tiny object study-

{a two panel piece in progress}

H A P P Y  W E E K E N D

This too shall pass...

This Too Shall Pass

The dogs are disappointed by another day without a walk but it is just too crazy cold even with the sunshine.  It's just above zero here and I am adding layers even inside to keep warm and am looking forward to cooking up a big pot of soup for dinner.  Gathering around the table with tomato bisque and grilled cheese seem like the perfect way to warm up and catch up once everyone is collected from here and there.  Between now and then I am going to warm up some wax and work on a large submission and some smaller new work I have been slowly layering over the past few days.  The painting shown above rings so true right now as I work through these winter days.  It's not like I have a weight on my shoulders pressing me down but more like there are thoughts, ideas and a bit of a shadow lingering right over my head.  Thoughts are going through me as I process good and bad, color and form, subjects and text and it takes time to figure out how to move forward.  I tend to start lots of new work at this time of the year but as I start to express an idea and it shifts during the process of creation. The new work on my table is definitely more introspective and muted much like the winter landscape.  But, the sun is shining for the 2nd day in a row and the 1st day of spring is just around the corner.  So my plan is to embrace the brutal temps, feed my peeps hot nourishing food, snuggle with the dogs and ask their forgiveness and put my thoughts onto wood with wax and heat keeping in mind that this too shall pass.  Warm wishes for a cozy and creative rest of the week:)

Giving thanks....

Infinite Gratitude

A  nightly message to the universe.

{Happy Weekend}

Still Life

Float

21"x21"

Seven moves in 16 years with three children and pets in tow brought chaos to our lives in many forms.  This piece is a reflection on lessons learned under many moons about managing the ebb and flow of change and the power of being still.

Happy weekend :)

nine new new works...

emotional block no.30 (the sum of us)::wee happy home::to be in love

wild hare No.6::two heads are better than one::emotional block No.29(blossom)

here comes the sun::domesticity::intuit

Just a quick post to share a few small pieces (and one larger piece 'domesticity')I finished up this week.  I spent much of January and early February working on larger pieces which I love but find a bit tricky.  The wee paintings are my sweet spot.  They allow me to convey ideas, color and emotion on a very human scale.  You can hold them in your hand and these wee blocks can be handled and easily managed and tucked into daily life.  The larger pieces are messier, harder to handle, they take longer to figure out.  The little stuff keeps us going and the big stuff can be hard.  But it takes a mix of both to complete the big picture, right?  One doesn't seem as good without the other.  I certainly have a mix of big and small stuff going on right now and as usual once I step back and look at it, my work reflects that.  Well, that a whole bunch of rambling I wasn't intending to do so I guess I better wrap it up.

{stay warm and enjoy the small stuff}

Morsels...

I made this for dinner tonight and while it is not the best picture with my slightly overdone over easy egg, I will say it is one of the best things I've eaten in awhile.  It was so good I felt it worthy of an evening post just in case you were wondering what to throw together for dinner tonight (or lunch or breakfast any old day).  It is super easy and I have to tell you I made it easier by skipping the chili oil drizzle and just topped my dish with crushed red pepper flakes and hot sauce.  The eggs held enough of the olive oil that I didn't need any extra.  And while I'm throwing out food loves I wanted to share Amanda's popcorn (minus the dill) which I made for old home movie night last weekend.  It is so super delicious and I used to make it as after school snack once or twice a month.  After much too long a break it is back in rotation by popular demand.  I have some new small work to share tomorrow, a few big pieces close to completion and I have a few pieces I ended up scraping this week :(.  It's been an interesting week and for some reason tomorrow feels like Friday.  Oh well, time to get a bit more work done while the kids finish up homework.  Hope all is well and I'll see you back here soon.

Landscape monotypes (a love story)...

as far as the eye can see

silent commotion

field of vision

I am in love with these landscapes and the quiet stories they tell.  The process of creating them on the hotbox is almost meditative and allows for a very open ended process.  The hot box is a heated palette you can paint on with colored encaustic blocks to create an image. The colored wax shimmers on the metal plate while you add one color after another creating your image.  These monotypes were created in one pull but you could clean your plate and create a 2nd, 3rd or 4th layer to your piece.  To transfer the wax from the metal plate to the paper I carefully place a piece of Hosho paper onto the melted wax and press gently but firmly without moving the paper.  The the paper is careful lifted and set aside to dry.  I used a bookbinding paste to mount each monotype to a 2" wood block (cut to size) and overpainted areas using encaustic paint sticks. After heat setting that layer, I set the piece aside to dry. Next, I brushed three layers of clear medium over the image (heat setting between each layer), applied black paint stick to pick up the texture of the wax and did a small bit of image transfer.  Each step in this process added depth to the landscapes and as I added layers they revealed meaning.  So happy to finally be able to share these and to wish you a lovely weekend.