Results of Encaustic Class on March 6, 2008

Hello everyone. You don't have to bring anything you didn't have last week - just bring the panels with canvas attached and all your normal paraphernalia.

Here are the photos from last week. Are the first three mystery photos of your work Bill?

Bill?
Bill?
Bill?
Alix "xox wide"
Alix "xox"
Bill "Melange"
Caron "Fido"
Kristine "The Path"
Jane "Orbits"
Kristine "A Door"
Alix "Fenced"
Alix "Dots"
Alix "Grid Scribble"

The End

encaustic work from last, info for next

About the next class - we are on the correct schedule. The schedule we looked at in class last week was the first one, not the corrected one :-)

So, for March 6th -
- bring pieces of plexiglas to paint on. It doesn't matter if they're scratched.
I'll bring mylar to do monoprints or paint on.
- bring an unwaxed panel. We're going to glue canvas to this. It may be cradled or not
- bring 12 or 16 oz. canvas (heavy) big enough to cover the panel. You may want the canvas to go around the sides of the panel and onto the back or you may just want to cut the canvas and glue it to the front only - your choice.

We'll glue (PVA or the gel medium from Chris's list) the canvas on the panel so it will be ready to paint the following week. You may do more than one if you wish.

Feel free to email me with questions.

Here are the images from last week.

Kristine - Redux

Alix - Bug

Alix - Butterfly

Alix - Heart

Alix - Dots

recent work

Hello Alix, Jane, Caron, Bill and Kristine. Here is some recent work of yours. I missed these when I left early. Bill took the photos and passed them on to me. Some of them are attributed to "from Bill" then a number. Email or comment to let me know whose are whose (using the number) and I'll attach the correct name to the photo. Nice work :-)

I'll try to get Bill's pictures of work going on in class up tonight. I'm going to put it on my website and link it from here. I'm not going to edit much because I don't know which will be helpful.

Caron

Kristine

Kristine

Bill

Jane

Alix

Bill

Caron

Jane

Caron

Painting the encaustic way

This is a photographic, informational and communication blog for Encaustic Painting at the Birmingham/Bloomfield Art Center in Birmingham, Michigan, January 2008.

So, hello Alix, Kristine, Bill, Jane and Caron. I'm thinking of this as a way we can communicate. You can also email or call me. I'll check it once or twice a day and respond to any questions. Anyone of you (or anyone at all) can respond also.

Some notes about making medium -
- it will take about 4 hours
-set the electric skillet to warm or lowest setting
- put in the Damar crystals in a 1:8 ratio - Damar:beeswax - the 4 ounces of Damar to the 2 bricks of beeswax
- put the beeswax in on top of the Damar
- put the lid on, slightly ajar, and let it melt.
Check it now and then to see how it's coming. Pay attention to the odor. It should smell like beeswax. If it smells obnoxious, turn it off.
After awhile - maybe 3 hours - the wax will be melted but the Damar may still be tarry. You can stir it around to spread out the Damar or just put the lid back on and wait longer.
If you have to interrupt this process, no problem. Turn it off then back on later.

What to bring next Thursday, the 17th besides your normal encaustic bits:
- your panel to paint white. It will have your print or painting or blank paper applied to it the following week.
- your panel you painted yesterday. You may scrape the wax off and experiment again or continue with what you have begun.
- either your encaustic medium already melted and formed or your beeswax and Damar crystals and a container to melt the wax in
- torch
- pigments in oil paint, dry pigments or encaustic stick or the other forms we mentioned
- paper for monoprints. I would suggest about 25 sheets of some inexpensive paper. I'll bring some mylar and examples of my monoprints on mylar. There are examples of a few of these on my regular blog, Bonzo Chronicles about half way down the page.

Check this blog closer to next Thursday. I may add more to your "bring" list.