Confused-Transfers

 In the past when you wanted to make a copy of an image or text most of us would go to Staples, the library or the office where you worked. You could make multiples, change the size, maybe even reverse it. B & W and color. Nowadays when you ask a student to bring copies to class many questions arise since now we all have more options to make copies-like ink jet printers.

So lets clear up the confusion. We use copies to transfer images into the encaustic surface (this also applies to acrylic painting but the technique is different). But the copy needs to be made by a toner/laser printer or copier. This is a different technology than an ink jet printer with the main issue being that the ink is not waterproof. When we do transfers water is used in the process so you can see why the ink jet copy will not work.

Ink jet copies are fine for collage where they are layered beneath medium and no water is used.

And remember when doing a transfer with text that the copy needs to be reversed-also called a mirror image-to read correctly once transferred.

Transfer is a fantastic technique with so many creative applications. More to come...

Texture, part II, Acrylic

 There are almost too many acrylic products to choose from! It can be confusing to know what to use.  But because of acrylics fast drying times it can be the quickest way to create texture-even under an oil painting.

Many are confused about the difference between gels and pastes. The main difference is that gels dry clear and pastes dry opaque. Both can be tinted or colored with acrylic paints and worked with a variety of tools. Beware-most are impossible to sand. The "almost too many" category comes from all the various types of gels and pastes: fibre paste, glass bead gel, sand, pumice, etc. So ask yourself how much texture you want as a heavy body acrylic paint may also

give you just enough.

It is recommended to work on a rigid surface instead of stretched canvas when using a lot of texture. A panel can hold the weight and more tools can be used for texturing.

Golden Acrylics also has a toll free number for technical help with their products-1-800-959-6543

Creating Texture-Encaustic

Encaustic paint is great for creating texture -that was one of the reasons I was first drawn to it. As it is a solid paint that becomes liquid by heating, temperature is the key. At cooler temperatures the paint will have a paste like consistency. By layering this thicker paint, a technique called accretion*, various textures can be created. Working subtractively on a painting with a warm surface can also create textures that would be recessed instead of raised. Adding collage elements or casting shapes with impasto medium are other choices for adding texture. Several detail images from my paintings illustrate different textures. In one the actual honey comb was incorporated into the painting's surface.

*check out Martin Kline's early work for examples of this technique

The Blank Canvas

 It stares back at us, waiting for that first brush, palette knife, drip or splash of paint. Especially if you are new to painting, the process of beginning a painting can be challenging. In 1993 Anna Audette wrote The Blank Canvas-Inviting the Muse. Even though almost 30 years old this book (available on Amazon) offers many straightforward and practical suggestions for artists. Audette worked in many different types of 2-D media and taught college students for many years so she knew what she was writing about.

Sometimes its a Positive to be Negative

 Here the word negative refers to the process in painting where instead of adding more paint to the surface you remove=subtract. When working with encaustic paint this can be an important part of the process that many artists neglect to use. One can remove many layers at a time (don't like what you did, wrong color, want to start over) by warming the surface and using a variety of blades and scrapers. But we also have a fine degree of control over this process just by having a cooler surface temperature. The surface being harder, very thin layers of paint can be removed.

The original border of this painting was scraped off, tape was applied to protect the inner layer and a new border was painted. It still needs to be lightly scraped to even out the surface and let more of the base color show through. 

Like any other technique this one also takes practice. You might be surprised with what you unearth!

Let's Fix Art History

 There's a T-shirt* printed with the question "can you name 5 women artists?". Can you? Janet Sobel had no MFA, was a mom and housewife-we're talking the 1940's, 50's here-and created so called "drip" paintings before Jackson Pollack. Peggy Guggenheim gave her a solo show in 1946 and one of the viewers was no other than Jackson Pollack. No real surprise but the news media back then referred  to her first as a grandmother then as an artist. She also had a low key method of dripping paint onto a canvas while laying on the floor. Pollack, on the other hand, was a dramatic painter who also fit better with the public's view of a painter. She was mostly forgotten. None of this is really news but lets try to give credit and recognition where it is due.

Here is a detail from one of my favorite of Sobel's paintings titled Milky Way. Owned by MOMA but currently not on view.

*National Museum of Women in the Arts gift shop    

What to See

 Currently on exhibit in Boston is an installation by artist Firelei Baez at ICA Watershed through September 6. I have not been yet but it looks amazing with its elements of painting, sculpture, history and contemporary concerns. One walks under a blue tarp with shapes cut out that appear as stars or fish. There is a huge painting and structures that are textured with what look like barnacles. During these difficult times I do hope many people get a chance to see this exhibition in person. 

One Way or Another

 I'm often asked how to tell when a painting is finished. Several answers come to mind including intuition, boredom and/or when you can't think of a way to improve the work. When you think that you are done it often helps to  not look at the painting for a period of time- giving yourself "fresh eyes"- that will enable you to see if more needs to be done.

    But perhaps more importantly- how do you begin a new painting? Here again there is no one best answer. Hopefully inspiration strikes. If one is working on a series one painting will lead to the next. Some artists will consult their own sketchbooks or begin sketching an idea. Doing a small study or just applying a colored base layer to your surface can help. My preferred method is to work on several paintings at a time. That way, I can put the painting that might be done aside while I continue working on the other one.

    One way or another the most important part of this is just to start painting.

Studio + Safety

 Cezanne didn't let people visit his studio. Francis Bacon was infamous for the state of his studio that looked like a tornado had visited. My studio (above) leans more towards Cezanne's but besides making it easier to find things it is also safer. Whether  you are fortunate to have a dedicated studio or a room, basement, etc. safety should be considered. Of course one should have ventilation but also a fire extinguisher and high on my list is a metal garbage can with a tight lid. These have come down in price so that should not be an excuse. An artist friend of mine lost his studio to a fire-if he had that type of garbage can it might not have happened. Also you can see in the background my heat gun has a holder so the hot tip stays safe and my heated palette is on a metal table. When working with oils or acrylics I wear gloves and no food in the studio!

 Somehow, to my knowledge, Bacon avoided a fire even though he had oily newspapers knee high! Please stay safe.

Paint it Over (Franz Kline)!

 Franz Kline began his career as a traditional painter and illustrator. But abstraction called. He would "sketch" his ideas with ink on old telephone book pages.  One night while visiting fellow artist Willem DeKooning some of his sketches were projected up onto the wall and the rest is history-he saw how powerful they could be as large paintings.

Recently one of Kline's paintings "Nijinsky" from 1950 has been studied. He had painted over an older canvas-maybe one of those traditional paintings that didn't sell-that had as many as 15 layers. It seems that he primed over those layers and then continued with his signature black and white. Unfortunately the paint surface began to have issues in the 1960's.

I have painted over many paintings-a few I wish I hadn't! Many painters do. Just a word of caution-make sure your primer, gesso, etc. works with whatever is already there. 

Studio + Storage

 Dorothea Rockburne, 88 and still painting, moved into a Soho loft in the 1970's. It is a live/work space of over 6000 square feet with the majority of the space dedicated to her studio. Having been an artist for many years she has a lot of work stored there. Having enough storage space always seems to be an issue-I know it is with me-let alone thinking about climate control like in museums. But recently water from the loft above her studio leaked and over 176 painting, prints, etc. were damaged or ruined. She has had to sue the owner, a former ceo at Twitter for damages. The pain of loosing your work, the pain of dealing with lawyers at 88! Hopefully she will get the settlement that she deserves. On a happier note her work is currently on exhibit at DIA Beacon.

Encaustic class-student work

 Thanks to some of my students-Elise, Bonnie and Deb for entering their encaustic paintings in the Silvermine Arts Center Student Show. Next class starts on July 7 from 1-4 for 8 weeks, come join us.

Nature

 Since I paint with encaustics, garden and am concerned about our favorite pollinators-honey bees-it was interesting to learn about the creations of artist Ava Roth who, since 2017, has included bees in her process. She uses organic materials to create a collage that is framed in wood, wax is added  and then placed in the hive (quick version). She leaves it in the hive for 3 days to 3 weeks during which the bees build comb around the collage becoming part of the finished piece. Wild! Ava, like many of us, also hopes that her work raises awareness to the dangers that bees and pollinators in general are facing. 

Time flies-even during covid

well it has been almost exactly 2 years since i last posted but here we go again. the summer session at  silvermine arts center is open for registration. here's what i will be teaching-be great to see some of you, hopefully with no need for masks!?

Painting with encaustics-8 weeks, july 7, 1-4

Acrylic painting for beginners, 8 weeks, july 6, 1-4

Intro to encaustic painting, july 24, 10-3

Fluid acrylic pours, july 9, 7-9, Pours II,  august 6, 7-9

Acrylic painting-the Masters, july 23, 7-9

Gel plate printing, july 30, 7-9, Gel plate II, august 20, 7-9

another event to look forward to will be the opening of the Jasper Johns exhibition at the Whitney titled "Mind/Mirror". dates are 9/29-2/13/22. more on this to follow.