piece was accepted into the show.

"Swarm"

encaustic on cradled wood panels, hexaptych

8" x 12"

I have also been developing a new collection of encaustic monotypes. I decided to incorporate traditional silk scrolls for the presentation of many of these works. I often cut and collage the prints using the white space on the scroll to enhance the work. A few new samples below:

"Yellow Mountains" 

34” x 9”

Cascade

59.5” x 23.5”

Wisdom Tree

65” x 15”

Another highlight for me will occur in March when I am curating my student's show at the North Shore Art League. Ten past and present students have been invited to display up to three encaustic pieces and we are looking forward to sharing with the public how creatively each artist uses the medium. I will be sharing more show details as they become available.

A Year of the Full Moon, the book

I am now offering the Full Moon Series of watercolor paintings in paperback 8.5" x 11" book form.

The Full Moon series is a year long interpretation of the visual effects of the lunar cycle. Each painting represents my dream-like rendition of the seasonal landscape and captures the mystical nature of the moon. I have also included several poems along with a brief description of the Native American inspiration behind each of the paintings.

The cost is $36 plus $7 shipping, available anywhere in the U.S. Once your order is placed it will take approximately 10 days before your book will be received.

You can purchase by clicking on the link - paypal 
and/or preview the book - here  

Additional inquiries, questions, or concerns can be sent directly to my email here.

Earth's Energy and the beginning of a New Series

Swarm

a :  a large number of animate or inanimate things massed together and usually in motion :  throng <swarms of sightseers> swarm

of locusts> swarm of meteors>

b :  a number of similar geological features or phenomena close together in space or time swarm

of dikes> swarm>

“We think the natural world has a lot to teach us about efficiency,” said Kerbel. “And bees and other swarming animals are among nature’s best examples of teamwork and efficiency. Our technology injects swarm theory into a grid that has historically been simple and manual, and makes it intelligent and automatic.”

* From the Environmental Defense fund website - www.edf.org/energy/innovation/demand-management-innovation

Classes have kept me away from blogging regularly, and now that the fall sessions are coming to an end I have time to share the new direction my work has taken; thinking about the landscape, earth, and the energy sources that nature provides. In a way, the Swarm Series reminds me of my Full Moon Series as both series interpret energy in the natural world. The moons were painted using watercolor, and spatters of color to create energy radiating from the full moon. I was interviewed by a local reporter when I was in the midst of the full moon series and he wrote an article that best described my artistic direction. A favorite quote from the article:

"Painting, Samiljan learned, was less about recreating what it is she saw, but is, in fact, more about transferring energy. Accessibility, then, becomes contingent on each specific viewer's impression. There's something in her paintings she hopes appeals to a wide audience, she says." The entire article is available here - Full Moon Fever

Swarms of color using encaustic medium and pigments, pouring layers of wax to create a greater visual depth of energetic brush strokes, are a similar interpretation with these new encaustic paintings but this time energy is not celestial, it's earthly. I look forward to sharing more new work as the series develops.

Catch up when you can!

Teaching three weekly classes, introducing new techniques each week, and completing demonstration paintings for each class has taken a toll on my studio time. I have also organized works to be included in upcoming holiday shows, can you believe it's that time of year? and have been working toward moving in a new direction and new series; personal goals are now set. I will share results here but for now I am posting a few new favorite demo paintings from weekly classes.

"Exploring the Universe", colors of Autumn

45" x 18" 

encaustic monotype on Kozo

"Falling Leaves"

18" x 12"

encaustic monotype on Kozo

"Swept Away 1"

10" x 8"

encaustic and shellac on board

"Swept Away 2"

10" x 8"

encaustic and shellac on board

And this last piece was created by pouring top layers of wax rather than painting it onto the panel.

Indian Summer

"Carrots"

12" x 12" mixed media on cradled panel

"Squash"

12" x 12" mixed media on cradled panel

"Daisies"

6" x 6" mixed media on cradled panel

Several weeks ago fall classes resumed and I am teaching encaustic painting in 2 locations (The Evanston Art Center and the North Shore Art League). Making time to create new work remains a priority each week. I have always used demo paintings as a tool to teach techniques. I work at home to complete demos started in class then bring them back to discuss how each piece was completed, this process usually involves some problem solving.

We have also worked with shellac burns and transfer foils...

and worked on building textures in wax.

The next few classes will cover drawing with wax using tjanting tools, mixing inks with wax, embedding objects, and encaustic monotypes.

My personal goal is to develop a new body of larger work that encompasses abstract landscapes defined with textures and colorful layers of wax... there aren't enough hours in the day.

Classes resume

It's hard to believe that September is just around the corner. Where did the summer go? Next week I resume teaching workshops and weekly encaustic classes starting with a one night workshop at the Evanston Art Center on August 26. I am also teaching at the North Shore Art League with a one day workshop on September 26. Details for all classes and workshops are available on the websites.

In between my art festival participation, I was able to complete a variety of new works inspired by every day life, the things I see, the places I go.... from the hustle and bustle of city life, to low key farmers markets. I love it all!

LaSalle Street

40" x 30" mixed media on wood panel

"Tomatoes"

12" x 12" mixed media on wood panel

The Good Earth

August is my month to take a break... but also a time to find new inspiration, create new work, and prepare for teaching upcoming workshops and weekly classes in the fall.

Summer art festivals are only a small part of what I do. What I love about the festivals is the opportunity to be up front and first hand with patrons, engage and educate people interested in what they see, to sell work to people that "fall in love"... and that does happen! I have had three excellent show experiences to date and my last festival is in September, right around the corner in my neighborhood, the Lakeview East Festival of Arts.

Last weekend I was in Michigan in an area that is known for it's vineyards and farming. The piece completed below was inspired by the vineyards in Baroda, MI.

"Grapevines"

12" x 12" 

mixed media encaustic on cradled panel

Before I left for Michigan I started a large cityscape, it's 40" x 30" and had been taking up most of my energy. The time off, painting something organic, was a much needed break but my goal is to complete this before my last festival exhibition. I will be fusing the wax, etching details, adding color and highlights with oil pastels, and probably lightening up some of the buildings. It helps stepping away and coming back with fresh eyes.

"LaSalle Street"

work in progress

My last bit of news is that a very special painting of mine, "Under the Chuppah" was accepted into the “Real People 2015” Northwest Area Arts Council National Show, opening August 6 - September 27 in Woodstock, IL.

Summer show season continues...

... and I have not had the time to focus on new work, but ideas keep swirling around in my head!

Wells Street Art Festival

After the Wells Street Art Festival I was excited, stimulated, and plan on creating more oversized paintings. One of the paintings sold was the largest piece I brought to the show, 30" x 40" (seen hanging on the top left side of my booth); a special piece that had been included in the Evansville Museum of Art show last fall. Walking around the city of Chicago has me taking photos on a regular basis and I already have several photos I plan on using in new works:

Crossing the Chicago River on LaSalle Street, water taxis

LaSalle Street, looking South toward the Board of Trade

more from LaSalle Street looking South

Crossing the Chicago River looking West, I love the clouds (Marina City on the right)

On Wacker Drive, looking North East toward the Wrigley building and Lake Michigan

My plan is to continue working large, I have already purchased more 30" x 40" encausticbords, and my goal is to have at least one new piece ready for my September show.

I will have time to paint in August, but right now I am preparing for a big 4th of July show at the Chicago Botanic Garden. All artists participating are required to exhibit botanic inspired theme, materials, or usage.

I will be exhibiting both watercolor and encaustic land inspired paintings, and look forward to showing some of my favorite award winning pieces. If you are local and decide to visit, I will be in booth #62.7, hope to see you there!

Love ... and other things

"Under the Chuppah"

14" x 11" mixed media encaustic

Clearly, my creative inspiration comes from events in life that I see and feel. My son was married in April and since then I have been inspired to re-create artistic vignettes from the wedding weekend, somewhat unusual since landscape is my usual passion. This is the second painting (you can see my bridesmaids painting here) inspired by their wedding with focus not just on the bride and groom, but on the incredible floral canopy hung directly above them. The word chuppah is a hebrew word that means covering or protection, and is intended as a roof or covering for the bride and groom at their wedding. The chuppah symbolizes the new home that the couple will create. 

Because my focus now has to shift toward upcoming art festivals, creating new work is temporarily on hold. I have been making minor adjustments to some of my older works, below is one of the larger 30" x 30" cityscapes that will be highlighted in my first show next weekend, the Wells Street Art Festival. I just added more flowers to the right side flower boxes, light greens to the shrubs and trees, and also added color to the street signs. The older version is below the updated version.

"Approaching Michigan Ave."

30" x 30" mixed media encaustic

In my booth I will also be highlighting other large cityscapes, mixed media landscapes, and miniatures. If you are local be sure not to miss this incredible show.