Evolution

This piece was made for the Dinosaur show at Two-Tone Gallery for the month of June. For some reason I had collected an amount of plastic dinosaurs and now I am glad that I did. :)

Very simple composition and technique. I wanted the dinos aligned from darkest/earth tones to bright neons. They are mounted on a piece of rusty metal that I saved from tearing my old grill apart a couple of weeks ago. I used a clear encaustic fill to hold them in place.

The title is stamped copper. And that's it; Evolution. 

Ety(ento)mology

Yes, that title is the name of the piece. Etymology is the study of words and their origins. Entomology is the study of insects. And as I mix those up frequently, I have created a piece that incorporates them both. Each section has an illustration of an insect that represents something in various cultures.

The first section has a moth which is a symbol of knowledge within the Yaqui Indians tribe of Mexico. Because of that, the moth illustration gets the skull and Cogito, Latin for "The intellectual processes of the self or ego."

The middle section has an illustration of a ladybug. In some Chinese folklore, seeing a ladybug means that finding love is likely. So the ladybug gets the rib cage that would house a heart. It also gets Sentio, Latin for "to feel".

The last section is a bee, a common symbol of industry and hard work. The gets the hands and the Latin word for "to make"; Facio.

And that is Ety(ento)mology. A way too-complicated meaning behind a simple piece. 

Encaustic Incisions

This is how I created the white incised lines in my Sing & Sting pieces which was not my favorite to work with (but of course it's the one I used for all of these videos! >:( ) 

I'm using a sharp tool to cut lines into the wax. Then I'm using a paintbrush and white wax to fill them in. Last, I'm using a sculpture tool to scrape away the excess wax to reveal a crisp line. 

Encaustic Tutorial: Clear Wax Fills

I'm showing the process behind my Sing & Sting pieces, which are regrettably not my best craftsmanship (I mentioned how this was a weird batch of wax). You can view more and details at my YouTube Channel. Hopefully more to come, enjoy my first videos!

Step 1: Adding BackgroundVery fast and simple: glue desired background to wood. I'm using spray adhesive and handwritten text on 8"x8" masonite. You could paint on a background directly to the wood, but allow it to dry before you fill. Otherwise, you'll get "swirls" like those seen in my Tempus Fugit piece, which can also be nice.

Step 2: Adding a BorderSuper important! Make sure you have a durable border with no holes or gaps unless you love melted wax on everything. I'm using masking tape around the edge wrapped onto the back of the wood.

Step 3: Adding ItemsI added my item (a wasp nest) and poured in melted clear wax. You'll notice it is clear then turns opaque as it dries. I did not glue it down first. You may want to glue it in if you have especially delicate pieces that could move around. 

Forest Magic

This piece is a simple nature-themed assemblage in a small glass case. I kept with a yellow & brown color palette with natural tones. 

I added little "magic" touches like a "crystal ball" and a wand. Slightly fairy tale.

Sing & Sting

Today I created 2 pieces from found nature bits: a wasp nest and a bird's nest, Sing & Sting. 

The backgrounds of each are handwritten copies of Aesop's fables, The Bee and Jupiter and The Swallow and Other Birds. I placed the nests and did a clear fill around them. I also added some white scratches and splatters for variety. 

The wax batch I used for this was either old (can that even happen?) or not mixed well. It was very difficult to get it to do what I wanted and it kept cracking, making this "easy" project one that took almost all day. :/

Sing is also a submission for the challenge at Take a Word this week whose theme is "Feathered Friends".

Bombus

This is a simple piece using an old rusty tin circle, a fake bee, clear wax, and some shines embellishments. He is adorable. 

Lurking

This is a nautical work that I've been staring at for a couple of years. I was trying to add too many things and it wasn't working out. I finally got it finished because I concentrated on the background instead of the objects. I did an illustration of three sea creatures and kept the found objects minimal. 

I added a few objects and did a shallow wax fill. Very happy with this one. 

Grimm

this is a fairy tale themed assemblage. imagery is kind of predictable, but it's something i felt i needed to do. 8"x8".

who else is surprised....

that 2002 was 10 years ago? in 2002, i was 12 years old, in 7th grade, and redecorating my bedroom with dark browns and greens. part of that was these "lovely" green and brown velvet pillows. 

they stayed around for 10 years, in our first apartment, and the two houses we've been in. but now, i have realized how much i hate them. and now they are gone. 

today i stole their insides and made these super adorable new pillows. they are both made from a single piece of cloth from the dollar tree and my old pillows were free. i used a sharpie to draw the designs, brown thread, and spray fixative to make sure the designs wouldn't run. as an artist, i had all that available, so the total cost of these pillows was $1!

the first is a simple wood grain design, kind of more graphic than realistic.

the second one is a tree pattern with N+B in a heart (nelson and beth).

and here is the whole new pillow family! i'm slowly on my way to a house full of new things i like. :)

**************SIDE NOTE****************
this is officially my 100th post!

organic shapes

inspired by my new love for minimalist, nature related things, i decided to sit down and paint...which is something i never do. i don't like getting out a bunch of stuff...but i am glad i did.

this was suppose to be (and i think it kind of still achieves this) be a graphic interpretation of wood grain. i wanted to use a color that was "just there", nothing too bold. and ta da! i am happy with it, i can't wait until i can get rid of my other stuff and head more in this direction with my decor.

humble beginnings:the magpie

this piece began as a bargain piece; a coffee relief picture. i took the coffee piece out to use the frame (the coffee may come up again later, who knows?). 

the nest is a leftover decoration from my wedding. i lightly sprayed it with silver spray paint and glitter. 

this piece is inspired by the magpie, a bird that collects shiny and fun things for its nest. i added some buttons (for eggs), a feather, tiny clock, a pin, a gear and a key on the inside.

the frame has a used paintbrush head (new favorite thing?) and a silver $1 Michael's key with a handwritten Home.

on the inside and the back, i used some of Tim's Tissue Tape to cover the blank areas, it fits into the color scheme pretty nicely.  

this piece has been in the mental works for a while, coming from an old sketch. it's so nice to see your ideas come to life. here is the original frame and sketch: