This was my bed at Snow Farm. You had to bring your own linens so I just brought my sleeping bag. Heat came from a plug in heater. On the first night my roommate slept quietly, but on the second night she snored continually and made funny sounds which apparently came from sleep apnea. By one pm I couldnt bear it any longer, dragged my sleeping bag out into the rainy night and slept in my car. After this I will request a single room. But hey, it was an adventure.
Encaustics are painted on boards because the wax gets heavy and cracks if you paint on canvas. Debbie, the teacher, brought stacks of pre-cut boards for those of us who wanted to buy them from her. Her dear son cut them. The paints were provided in the lab fee. This one I ruined by trying to lay on a glaze, but i can scrape areas down and redo.
You scrape away layers of wax with a razor blade and other tools, kitchen tools, dental tools etc. This is incomplete.
Some of the others created lovely, smooth wax surfaces but try as I might mine always came out lumpy and bumpy.
This was a collage with a layer of clear wax over it. I have been doing wax collage for awhile at home so this was no sweat. I brought the collage materials with me.
This too is unfinished. My encaustic pictures all look like my regular paintings to me. I hoped to do something different and sophisticated but oh well. It was so fun to create with others around me. Many talented artists participated and two were there for the second time.The night of my arrival I had dinner with my friend L who lives near Snow Farm. I brought a quiche to share with her and saw the gorgeous house she built a few years ago. As I entered her house she said, "You are brave." I was touched she acknowledged this. I did feel brave somehow. All day thursday I was anxious and nervous as I drove to Williamsburg and left this little cocoon where I have been living. I felt brave too to drive the back roads to find L's house. Of course, we are all brave. Brave to do life and change and create and be steady and live.
31 comments:
Yes, Suki, we are all brave :-). Life requires it.Encaustic looks hard to me, I like what you did and like the portrait the best.
Hello Sweet Suki! I think some of us are more brave than others...you, my friend, are very much at the top of the bravery list!
I very much like your encaustic work. The one you say is not complete with the red, bits of turquoise and scratches near the bottom....I think is fantastic! I love it a lot. I find it a reminder that through the fog sprouts a lot of life!
I like them all...
Great Work, Suki!
I love learning new techniques and processes in art...and these look like lots of fun. The last one is your mom...or your mom in you, to my eyes.
the sleeping story made me smile and feel bad that you had to go sleep in your car. Wasn't there a couch in the main room you could have grabbed? Oy.
that was brave!!!
Annie, thanks. i dont know if it's hard or not really, as all art seems sort of hard to me.
Thanks Kim. And thanks for your comments on the paintings. One of the fun things about encaustic is that ability to scratch back through the layers as I did there (and there it worked--in other spots it didnt).
Lynn, you and many others thought i was nuts to run to my car. Yes, there was a couch in the main room but who knows why i went to my car which is a familiar space. Me and the peepers and the thunder and lightening. hmmm. I admit i could have handled it all better but i am not at my best at 1am.
I did tell, maybe overtold, the story of my mom and me now being "homeless." Tears came to my eyes and a certain shakiness at times. So maybe it is me/Mom that i painted.
Your work is looking good. I would have moved out of that room too. :) What did you tell the Gal when she work up and you were in your sleeping bag in the car. ?? :))
suki, i live right nearby and am not brave enough to go there and learn something new! i love looking at encaustic work, it's so tactile and has such depth to it. these are wonderful!
Oh, those shared sleeping rooms...we all have such stories!
I like your pieces very much especially the second one...loads of potential!
Life is hard and growing older is for the brave for sure but at the same time days can be sweet and perfect. I guess it is what we choose to focus on that makes the difference.
Beautiful work Suki. I actually like that yours are lumpy and bumpy. I think that kind of texture makes them more interesting!
You certainly have had a lot to process these past 12 months. No wonder you got teary-eyed. And I agree about your bravery.
Maybe I'll lighten up about myself regarding this move and consider myself brave as well :)
Wow great paintings, although I think you already know this technique a bit in your work with wax.......
But I think it is fun to improve your technique and work with others which are also art/minded!
The last one looks like you but also your mother.....intriguing!
Hahaha the sleeping adventure was great!
Nothing beats your own bed doesn't it.......
Have a nice day!
What an interesting workshop.....sometimes i think one is brave just to roll out of bed in the morning, since everyday is a mystery and unknown journey.
Very brave,,,I have to agree with Artist Unplugged!
The sleeping arrangement made me smile a bit, as it reminds me of slumber parties with my Sisters, and all the snoring.Never had to go to my car though.
I think all of the work you've shown has great potential,,,and I admire anyone who would tackle encaustic.That can't be easy.
Good for you, and for going alone. That in itself takes guts, I think!
Ooo...the bumpier the better! Neat waxy effect.
Don't you feel invigorated when you step out and do something brave and extraordinary?
Wow - you did encaustics! Oh I would have loved to be there, though not in a room with someone snoring. I love your bumpy bits whether they should be there or not. UK encaustic artists seem to work so very differently to those that practice in the USA; I prefer the USA methods. I think I am going to explore this medium - and Bridgette of 'Contemplating the Moon' has some very useful tips for beginners who cannot afford the equipment.
Hope you are well Suki - I've been away from reading blog postings for a while.
Cris, I apologized to her for leaving in the middle of the night. Then she tells me she has sleep apnea and even her hubby leaves when she does that odd sounds. Frankly I think she should request a single room due to her noisemaking.
m.heart, they do have some fun classes and i'd say at least stop in and walk around and see the sculptures and garden and rock piles and peek into the studios. I feared i'd feel intimidate around so many artists, but i felt okay about it.
Blue Sky thank you. It is true the focus matters. This was sure a great bunch of people too.
lolo, it is indeed brave to pack up all your belongings and traipse back across the entire country, saying goodbye to your friend. oh my. yes, you are a brave woman. onward!
Marianne, i was sooooo happy to get back to my own little bed and my kitties. I could never do a job like yours, flying to different places and sleeping in so many strange beds.
artist unplugged, i think that is so true. each day is an unknown.
Babs, i seem to have to do everything alone. that comes with not being patient enough to have a husband/partner or whatever i guess. though of course sometimes friends can come along on some of one's adventures.
willow, now that the tiredness is leaving a bit, i do feel invigorated and that's part of the reason i wanted to go. to spurt some newness and life force into myself.
anne, it is quite fun. i'll check out Bridgette's blog though i have looked at it before i know and like her artwork so much. i wonder what the difference is in the approach in the UK??
Climb bravely out of your comfort zone is a great gift to yourself.
I'm a fan of your lumpy and bumpy too! Beautiful texture and your colours are always so heartwarming.
suki - we don't get over 3 major people losses in a few months. And having the thought of moving looming over your head doesn't help with feeling secure. I think I would have bolted to my car also. Familiar in it's own way.
I've always wanted to try encaustic, but haven't had the chance. I would like to try a deep layered process -- now you know how to do it - take it to the next step. I like your encaustic paintings, they aren't the same as others, similar but not "the same".
your work looks great! meal times there were always one of my favorite parts of being there. do they still have a wonderful cook? they always had the best vegetarian meals....and i totally relate to the roommate dilemma. i had one great roommate but after a few similar situations to yours (one totally nuts, i swear!) i opted for the single room.....
Patti, thanks, yes i guess it is that...climbing out of my chair by the window overlooking pond which has haboured me for a number of months. Thanks for the reflections on my colors. interesting.
Mim thanks for your empathy. Sometimes i just think i'm an overly sensitive nutcase. encaustic is such fun....the only drawback is the supplies of paint and medium are expensive so whilst learning one spends a lot of money. later on perhaps i can sell a few and bring back in some dollars, i dont know. am also interested in 3D encaustic.
Mary, i forgot you had been to Snow Farm a few times. The meals were a mix of vegetarian and meat. a pure vegetarian would have some non-meat things to pick. I was glad for the meat protein as i am trying to gain ten pounds although i gained nothing even after eating all the pancakes and french toast and homemade breads etc. I definitely will opt for a single next time.
Hi Suki,
I read through your last two posts. You take more classes than anyone I know! That's so great. You are brave to try new materials, and meet new people. I like the bumpy texture of your landscapy one and your collage.
Hey, I'm like you... in that I'd bring my sleeping bag. But when it comes to a noisy snorer, I'd either find a couch or the floor.
Very kewl....encaustic is not only fun....very beautiful....and wabi s...is always the best....rusted metal!!!!!!...anyays..we live in the Rockie Mtns in Canada...and lots of energy around here...do you have any new poetry Suki?
suki! you;ve been at snow farm? that is three miles from me!
next time, if you tell me, i sneak in for lunch....
xo
Chewy, i think the car was just someplace familiar and actually with a bit more padding underneath would have been fine. I've slept on floors many times and they are okay too if carpeted.
KJ three miles, my gosh. okay next time i'll tell you im there if i go again that is.
Wayne, thanks for stopping by. no new poetry. thanks for asking. am very slow with everything right now. perhaps soon.
Suki....those lilacs!!!!!! My God, I'm breathless. I can smell them from here, honestly.
Thanks for stopping by today. I was hoping I had a soulcollage to use for Illo Friday because I've missed being a part of it. Not much time to do fresh art right now.
I love the image as well, but it really is profound how powerful these cards are. If I had pulled it in a reading I wonder if it would have indicated a move.
I'm glad you liked it.
~blessings~
Oooh lumpy and bumpy = texture and texture = beauty. These are wonderful Suki. What a delicious adventure into the unknown. Bravo to you for expanding your horizons.
You are brave and you inspire me to be brave, too.
lolo, i'd guess the cards would speak to whatever situation we are in at the time and/or possibly envision a future situation. since we make them ourselves from images we are attracted to the essence, which may vary in interpretation, comes from our inner vision. i am no longer going to cape cod for the month of June, the housesitting gig has been changed to july, so i can take the all day soulcard workshop if it isnt filled.
thanks, Clevelandgirlie.
kelly, you are a total inspiration to me. you are incredibly brave!!!
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