So now what?

So I've spent the last half a year creating as much encaustic art as I possibly could in preparartion for last weekends show...now what? I ponder this throughout my day of normal tasks. It seems I function more fluidly when I have an assignment so to speak. A goal to reach. A subject to keep me focused. Not to say I have blinders on and do not veer off my path but rather create with a prescribed theme, medium or concept leaving plenty of room for the unexpected burst of inspiration. I have responsibilities that require creative organization, that are much less demanding at this point in time, leaving me with a void in productiveness. There was no question of what to do with myself in the past few months. That is the chunk of time I now am pondering, wandering & soaking in.

My personal Vanna White & my messy studio

This mess is my tiny art studio. I created 54 encaustic works of art for the Audubon Wild Arts Festival last weekend sitting in that single spot on my chaise next to he electric skillet of wax, over the last five months. I organized a pivot like space so I wouldn't have to climb through the tangle of wires (1920's house). No sense in cleaning anything up. That made it soooo much easier to return to the work at any given moment. I now have to clean it up for I need the space for my mixed media acrylic collage work. For me, having a few mediums to work with keeps the boredom at bay.

With thanks given to my friend Brenda for the idea of using old doors for my booth walls I was able to affordably create my own little gallery space within the show of over 40 artists. I chose hollow core to keep them light, painted them black with the help of my 13yr. old Keaton and hinged them in small sets with my husband. A big YAHOO!! to the Gorge Rebuild-it Center [CLICK HERE] in Hood River, OR for having exactly what I needed at the budget I had to work with and the flexibility to accomodate my lack of immediate cash situation (cash or check only).

Encaustic art = encaustic sign. I love this medium!!!!!!!

I had a lot of help in preparing the details for this show. My friend Andrea (not pictured :( ) was my own personal Vanna White. She looked like a super model and rocked at organization & helping me with what ever I needed throughout the weekend.

I have so many wonderful friends and family who support me through my artistic ventures. Pictured here is Susie, me & Venka at the show. Truly a magnificent experience all around. I'm thankful for the opportunity to showcase my pieces that come from my imagination. I met incredible people who had questions and praise for my work. Many inquired how that could take a class from me. I'm flattered but not prepared to do so at this time. With returning full time to school my plate will be quite full. I do have a business plan in the works for opening an art studio here in Stevenson but have no idea when that idea will come to frutation.

Astounding Gasps of Wonder

Alright...here's a rather large chunk of art for my show this weekend. I'm comfortably prepared, taking things in stride and enjoying every step of the process. Could it be my age that has me so relaxed? Sure, I'll chalk it up to the wisdom of a life thus led. It's not a bad place to be. Here's some of my inspiration this week in getting to that space [CLICK HERE] and [HERE]. Clicking to enlarge the images will result in astounding gasps of wonder.

Some of this & some of that = layers of wax, wax etching, aluminum foiling & copy transfering.

Front & side. I think some of the sides could stand alone.

Tweet.

Front & side.

I shot this photo while hanging out my bedroom window last winter. The snow had made everything so quiet. It was created on a Romeo Y Julieta cigar box, 2.5" deep. This second photo shows one of the sides.

Little boxes...on the......walls all over the place

After each piece is complete it must cure. The encaustic medium is soft. I have been hanging them everywhere I can successfully pound a nail. They now cover the built in shelving that house books, art supplies, ceramic gifts from my children's art classes, old music cd's, dvd's & vhs tapes I can't part with that display favorite family interests from the late 80's. I have been mused by an eclectic mix of music throughout this process [CLICK HERE] and [HERE]. The entries to follow portray a peak into my recent process in preparing for the Audubon's Wild Arts Festival the weekend of Nov. 21 & 22 [CLICK HERE]

My encaustic alchemist palette. I sit in my art space in an upstairs dormer room of my home, fan blowing out the open window to keep the air clear. I can't begin the thought of cleaning up my space until this creation process is complete. When I commit to the time it takes to melt down the wax in my old electric skillet and flow into the creation process, I typically am able to complete five original works of art. This productive time seems to occur a few times each week. With the show date arriving November 20 & 21st, I am on a sturdy path to having a well stocked art booth for the weekend.

I have been recycling cigar boxes as some of my substrates. I appreciate the depth they bring to each piece as it hangs flush to the wall. I'm saving the lids for a future unknown project.

A sturdy cardboard box left over from a Costco run provides a trustworthy surface for working with the encaustic materials. It seems with each piece I complete the box gets coated in additional spuratic layers of strength.

Tools of my encaustic process domiate my computer desk. I still squeeze into the teeny spot where I can manouver my mouse and lift the palms of my hands to reach the keyboard better.