Do you know Chihuly?

in college my main interest was in jewelry design but i also had the opportunity to try glass blowing. talk about process. i was just thinking about this as i viewed the Dale Chilhuly four dvd set which if you haven't seen-you should-especially the one filmed in Venice. why should an encaustic painter be interested in Chilhuly? he's a master artist (kind of the mario batali of glass) that has gone beyond the difficulties of the process and his own physical limitations to pure creation. in Venice he works with two very different master glass blowers to create the most amazing work. the process of blowing glass is one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult to master in part because of the heat, the weight of the glass and the speed needed while working. there are similarities between glass and wax-they both become liquid with heat, solid when cool, the way they capture light, how translucent, how transformative. Chihuly has a lot to say about the creative process that applies to all artists. he often tells his students "...you are making something no one has ever seen before". what are you making?

Second National Encaustic Painting Conference

despite the weather attempting to melt us & our wax, the conference held this past weekend in Beverly, MA was experienced & enjoyed by over 200 participants. bravo, Joanne. & if you missed this one, next years is already planned for the same weekend in june. my advice-sign up early to make sure you get the talks/demos that you're most interested in. this year we also had Linda Womack do a  signing of her just published "embracing encaustic" book which i will write about as soon as i get time to read it (we need more books on this historic medium that is being used more & more by contemporary artists). many of the demos were taped & i will pass along that info when available. i hope that those who attended my demo-warp, weft & wax are inspired to try some of the techniques i showed & as always, comments, questions or additions are welcome.