A Cast of Characters

I spent most of today painting these clay characters that were created in the last couple of weeks. They took forever to dry in the damp weather. But today they are in the "cooker" slowly being fired. There are many more pieces firing as I loaded the shelves, and I hope nothing explodes! If all goes well, they will go through one more glaze firing before they are truly complete and ready for assembly.

The Class

Beeswax blocks.

As mentioned, I went to Mendocino to take an encaustic painting class from Cynthia Schildhauer. There were five of us brave souls ready to jump into the waxy world of beeswax and accompanying mediums, colors and a plethora of collage materials. It was a wild ride for me as I was gently pushed away from my familiar comfort zone of the narrative imagery to the less comfortable area of non-representational art. 

This concept was challenging and sometimes I resisted it. Upon reflection, I am looking forward to moving forward with this medium and interpreting it in my own way. Anything goes and will go when I get going!

Mendocino, CA

Hi everyone. I'm just back from a 3 day class at the Mendocino Art Center located along the coast here in Northern California. I am adding these photos to share my experience of the local venue along with details of the encaustic painting class that was the impetus for my heading there. The weather was a mix of pounding rain, hail, wind and finally on the last day, billowing clouds and sun.

Along the way, new friends were found. New experiences unfolded. Inspirations all around....

And time for some reflection.





Photo Credit: A. Sprague

These tiny flower pots were made from terracotta clay last year. They now live in upstate NY.  I used a press molding technique and a tranquil, sage colored glaze. Their simplicity and size appeal to me. Waiting quietly to be filled with new beginnings this Spring.

Waiting To Be Born



Clay wall sculptures in progress.

 I spent most of today with my hands in wet clay. It was a great feeling. Sometimes I wonder if I will give it up someday in lieu of something that takes up less space and needs less equipment. But when I have a day like today, where everything is moving along effortlessly and the time passes at the speed of light, I am reminded of how much I like this medium.  

These pieces are just in their humble beginnings. There is much left to do with them. After they dry out considerably I have to paint them and fire them in the kiln. This is a long and tricky process. Sometimes it is a happy surprise and sometimes it is a big devastation. Especially if a piece explodes in the firing. I form an attachment to my work, after handling it for so long. I want them to be born, joyfully and perfect.

Emerging

Just like the emerging spring that is upon us, my creative spirit is preparing for its grand debut.

Show & Tell

I was very excited to stumble on this dvd: COLLAGE:  Paper, Patterns & Glazing with Anne Bagby.

After viewing it a couple of times I was excited about making my own collage papers. This is a dvd that is a mix of fine arts and craft. It is apparent that Anne Bagby has a fine art background, but has used contemporary materials to create her own look that is unique unto her. I have been exploring more methods lately and working in a frenzy of directions. I hope to incorporate some of these new learned techniques in my own work.

Doodle Encaustic Painting



I have been experimenting with encaustics and here is a tiny doodle painting that I created. It is a mere 1" x 4" and contains mixed media elements including: watercolor, ink, oil pastel and wax. I wanted to see how far I could go with all these mixed elements. It was fun to build up layers of wax and add some hand colored details.