EncaustiCamp Day 1: A Smashing Success

My first day at EncaustiCamp 2012 was a full day with Jess Greene and her new class "Bare Soul in Wax: Exploring 2-1/2 D". I read the course description and thought to myself...."can I really find it in myself to smash into a painting, midstream?"....I don't know about this!

Jess started the morning off with a discussion about her research into methods of art therapy. She made it very clear that she has no training as an art therapist, but finds the topic very interesting. We then spent a few minutes working through a guided writing exercise, which helped clear our minds for the coming project.

Working on 10"x10" cradled birch panels, we spent the remainder of the morning working with the wax: painting and building layers, adding collage elements, working with stencils, etc. Then, just before lunch Jess took us all outside with hammers and chisels and directed us to find a spot on our painting and smash into it! WOW!....that felt g-o-o-d! Gluing small jewelry boxes on the back of the birch panels, we left our paintings out to dry in the shade.

After lunch, we worked on filling our caverns with paper, wax and other found objects. I had spent the previous two days traveling down the Oregon coast and had collected some objects from nature (lichen, dried moss, and pine cones). I used these objects to tie the painting all together, incorporating them into the trauma site. The result was a wonderful release of emotions, and a reflection on the journey I had just taken....one of solitude in nature.

Sharing our paintings, in an informal circle bared our souls a little more. More than once, I was brought to tears by the stories shared by my fellow artists. Jess: thank you for a unique and wonderful experience, and for pushing my boundaries!

Live the dream:) Brenda

EncaustiCamp 2012 Begins!

It's Wednesday morning in Salem and I'm the first "off-campus" camper to arrive.....on purpose. I wanted to enjoy the campus before it started bustling with encaustic artists ready to throw themselves into the wax. It's 55 degrees now, but set to blossom to 90 by mid-afternoon. I got lucky with the air-conditioned classroom today (Jess Greene's class).



The drive is a winding, somewhat confusing drive through Salem, but well worth the effort. Driving through the Willamette Valley on the way to create art....wo could ask for more? Trish just tried to sneak upon me, but her footsteps through the lush green grass gave her away. She's beaming with excitement for the day to begin!



As we gathered last night to get our class schedules and get to know one another, we had a swarm of bees develop over our heads in one of the nearby trees.....did they sense our love for the beeswax? Coming to join the party, perhaps:)



Live the dream:) Brenda

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More Cats and Dogs, Plus a New Product Line

Firestorm (12"x12"), encaustic and mixed media painting

The cats and dogs continue to leap onto my encaustic boards! I found a vintage ledger book on Etsy, which replenished my source for creating these silhouettes indefinitely (there are more than 100 pages in this wonderful oversized book of handwritten pages!).

My managers have been admiring the new paintings that found their way to our doctors' office walls and have been dropping hints about their bare office. Monday morning, they will come in to work to find a pair of dogs to liven up their office. "The Offering" is a 9"x12" encaustic and mixed media piece that just begs someone to throw the ball. "Let's Play" is 16"x16" and invites anyone and everyone to take a break and have a little bit of fun.

"The Offering" (9"x12"), encaustic and mixed media painting

 With the abundance of cats and dogs, I decided to create a line of blank greeting cards. The Vintage Pet cards are 4"x6" and come in sets of 5. The envelopes include a sealing label that matches the image on each card. In addition to Vintage Pets, I also created Vintage SoMe Blank Greeting Cards. Whether you love or hate social media, you'll love the irony of these images, created with vintage papers and produced with the intent of communicating with friends and family the old-fashioned way----with a stamp! You can check the first two sets of greeting cards out on my website.

An added benefit of purchasing my pet encaustic artwork and greeting cards? Two percent of these sales are donated to pet rescue organizations! My next creation?.....stay tuned for Encaustic Angels!

Live the dream:)
Brenda

"Let's Play" (16"x16"), encaustic and mixed media painting