Encaustic Journey

Red and Black 1

6x6 Encaustic

Always eager to experiment with new art mediums, encaustic painting is a method with which I had no experience until recently. The ethereal sense that the process produces has long intrigued me, so I finally did some research, bought some supplies, and jumped in. Encaustic is a classic form of art that uses bee's wax and heat to produce a design.  Above is one of my first paintings using the process. I am delighted to report that it was fun and not nearly as difficult as I imagined. I'm sure I will continue to play with the process. Below are two more compositions from my exploration. I hope you like them.

Red and Black 2

6x6 Encaustic

Red and Black 3

6x6 Encaustic

Paint and Paper

Golden Marks No. 2

6x6 Mixed Media on Paper
Original For Sale

This past week I've been playing with some mixed media, acrylic paint, ink, and pencils. My surface is usually canvas, but I worked on paper this time, namely a 246 lb. archival acrylic paper. The focus was on making different kinds of marks, layering texture, and composition. You can view the entire series here.

After I was finished, it was fun to play with adding different types of matting and framing. My vision is a wall of these little abstract designs. Now, I just need a big blank wall. 

 Golden Marks No. 5

6x6 Mixed Media on Paper

Golden Marks No. 01

6x6 Mixed Media on Paper

Wild Grass

Last week I returned from a road trip along the West Coast from Washington State to Southern California and back again. It was a beautiful time to travel by car. Springtime was showing its face everywhere. The paintings above were inspired by the beautiful grasses that emerged on the landscape in Northern California and Southern Oregon. From the window of my car, the wild grasses provided color and abstraction that entertained me for miles. As soon as I got home I began working on this series based on those beautiful patches of wild grass. The paintings are abstract in both color and design, but I feel like they effectively capture the atmosphere provided by those lovely wild grasses. You can see more of this series here.