Fan-Girl (Encaustic Fans)
Category Archives: inspiration
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.
Intertwined
I was lucky enough to spend the day with my dear friend and fellow artist, Penny Santy. It was a lovely day for a drive to Little Falls, New York where Penny’s art show, Intertwined, is currently on exhibition at the Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts (MVCA), 410 Canal Place, Little Falls, New York 13365.
Penny gave a talk today explaining her process and the emotion that defines her work. It is to do with motion – in winds, in ocean currents and in the way people must physically move, working together to attain goals, helping each other rise up the emotional ladder too, all while intertwining with nature.
Ghostly figures emerge from the abstracted canvases, which are inspired by her personal life, one of beach water sports, travel and enjoying time with family and friends. In addition, she infuses a tribute to Native American mores and interprets favorite poetry stanzas then titles these oil paintings accordingly.
There are seventeen paintings in the show. Several are still available for sale. You can view this exhibition through November 14, 2025. See the MVCA website for the deets including hours of operation.
God Speed & God Bless
Although these sculptures in the Robineau Memorial Gallery (at the Everson Museum of Art, 401 Harrison Street, Syracuse, New York 13202) have the ability to move and create sound, there is a big sign at the entrance that tells us to not touch them because eventually, a docent/museum person will demonstrate them. This did not happen on Sunday when there was one person at the desk, one person wanting to wax juxtapostion-laden sentences about the supposedly social justice paintings in the basement and another who stood adjacent to the skateboarding tragedy that has infiltrated three upstairs galleries in addition to glorifying its trespass of the outdoor courtyard. No security guards and nobody in the viewing room of the text driven CNY initiative artist.
Still, I was drawn to the magnificence of the woodwork and spiritual infusion of it that constitutes D. Lee DuSell’s sculptures. He died last year – three of these pieces had previously been displayed here in 1980. They are part of a series he’d initiated in the 1970s when a spiritual calling allowed divine inspiration. Christian symbolism and church iconography coalesced as part of the landscape of his artwork. There are angels and the sounds of pipe organs, the idea of pulpits and of course, the large scale that acknowledges his deep faith.
In addition, he had harvested the wood on his own land, which creates a bond with the natural world and he’d incorporated the love of his family into each turn while also teaching at the university for thirty years, which grounds his work in a love of humanity, as well.
The show is called Benediction, as it relays a sort of swan song, a “spiritual ending” to quote the text, to his quiet strength and its innovative tenacity.
I was able to realign my source energy in this room after the other exhibitions provoked me so negatively. I highly recommend a visit to see Benediction at the Everson. It is on view through August 31, 2025.
This Sunday there will be a City Market event on the grounds complete with food trucks, music and artisans peddling their wares. The museum will be open with a pay-what-you-will sliding scale, that is, if you are not yet a member (members are free).
Guidance
Finding hearts on the trails at Green Lakes State Park gives me a feeling of clarity, guiding me to everything my heart desires. That is when I know I am in alignment with my source energy. Call it god or the universe, or whatever you like. Love is always the answer, no matter the question. #gratitude #blessed #lifeisgood
