Show at Watershed Gallery

i am very pleased to have 10 paintings in certifiably organic at the watershed gallery in ridgefield, ct. it is a great looking show that also includes nancy woodward and pamela marks. the show is up through november 10th so i hope you get a chance to stop by. the gallery is closed on mondays but open every other afternoon. www.watershedgallery.com

Honey bees

Have you thought about where your paint comes from lately? It takes 160,000 bees traveling 150,000 miles to collect enough pollen to produce 60 ponds of honey which translates into one pound of beeswax! But honey bees are in grave danger-2012 was a very bad year for them. Of course, paint concerns are minor when we compare that to the pollination of our food crops. So what is happening? Perhaps it is the new insecticide containing nicotine since the rise in its use mirrors the rise in the collapse of bee colonies.
There are no replacements for honey bees-something we should all think about and even speak up about. More to come.

Fall Workshops, new Work

my fall workshops at silvermine school of art-www.silvermineart.org

intro to encaustic painting-10/1 and 11/13, 10:00-3:00

encaustic transfers with photographs-10/15, 10:00-3:00

6 week class starting 10/5, 7:00-10:00 pm

encaustic weekend-12/3 & 4, 10:00-3:00

hope to see you there

new painting-corona-36" x 36" encaustic on panel and view as a triptych

Not Just for Kids

i thought it was worth a try-the Crayola Crayon Maker. designed for children to re-melt their left over crayon pieces into new crayons with custom colors- why not try it with encaustic paints and make encaustic crayons. following directions but using scraps of encaustic paint the Crayon Maker did melt the encaustics, then they are poured into 4 small crayon molds-let cool and there you go. i have yet to try adding any powdered pigments to the mix but that is next. there is probably a better method but the Crayon Maker only uses a 60 watt candelabra bulb for heat so it shouldn't use much electricity. if you wonder why i might want encaustic crayons just think encaustic monotypes. and remember, if you too try this at home, don't forget about ventilation.

Up coming workshops 2011

happy new year everyone. 2011 is the year of the rabbit-a quiet year when gentle persuasion is better than harsh force so i'll just say it would be great to see you at a workshop where everyone can work at their own pace with no pressure to create the masterpiece. although i have found that during my many years of teaching that even artists new to a medium often want to do just that. so relax, but not too much since in the year of the rabbit we can become too complacent while putting off what we need to do.

these are my workshops at silvermine arts center in new canaan, ct (www.silverminearts.org)through april-i also am available for private workshops in my studio. wishing you all the best, keep waxing, nash

introduction to encaustic painting-2/5 and 4/23

encaustic with collage-3/19

encaustic for photographers-4/2 (the image above combines photography with encaustic paint)

weekend workshop-2/12 and 13

6 week class starts 2/16

Visceral Structures

an encaustic and mixed-media artist Elizabeth Back's solo exhibition "Visceral Structures" is on view at the Silvermine Arts Center in New Canaan, CT. Back creates paintings, sculpture and installations that relate to nature and the body on varying scales. several paintings are round like huge petrie dishes that have some type of life form growing in them; others are very textural and also have a feeling of reproduction in progress. we get a close up view of things usually unseen. don't miss it but hurry-only up through 11/5.

10 Years Old

on my web site is a series called the genome project. they are 12" x 12" encaustic paintings on panel that use the letters of the genome-ATCG-and other imagery to reflect upon what makes us us -human.

this week the decoding (or mapping) of the complete human genome is celebrating its 10th anniversary. it is our DNA instruction book where only 1/2% difference in the code creates our uniqueness.

you might say "so what"? but very likely, within the next 3-4 years your map/book will be read for less than $1000.00 and within the next 10 years it will be a part of our medical records.

hopefully advances in predictions, prevention and cures will also grow at an even faster pace. it was also announced this week that a group of scientists think they have found the genes for longevity. how does being 100 years old sound? still creating art?

for further info check out Spencer Wells at the National Geographic Genome site.