I think encaustics are my favorite medium. While it’s possible to create all kinds of fantasy landscapes in wax, it’s so much more fun to just see what sort of images emerge.
There are a number of different techniques for creating encaustic paintings. I have a couple of friends who embed paper collages in plain beeswax. I’ve done this… it’s a bit detail-oriented, but that beeswax smells so good! I know other folks who use brushes to lay down layer after layer of colored wax on wood. Done that too… it’s fun, it takes a while, but the results are amazing. In fact, one of my favorite pieces (a 24″ x 24″ piece on plywood called Twelfth Night) was done that way. (By the way, that one isn’t for sale and isn’t likely to be.)
But my absolute favorite encaustic method is the use of a small craft iron to “paint” with wax on glossy cardstock. Granted, I’m kind of limited to the size of painting I can create, but… oh boy! The things serendipity has produced with this method!
I love doing art and craft shows and watching people trying to figure out how I’ve done some of the paintings. Some people think they’re photographs. (Yes, indeed. Photographs of alien planets. I make a point to take a trip to Risa at least twice a year!) And when I explain that I painted them with wax, the universal response has been, “No way!”
Yes way! I melt my wax (the best is made by the excellent folks at R&F Paints in Kingston, NY) on my little iron, then smear it around on the cardstock. It’s all in the wrist. I wiggle, I tap, I smear some more. I keep playing until I get that “ah ha!” moment. After that, it’s just a matter of discovering the painting’s title.
But that’s a story for another day.
Rainbow Trout © Kelly Naylor 2007
there is SO MUCH going on it that painting….and what an interesting medium…WOW Miss Kelly…WOW!!!
Ditto on the “WOW”! Love the vibrancy of the work and the blog.
I will definitely visit again.:D
Blessings,
~~Life
Amy, Life… Thanks! It’s so cool to see which paintings knock people’s socks off. I should probably get around to matting this one and seeing if the shoppers on Etsy are as excited as you.
I *would* consider putting this one on Etsy – it is a striking work and I spent some time clicking on it trying to make the image bigger! 🙂
What an interesting process you just described! and awesome results too.
This painting is wonderful, simply glorious~ And you know I never thought about the way beeswax smells?
Great job~
I’m glad I joined Entrecard, because I have found such interesting blogs and talented people, like you~
Have a nice day~
Ann
A Nice Place In The Sun
@Ken… Ok, you convinced me! LOL It will probably have to wait until my class is over next month and I can get a new, less wonky scanner.
@JMom… Thanks! It’s an awful lot of fun. And messy… there are pigment stains from the wax that will never come out of my work table.
@Ann… I’m glad you stopped by! Yeah, I like to get all my senses (ok, maybe not so much taste) involved in my art. Sometimes, after having done an acrylic session, certain people will ask, “What? Were you finger painting??” Um, well, yeah. 🙂 Especially with the Liquitex hard body acrylics… slickery!
It’s *NEAT* (and I don’t get into abstract much). I think you should change your EC card to that one.
LOL! I kind of like being the “what the heck is that?” widget. I’m not sure how I’d feel about people calling me The Fish… even if it is a way cool fish.
Very cool painting, and leave your widget just the way it is… mine is still the “standard issue” and I need to change it!
ummmm, would I be in trouble if I said I really can’t see the trout part of this painting? The rainbow part is there, and it looks shimmery, but I can’t actually see a fish (and you don’t need to tell Acadia it’s a fish anyway).
@elle… a widget with a little cartoon boy with tattoos? (Oooh, and I requested friendship on Shelfari… isn’t that place just excellent??!)
@Ana… hee hee I get that a lot, actually. People looking at my stuff and going “HUH??!” Or, in the case of an ex-coworker, they’ll see something totally different than what I see. I love it! And I’d eventually have to tell Acadia. I had to tell him my current widget was feathers, yes? Though he demonstrated the same reaction as my ex-coworker with the universe on fire concept… which is a pretty cool interpretation, too.
Am enjoying having discovered your blog. Like Ken, I also wish the images could click open larger. 🙂 Very nice work.
Mark’s last blog post..Monochrome Birds and Lightroom Presets
Mark… Thanks! I guess my next task will be to get larger images for folks to see. Sadly, with the Trout here, I’m going to have to rescan because I was in too much of a hurry when I scanned it the first time (months ago) and had the resolution too low. Rats. But it will give me something to do after finals!