Encaustic Crowns
Category Archives: abstract
Blizz
It started snowing at 9:00 AM and now, at 5:00 PM we have already had what I think is eighteen inches of snow. It has been relentless, but, no biggie, because we all knew it was coming.
So happy that my art studio is in my house because I’ve been working all day. I added to the crown paintings – they are almost done.
Before I did that, I heated up the beeswax-filled crockpot then placed three coats of wax on 6″ x 8″ Ampersand hardboards and then traced the tree stencils onto them.
There are twenty-four boards and each will have a different tree design. They are fresh and modern, and fun! I’m excited. I am an avid hiker. I finally realized that trees should be an important part of my encaustic iconography. Today was the day!
In fact, I had a realization about my artwork that I will share with you soon. My series of crowns, horses, fans, bungalows, hearts, targets and now trees are all connected and I hope that they can all be shared together in one (or more) large gallery in the near future.
The overlap is a bit out of control focus-wise because, let’s face it, we are all attracted to the new thing, the latest thing. I don’t want to rush the conclusion of these crowns. I may have rushed adding collage materials today – I will allow the experience to digest and look at the work again with a fresh perspective later tonight or tomorrow.
I am loving my productivity though. I think I am an Existentialist and this is my purpose. A vocation rather than a business. I trust that the business and financial element will follow because I have already secured so many shows for 2026.
In that realm, next up is the Art Haus group show with a drop off in late February and the reception scheduled for Saturday, March 7, 2026 from 2:00 – 4:00 PM. I will be at the East Syracuse Free Library during May and June 2026, the Fayetteville Free Library in July 2026, the Hazard Branch Library in August 2026 and the drop off for another group exhibition in mid August at the Edgewood Gallery. That show will be up through October 3, 2026.
In the Haus
Penny Santy, Michelle Keib, John Paul Gardner, Robin Cortese and Karmin Schafer are the artists exhibiting in the new show at Art Haus (120 Walton Street, Syracuse, New York 13202). Marianna Raineri-Schwarzer has put together a lovely show for us to ponder – the exhibit is called Ponderance.
Penny Santy has been represented by Art Haus for the past year. If you want to buy something of hers, you must act fast. She sold two paintings at the reception yesterday and possibly more – I left before it was over. Penny is also a graphic artist.
Michelle Keib comes from a family of artists. Although she is self taught, she is quite proficient in her renderings and her line quality is exceptional.
John Paul Gardner is a trained artist/scupltor and art teacher from Utica, New York. His artwork here – paper collages that he plans to use as paper maquettes for future sculptures.
This is Robin Cortese’s first foray into sharing her paintings. She brought a slew of collectors (from her charitable fund raising volunteering) to the reception (and cookies!). I think she sold everything in her collection.
Texture is a big component in Karmin Shafer’s artwork. I did not see her at the reception so no photo. Hers were the curled birchwood pieces and some abstract text paintings.
The show and sale runs through February 21, 2026.
Art Talk: Lessons In Geometry
Today I visited The Everson Museum of Art (401 Harrison Street, Syracuse, New York 13202) for the Steffi Chappell-led art talk. It was a Lesson in Geometry.
As Director of Curatorial Affairs, Chappell curated this exhibition from the Everson archives. Currently, the museum’s finest collection of non-representational paintings and sculptures are housed in two of the upstairs galleries. Works from Sol Lewitt, Susan Roth, and many other American artists are on view through March 29, 2026. Some of the pieces are recent acquisitions.
When discussing geometric forms, we are talking about measured shapes. Drawing a circle free-hand is not geometry. These pieces utilized rulers, protractors, right triangles and compasses. Many were conceptualized to appear machine made with very smooth brushstrokes and precise edges (I mean – you can totally tell those artists used masking tape in order to eradicate the humanity – so that was a bit of an unsuccessful desire).
Steffi Chappell spoke of the historical significance of the abstract art movement in the United States specifically, and how it sort of separated into factions with Abstract Expressionism dominating after World War II. Geometric Abstraction sprouted from a need to break free of emotional trappings.
Even though many of these pieces were created when I was a child (kind of a long time ago), it was refreshing in that Star Trekkian way to do away with all the emotion and volatility of social justice art, mental illness art, low frequency vibes and the like, at least for the afternoon. This work, in essence, is art for art’s sake. It is about using the elements of art to establish the principles of art in a structured instead of intuitive way.
The result: the viewer responds to color, rhythm, line quality, etc. and appreciates its boldness in size or serenity in shape. Many artists experimented with canvas shape, new materials, and/or optical illusion.
It’s the kind of abstract art that kids will hesitate to say – I could do that – because the underlying geometric structures and measuring techniques were clearly time consuming, lol.
Lessons in Geometry traces the evolution of hard-edged abstraction in the United States as artists sought to use pure geometric forms to create works with balance, harmony, and order. For these artists, shape, line, and color took precedence over representational compositions. The Everson’s collection reflects the wildly varied ways that artists have used geometry to serve their personal expression, from the analytical formulations of Robert Swain to the shaped canvases of Harmony Hammond and the spatial illusions of Tony King.
Gamer: Lotus Series 2 Continued
This is the current state of affairs: my dining room table has been hijacked by the second wave of three dozen paintings in the lotus series, now called The Lotus Collection. I have added thistle and Japanese lillies to this group, although all flowers are abstracted.
In addition, I have incorporated my game devices, which I totally love. When I was on that Buffalo road trip with Penny, we chatted about verbalizing our visual language. I feel like that explanation should be the same spoken as it is written.
The thing with me though – I know what every brush stroke means. Every choice is deliberate, whether it is conscious or subconscious, and some of that is private, meant only for me. Jasper Johns never really shared his intentions and I love that bit of privacy.
However, this doesn’t sit well with the powers that be who offer art shows in their galleries. They want you to resonate with the masses and lately those masses are chronic malcontents. Complaining about everything in society. And misery loves company.
My paintings are flowers, but they are also autobiographical, and I’m a person who has climbed an emotional ladder. I finally found a belief system that sidesteps fears and all the shitty stuff. Seeing beauty in a colorful brush stroke or femininity in a ribbon, or familiarity in vintage game pieces – that is my art.
Meanwhile, just to be clear, these paintings are not finished. They are on the operating table, so to speak, waiting to be finessed. What I do at this stage is allow myself to walk away and then approach them with fresh eyes, discerning eyes, questioning whether the devices are enhancing the pieces or just covering painting mistakes. The artwork must work as a collective group but also stand alone.
I am also awaiting some supplies that I ordered: more ribbon, the apparatus to add wire to the frames. Can’t really move forward until I have all of the pieces to this puzzle.
Eternity & Infinity
According to artist Yayoi Kusama, the world is a circle – a polka dot blip in the universe. You’ve gotta love a person who sticks to a bit (or blip). She’s been cultivating ways (read installations) in which to incorporate her round motif for decades. Apparently, her obsession stems from childhood trauma – hallucinations containing an influx of dots in her surroundings.
One with Eternity: Yayoi Kusama is currently on view at The Buffalo AKG (formerly called the Albright-Knox Gallery), 1285 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, New York 14222.
There are three gallery spaces housing three different installations. The first contains an enormous polka dotted pumpkin sculpture. The second is a mirrored room filled with red and white amorphic shapes. These look to be of cotton fabric stuffed with poly fiberfill.
The third room is a sort of disco style light show thingy. You enter the room through a curtained opening and find yourself in a house of mirrors. She calls it a mirrored infinity room.
You must purchase tickets for the Yayoi Kusama exhibition in addition to a museum fee. There is a timed-entry feature because two of the rooms are small and require a more intimate experience. They only allow you forty-five seconds a turn.
We were able to have more time because there were less people in attendance. Even still, three minutes wasn’t a lot, especially when you travel over two hours to get there, lol.
There is still time to immerse yourself in polka dots. The show continues through March 2, 2026.
*from Google
Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese contemporary artist who works primarily in sculpture and installation. She is also active in painting, performance, video art, fashion, poetry, fiction, and other arts. Wikipedia
Thank you, Penny, for a fabulous adventure. So fun!
More Flowers In Progress
This is happening….
Thirty-six more paintings are currently in progress! I’ve created twelve more stencils, traced them onto the beeswax prepped hardboards and added the paper collage component to all of them. I introduced Monopoly money to this series. Using game pieces in my artwork is my favorite device.
Triplicates Finalized: The Lotus Series
I’ve been busy reworking some of these paintings. They are now complete and I am very pleased with them. I thought you might like to view these before and after pictures and see which paintings changed.
Next up, buying more 8″ x 10″ canvases (they are actually hardboards), as well as beeswax, encaustic cakes and possibly, frames. I feel like I should continue on this floral journey. New floral shapes are percolating.
Harvesting 2025
I spent the day selling artwork at this Harvest Festival at The Neat Whiskey Bar, 6706 E. Seneca Turnpike, Jamesville, New York 13078. The event included music, alcoholic beverages, food trucks and art. There were nine of us settled into a brand new event center.
Thank you to my fellow artists for a wonderful day (noon – 6:00 PM) and to all the amazing patrons. I enjoyed sharing my art with you.
I’ve got a couple of group exhibitions coming up. Stay tuned!
Edgewood in Color
Jim Ridlon, Tom Slocum and Rebecca Carr of Belle Pietre Designs are the artists featured in the latest exhibition at Edgewood Gallery, 216 Tecumseh Road, Syracuse, New York 13224. The show is titled Colorful Celebrations.
The art reception was Friday evening and by 8:00 PM many of the items had little red stickers on their tags indicating they’d been sold. The artwork is very reasonably priced with some of Ridlon and Slocum’s pieces going for $200 or less. The jewelry is cash and carry, as the small jewelry case can be replenished.
Jim Ridlon’s paintings dominate the space. It is amazing how prolific he is.
Tom Slocum’s resin infused wood sculptures are particularly interesting, whimsical and let’s face it – touchable. That resin looks like water and it is such a cool technique!
I wish there was more space for the jewelry. I’ll have to go back and revisit the pieces on a day when there are less people in the gallery.
Colorful Creations continues through November 14, 2025. The gallery and frame shop is open Tuesday – Friday 9:30 AM – 6:00 PM and Saturday 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
