New works

"Foxgloves"

30" x 22"

watercolor and ink on paper

After spending a good part of the past year painting the city of Chicago, working with photo transfers combined with encaustic medium, I reached a point where I missed watercolor. It had also been on my mind to move toward nature-inspired places and things as subject matter. Even in the big city, I seem to find elements of nature everywhere.

"Dragonflies"

8" x 8"

encaustic on panel

I also started teaching a weekly encaustic class and each week I incorporate a demo sharing different techniques. The first class was more about supplies and safety, with a short demo on how to build layers of wax and texture. I had to finish working on this piece at home and look forward to sharing the end result with the class. I will also be offering a 1-day encaustic workshop on October 25 at the North Shore Art League. The workshop will be an abbreviated version of the weekly class, but supplies are included and the cost is reasonable for those not sure if they are ready to make a weekly commitment.

The dragonfly has always been a symbol to me of creativity, artistic freedom, and beauty. I never tire of painting her. Life has been hectic both personally and professionally yet somehow when I go back to painting Ms. Dragonfly, I find peace and calm and the ability to center.

Bonsai, an interactive art form

Landscape painting has been on my mind a lot lately. I have spent the good portion of a year photographing and painting the incredible architecture in the city of Chicago, but now nature is calling out to me. Earth, rock, trees, green... mother nature is alive and constantly changing, the reason why I love painting her.

This week I became the owner of Serrissa Foetida. It has always been important to me to have live plants indoors (and outdoors when ever possible). I used to have bonsai, before I moved to Chicago, but am now rebuilding my indoor garden, slowly but surely. I think of these plants as sculptural art and the knowledge and care required to keep them alive makes this an interactive art form.

Serrissa Foetida Bonsai, Tree of a thousand stars

The Serissa foetida has small oval leaves, it can explode with small white star flowers several times per year giving it the nickname the "Tree of a thousand stars".

Taken from the book "Bonsai, the art of growing and keeping miniature trees" by Peter Chan:

"Bonsai is an art form. Like any of the other visual arts such as painting and sculpture, it has all the essential aesthetic elements of composition, balance, perspective, depth, texture, color, and so on. The analogy of bonsai with painting in general, and landscape painting in particular, is especially appropriate. The objectives both in landscape painting and in bonsai are the same, in each case to create on a reduced scale what one observes in nature." (p. 9)

I have painted the landscape featuring bonsai throughout the years. I plan on getting back into the roots (pun intended) of bonsai as subject and recently came to a clear understanding why I feel so connected to this after reading Peter Chan's book.

I also have my eye on a very old Chinese Elm, but these trees require a lifelong commitment of watering and care, something that a painting does not require. 

Blog Hop

The Blog Hop is going around...

I have been invited to participate in a “blog hop” by artist Alicia Forestall-Boehm. Alicia is one of the many active members in the FUSEDChicago group and one of the first artists I met when I moved back to Chicago last summer. Participating in the blog hop allows me to introduce her art and her blog along with three other artist bloggers I admire. I also have an opportunity to answer 4 specific questions, allowing me to share more about my creative process and art.

Alicia Forestall- Boehm
Alicia’s encaustic and fiber sculptures are a simplified interpretation of urban living and spaces we inhabit, quite a contrast from my interpretation of cityscapes and skyscrapers, which is why I find her art sculptures so fascinating. Thank you for including me in the blog hop, Alicia!

“My encaustic and fiber sculptures reduce larger images and concepts into elegant simplified forms.  By paring down basic elements of color, shape and movement I am able to acknowledge another kind of space.  Ultimately they become symbols of incompleteness that come together in works of art that are complete and whole.  My work elevates the humble cheesecloth.  When married with encaustic it becomes surprisingly malleable allowing for a broad range of sculptural treatments.  The resulting works are abstract representations of urban history that often explores the physical and mental boundaries of public and private spaces we inhabit.  I am currently working on an encaustic and fiber sculptural installation for a solo show at Art on Armitage in Chicago December 2014.”

www.afboehm.com
http://afboehmnews.blogspot.com

Blog hop questions:

1) What am I working on? 

I am close to completing a Cityscape series of mixed media encaustic paintings, something I immediately started once I became settled into urban life last summer.  Moving back to Chicago after spending 25 years on the East coast gave me a refreshed appreciation of the amazing combination of urban architecture alongside landscaping, perennials, and nature. I am also exploring encaustic Monotypes, layering color and texture, working on paper, reconnecting with my watercolor background and nature inspired techniques. 

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
My vision and inspiration comes from every day life. I am always looking at my surroundings, often photographing (with my phone) when I find a composition that is unique to Chicago. I have noticed most recently how beautiful the city is landscaped and my depiction of urban life involves combining elements of nature balanced between the  skyscrapers, concrete, and amazing skyline. 

3) Why do I write/work what I do? 

Sharing my vision and understanding of land, the gifts of nature, and our world through various art mediums allows us to understand what words cannot always express and allows me to share my unique vision of finding the beauty in everything I see. My life feels more complete after each idea comes to fruition in a painting, and my hope is that others can feel the same beauty and peacefulness as I do upon viewing my work.

4) How does my working process work? 

I always start with a composition and color. Color is my immediate connection to mood. Sometimes I let the paint dictate and I follow, other times I have a specific plan and I always seek to find a balance between the palette and depiction of place. Most important to me is that I trust my instincts and process, allowing for deviation from the original plan if need be, yin and yang.

I have chosen to feature 3 artists and bloggers I have known for many years, and have also included links to their blogs.

Barbara Parker and I met in 2007 when we both attended the Master of Education program in Arts and Learning, at Endicott College in Beverly, MA. We both were mid-life mothers going back to school to embrace the creative learning processes and as part of a small cohort, we were able to grow and learn in the safety of the graduate school setting. Barb is an amazing painter, writer, bookmaker, with a full time balancing act between her family and her farm, and her art.

Barbara Parker

Bio: Barbara graduated in 1979 with a BS in nursing from Syracuse University. Her lifelong passion for drawing, writing and photography led her to complete a MEd program in Arts and Learning from Endicott college. She and her husband live on a small farm north of Boston where they raised their four children alongside a potpourri of farm pets. Bookmaking and sketchbook journaling are a favorite pastime along with painting cows.

http://barbarazparker.com

Barb’s blog link - http://barbarazparker.com/my-blog/

Kathleen Krucoff was one of the first artists I became familiar with online via the Art Calendar website from almost ten years ago. As long as I have known her, Kathleen has been able to share her amazing art jewelry through social media. I feel like I have a deeper connection to her work because many of her jewelry pieces are landscape inspired, similar to my paintings.

Kathleen Krucoff

"I have always loved working with my hands, so the tactile experience of sawing, filing, sanding, and working with metal is as necessary as breathing is to me.  I have never been one to color inside the lines, so my feelings are my work should not be limited by any boundaries.  Being creative is an essential part of my life.

I consider my art jewelry unique forms of personal adornment.  Mountains, trees, and landscapes speak to me as I start working with stones and metal.  I must listen and then I create.  I must see what is taking shape in my mind's eye, transferring that imagery to my work.

My life is shared with my best friend, soul mate and husband Dan, who is a photographer, along our three very colorful Basset Hounds.  Our life is never dull.

I grew up in Northern Illinois and today I call Colorado my home.  The rugged beauty and charm of the Rocky Mountains captured my heart over 20 years ago.

Throughout my life I have studied various art forms.  Once I discovered metalwork, I knew I had found my passion.  I am honored and humbled every time one of my pieces speaks to someone and they become a collector of my work."
http://kathleenkrucoff.com

Kathleen’s blog link - http://mysticalmythicalmetalwork.wordpress.com

Deborah Younglao is another artist I met via the Art Calendar website around the same time I became familiar with Kathleen’s work, and I have watched her silk paintings develop as 2 dimensional art, three dimensional quilts, and as wearable art. Her style of painting on silk feels very much like watercolor washes, something I admire and also can relate to on a more personal, creative level.

Deborah Younglao

"Painting on lustrous silk with brilliant, liquid dyes has been my passion for nearly 20 years. A piece of silk being painted becomes a living thing. While the dyes are wet they are constantly on the move… the creation in front of me is always changing. The dyes, the silk and I dance together. Sometimes I lead; more often than not the painting leads. My painted silk may become a 2-dimensional painting, a 3-dimensional quilt, or a fluid piece of wearable art to grace your shoulders."
http://www.deborahyounglao.com




Deborah blog link - http://www.deborahyounglao.com/blog

Next weekend all three of these artists will be participating in the blog hop, and you can find out more about them and artists they admire by visiting their blogs.

End of a Series

"Approaching Michigan Avenue"

30" x 30"

mixed media encaustic on panel

How do you know when a series is complete? For me, a year ago I started challenging myself to work larger with the encaustic medium and shortly after I moved to Chicago, I started photographing places I visited in the city. It was a huge contrast from the landscapes I painted when I lived in New England, and I was determined to combine elements of nature in between skyscrapers, concrete, and urban chaos. I have now completed a series of larger cityscapes (you can see them on my website here) and I am ready to move onto the next thing....

...the next thing, for me, happens to be encaustic monotypes. Watercolor was the only medium I worked with for over 20 years and working on paper feels natural and connected to my past. Being able to use much thinner layers of encaustic paint, fusing directly to paper without a torch or heat gun, allowing translucent qualities of the paint to build the composition layer upon layer, all brings me back to my love of watercolor techniques. I am sure I will continue to photograph places I visit, and maybe the large cityscape paintings will continue, but not until after I play around with the monotype process!

Upcoming shows and events

"Rock Falling"

Encaustic Monotype

18" x 12"

This weekend will be my last of the summer outdoor art festivals for this season and now that I have a few under my belt, I am definitely going to apply to more opportunities next spring and summer. The 42nd Annual Evanston Lakeshore Arts Festival is held along the lakefront in Centennial Park, August 2 & 3 from 11am - 6pm. I will be featuring new cityscape paintings along with nature inspired monotypes, (most of the monotypes will be in my portfolio rack). I also have planned for a new booth design and look forward to sharing photographs.

Another opportunity to see some of my new work is at Unbound(ed), An Encaustic Exhibition, in Morpho Gallery, Chicago. Tonight is the opening reception, 6 - 9:30pm and the show runs through the month of August. This year Morpho gallery opened submissions to all national encaustic artists (not just regional) and the quality of work is phenomenal.

Morpho Gallery

"Beach"

Encaustic Monotype

12" x 18"

"Upstream", diptych

Encaustic on panel

8" x 16"

I have to admit, on a whim, I decided to submit to Real People - an exhibition of Figurative Work. My inspiration most often comes from land but experimenting with self portraits was a part of my studio practice while I attended graduate school several years ago. The show is sponsored by the Northwest Area Arts Council in the Old Court House Arts Center, Woodstock, IL and runs from August 7 - September 28, 2014.

Real People - an exhibition of Figurative Work

"Self Portrait in Blue"

Encaustic on panel

8" x 8"

Starting in September, I will once again be teaching encaustic painting at the North Shore Art League, Winnetka, IL.

North Shore Art League

Going with the Flow

"Blue Sky"

mixed media on paper, almost done...

26" x 40"

Realizing the trees were underdeveloped, I made an adjustment...

I like to work in series, the urban setting that surrounds me daily is my biggest inspiration. I have been focusing on the image transfer process and had attempted to fuse an image onto watercolor paper, but that did not go well. Once I realized the image was not going to adhere properly, I decided to paint without the transfer and ended up free hand drawing the skyline of the city (this is a view from the Lincoln Park Zoo bridge). I added Tengucho paper dipped in wax to create cloud texture, used R&F oil sticks, and Kama dry pigments (copper, graphite, and rouge). 

It was the first time I worked with an oil based paint on paper, it felt like I was side tracked from my original plan, but the process was fun and I finally got to use some of the really cool supplies I bought at the encaustic conference in June.

The first weekend in August I will be at the last outdoor festival I signed up to participate in this season and my motivation has been to have new, city-inspired work. I managed to complete this smaller painting of the Willis Tower, 18" x 6" on cradled panel a few weeks ago, and it is an extension of my Navy Pier painting, the two pieces coordinate and can hang together.

In between the transfer work, I am also working with monotypes. The process lends itself to working abstractly, but I am feeling more of a connection to watercolor washes and hope to create prints with the subtle feel of landscape. I am bouncing back and forth, but I am determined to find a way to connect the dots between these two styles.

A few more monotypes -

Mountain Stream, 16" x 22" on mulberry paper

Both of these are 12" x 18" on kozo (sumi-e) paper. Sand comes to mind, and the beach...

Full Circle

"Kinzie Street Bridge"

18" x 24" 

encaustic mixed media on panel

I completed the painting above several weeks ago. It is part of my series of Chicago locations that continue to inspire me since moving back to the city. Where ever I go, I take photographs, transfer images, and paint them into wax medium, but something new has started to take hold of my creative juices.... encaustic monotypes.

"Pastoral"

8" x 8" 

encaustic monotype on paper

"Pastoral"

ghost print

"Sand"

8" x 8"

my first encaustic monotype on paper

ENCAUSTIC MONOTYPES

I attended the encaustic conference the beginning of June and it's taken me about a month to process what I learned. I had to purchase an anodized aluminum plate (with a larger one on the way) and for the first time in my life I have started making one of a kind prints using wax. I decided to add these new works to my website and included a description of the process -

Encaustic monotypes are created with an anodized aluminum plate. The wax is applied on a hot plate in order to transfer the wax image onto paper. A monotype is one of a kind, a unique piece of artwork. It is the simplest form of printmaking, requiring only pigments, a surface on which to apply them, paper and some form of press.

The printing process is quick and spontaneous, plus it requires advanced planning. In many ways, it reminds me of watercolor painting and some of my first prints feel like watercolor washes to me. It's funny that years later I am back full circle painting and using new techniques connecting with the same old basic principles of watercolor. Composition, color, and translucency. 

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.

Crazy Month

I used to check my blog daily, was really good about keeping up with others, but a month has passed and I am just now finding time to blog. I think other social media sites (Facebook, twitter, instagram, linked in, pinterest, vine, to name a few) have made the blogspot network less of a focus for many of us, or maybe it's just me not finding the time to write a more in depth summary of my art life and news. Regardless, a lot has happened in the past month and I would like to share.

The first week in June I attended the Encaustic Conference in Provincetown, MA. It had been 4 years since I had been to the conference and I was ready to absorb and learn new things (the best teachers continue to also be some of the best students, in my opinion), and this conference is a mecca for all things encaustic. There was a vendor room with everything your encaustic mind could fathom, all day events, demonstrations and talks, intense 3 days of artistic sharing, educating, inspiration, and networking. A highlight for me was watching demonstrations using a HOTBOX™ as a palette instead of an electric griddle; I am now inspired to work with encaustic on paper rather than on board. I interviewed Pat Spainhour for the FusedChicago blog, she demonstrated scroll works, painting on the hotbox, and talked about incorporating Asian sumi-e influences in her work; you can read my interview here. After watching Paula Roland demonstrate various monoprint techniques using her trademark HOTBOX, I decided to purchase one for my continued exploration and self-education of encaustic painting.

The last day of the conference I participated in the hotel fair and as a result, a new gallery (28 & Bank Studio) opening in Harwich Port, MA (Cape Cod) end of the week will have an assortment of my small encaustic mixed media works for sale. 

The month of July will be the perfect opportunity to play with new ideas. Having just completed my 2nd outdoor art festival weekend, I will now have time to develop some works on paper before my 3rd art festival weekend August 2-3 at the Lakeshore Arts Festival in Evanston, IL. I also added lots of small works to my Etsy shop, and with the monoprint process consuming all of my creative energy I look forward to sharing a new direction in the coming weeks.

Booth Shot from Art in the Village this past weekend -

Chicago is Home

Chicago Skyline, view from Larrabee Street

4 x 8 

mixed media on 300 lb paper

It's almost my one year anniversary since moving back to Chicago after 25 years of living in New England and I have been asking myself why I am so inspired by the city, its buildings, and people. I find comfort in the Gothic architecture, the Greystones and Brownstones, the grid-like flow of traffic, the Lakefront, the local hangouts and especially this time of year, the outdoor cafes. My childhood memories are all rooted in this city, my grandparents lived off of Lake Shore Drive, and every time I drive past where they lived it reminds me of how happy my childhood was. I never realized how much I missed this place until I moved back. Now that I live here it's as if I can't get enough and everywhere I go I see something new that I want to translate into art. 

City Dogs

7.5 x 11 

mixed media on 300 lb paper

Luxe Cafe

2.5 x 3.5 

mixed media on board

Greystone on Pine Grove

4 x 6

mixed media on 300 lb paper

Tulips along the Drive

3.5 x 2.5 

mixed media on board

And my newest discovery - Kozo mulberry paper for transferring photos. The effect is almost blurry, and there is a an ethereal feeling after fusing into the wax medium. I am going to look into finding a printer that can handle much larger Kozo paper.

Chicago Skyline 2, view from Diversey Harbor

4 x 6 

mixed media on Kozo

These new works will be going to the Encaustic Conference in Provincetown two weeks from today. I am participating in the hotel fair and hope to fit about 15 total into my suitcase.