Gray Day

"Gray Day"

Image size 24" x 36"

Encaustic

I love the beach on an overcast day.  There is something very soothing about the lack of color and a misty sky.  This is my second painting using tones of gray in a wave painting.  This photo shows much more contrast than I see in the actual painting, but in looking at this, I might put a few layers of clear medium to diffuse the colors more.

Dawn

"Dawn"

Image size 12" x 12"

Encaustic

I was trying for an ethereal feeling in this painting.  I love these muted, soft colors even though I usually am attracted to bright colors.  These are very soothing and I like that.

Chile

"Chile"

Image size 36" x 43"

Encaustic

I finally finished the large encaustic that I've been working on for over a month.  This is the most difficult encaustic that I've painted so far.  I had trouble keeping the distinct edges of the railings each time I fused a layer of wax.  The wax on either side of the railings would also become molten and move, destroying my edges.  I did a lot of cursing on this one, that's for sure, but I'm happy with the finished painting.

This was a commission painted from my client's photo.  He was recently on a trip to Chile and snapped the reference photo on his iphone.  I love the photo and was really excited to try to capture the feeling of light hitting that back area on the path.  The right lower corner of this painting is darker than it appears in this photo because there is light coming in through a window on that side.  Since encaustic paintings are shiny it is really hard to get an accurate photo of them.  

Gravity

"Gravity"

Image size 5" x 7"

Encaustic, shellac burn

I'm still working on that large encaustic so this week's painting is another small study.  I could probably call the large encaustic finished - my friends that have seen it say it's done, but it is a commission and I want it to be perfect.  I will definitely finish it this week.  I'm just noodling the details at this point.

Fishies

"Fishies"

Image size 6" diameter

Watercolor

I've been working on a large encaustic, so I just painted a small study for this week's painting.  I've had this handmade piece of watercolor paper for several years and thought it would be fun to use as a support.  I didn't test it, but I am pretty sure that it doesn't have any sizing, so I put a coat of fiber paste on it to give it an interesting texture and to seal it.   The fiber paste that I used is an acrylic medium made by Golden Paint Company.  I'm a big fan of that company's products and they have a wonderful website full of information.  They have a series of videos on their site and they also employ artists that demonstrate their products around the country.  Along with their acrylic paints and mediums, they also make Qor watercolors (which I love) and oil paints (which I've never tried). 

This is a very cool thing on their website.  It's a virtual paint mixing guide.  You can click on colors, add varying amounts and see what the mixture will look like.  

I know it sounds like work for Golden, but I am just really impressed by their products and how supportive they are.