I appreciate everyone who attended the art talk/reception I had for Fan-Girl on Tuesday evening at the Fayetteville Free Library. Thank you! The exhibition continues until July 31, 2025.
It’s supposed to rain tomorrow – a perfect day to spend lounging on Stickley furniture in this beautiful library!
Today was about working on the rest of the paintings in the fan series. Three dozen are completed and framed and these are the other three dozen.
The way I work – I layer the hardboards with wax then trace the fan stencils to them. I created the stencils. I was only going to make sixty paintings but I really loved all three of these designs equally.
I’d already added origami papers to some of them. Today I painted first passes of color on all of them. Tomorrow I will re-carve the designs, clean them up and start giving each painting individual attention.
They are encaustic – a combination of oil paint and beeswax. Eventually, I will add mixed-media items to some of them as needed. I love the process of creation. I was so focused today. Locked in. <3
During the summer, I added two dozen paintings to the series called Sensu, fan paintings I’d created in 2019. They are encaustic & collage.
Last week, I bought new frames for the Sensu paintings and re-worked some of them, and I spent the past few days adding collage items to the new pieces and placing them all in frames.
Next up is to give them titles and upload the individual images here. And figure out where I can exhibit them all. There are thirty-six paintings, all 8″ x 8″.
In my head I heard “make sixty of them” – which would require me to buy twenty-four more canvases and twenty-four more frames, pull out the encaustic supplies and find the time to do it (Chrtistmas break?) – postpone exhibiting them until next summer or whenever.
Do I need to make more though? When I feel like I have to do something rather than wanting to do it, it is not fun.
What is fun though – creation. So fun.
My encaustic paintings are currently on display at Kasai Ramen! They are part of a group show curated by Jamie Santos.
The group show is titled Natsu.
There will be an artist reception on Thursday, June 13, 2019 from 6 – 10 pm. Hope to see you there! Here is the link to the Facebook invite – facebook.com/events/66304848748843
These twelve paintings are from my Sensu series of encaustics, created last month ($250 each). They are 8″ x 8″ encaustic & collage pieces. On the back of each painting, I have instructions on how to care for these paintings. <3
Care Instructions for Encaustic Pieces –
Over time, dust and other particles in the air will collect on the surface of the painting and make a film that will look dull. Regular buffing in the first three months will help to keep the surface shiny and will bring out translucency in layers that are not currently visible. After three months, the surface of the encaustic painting will stabilize and won’t attract dust as readily. Any time the painting starts to look dull, it can be buffed with a very soft rag to increase the transparency and shine of the surface. Light dusting of the piece is all that is needed in the form of maintenance.
To make sure your piece lasts a long time, it should not be hung where it will experience below freezing temperatures or in direct sunlight coming through a window. Be aware of placing your piece near a powerful light bulb or any kind of lighting that produces a lot of heat (Christmas lights). Don’t leave your piece in a car on a hot day or near a fireplace. As long as your piece is kept in your house at a comfortable temperature, it should stay in perfect condition.
Because the wax is soft, it could be damaged if dropped or if a sharp or hard object is scraped over the surface. Fingerprints will also damage the surface over time, as the acid on our hands will etch itself into the wax. A quick wipe of the surface after everyone touches it will prevent this from happening.
If you ever need to pack or move, or ship your encaustic painting, make sure you wrap it in a piece of paper with a smooth surface before wrapping it in bubble wrap or anything that has a texture that could damage the surface.
Encaustic painting is very archival, resistant to moisture, fading from light exposure or yellowing from acid. In fact, encaustic painting is the most archival form of known painting. Your painting has the potential to last for hundreds of years if well cared for. I trust you will enjoy it!
