undersea no more

                                             today I put a figure in my undersea painting-

                                             now it's sky- not water.  

                                              If you want to change what you've done to your

                                              painting it's easy, just scrape that layer off.  and 

      redo.  also she got some clothes.
     In order to draw lines you incise them into a 

     layer of clear encaustic.  Then with a brush you

     force pigmented wax into the incisions.  You 

     then scrape the extra color off, revealing your 

     line.  It is an extremely satisfying process despite

     the fact that it takes several steps.
             I use a clay tool to scrape my wax evenly

     being careful not to dig too deep.

is 8 enough?

Here is another one I am working on.  The background was created the same way as in the undersea piece.  I am working on defining the people's faces and bodies now.  This painting needs another element but I don't know what.

This is the beginning of an encaustic piece.  I got this effect by pouring hot encaustic paint on the surface and then manipulating it with a heat gun.  The result is a smooth finish.  And a lot of depth because I put some clear encaustic in with the pigmented paints as well.

What will happen next with this painting?  I'm not sure yet.

This is what my encaustic paint looks like before it is heated up.  To make paint, pigment is combined with beeswax as well as a little damar resin which gives it a higher melting point.  It also makes it less likely to be scratched.  They smell like honey!

Hello and welcome to my blog.  I plan to use the space to post photos of works in progress, so people can see how I form my paintings.  I also will be able to post photos to explain some of the techniques I use in my art.  This is my encaustic palette which I use to heat my encaustic paint.  The paint is made with beeswax which becomes liquid when heated.  The metal dishes are each separate colors.  The paintbrushes must also be heated because the wax dries in them as they cool and causes them to become solid.  Once I use a brush for encaustics, it can't be used for anything else.  I heat the paints to about 215 degrees.