Monday, June 16, 2008

Monday, June 16th 2008

Summer is almost here; Father's Day has come and gone, and we look forward to time with family, vacation travel, and opportunity for growth, exploration, and creative expression.

A quick kudos for Evelyn Breit, who attained Merit Membership with the Atlanta Artists Center; our efforts and hard work do have a pay off!

There is an upcoming encaustic workshop being offered at the AAC on Saturday, July 19th. Who among you has experienced, encountered, applied this particular technique? I my self am interested in utilizing this for my current portfolio; the medium's lumiosity and depth would lend itself well to the ideas I hold in my mind's eye.
The workshop is being taught by Helen DeRamus from 10 AM until 5 PM. and the cost is $150 for AAC members, $165 for non-members.

Encaustic painting, also known as hot wax painting, involves using heated beeswax to which colored pigments are added. The liquid/paste is then applied to a surface — usually prepared wood, though canvas and other materials are often used.

The simplest encaustic mixture can be made from adding pigments to beeswax, but there are several other recipes that can be used — some containing other types of waxes, damar resin, linseed oil, or other ingredients. Pure, powdered pigments can be purchased and used, though some mixtures use oil paints or other forms of pigment.

Metal tools and special brushes can be used to shape the paint before it cools, or heated metal tools can be used to manipulate the wax once it has cooled onto the surface. Today, tools such as heat lamps, heat guns, and other methods of applying heat allow artists to extend the amount of time they have to work with the material. Because wax is used as the pigment binder, encaustics can be sculpted as well as painted. Other materials can be encased or collaged into the surface, or layered, using the encaustic medium to adhere it to the surface.

Encaustic art has seen a resurgence in popularity since the 1990s with people using electric irons, hotplates and heated stylus on a variety of different surfaces including card, paper and even pottery. The iron makes producing a variety of artistic patterns elementary. However, the medium is not limited to just abstract designs, it can be used to create complex paintings, just as other media such as oil and acrylic.

Wikipedia
http://www.encaustic.com/

The name encaustic comes from the Greek for ” burnt in ” …..

This is appropriate when considering the technique and it's specific application and creation.

I have searched for images of encaustic art but was not satisfied with what I found: the medium lends the ability to create great depth and luminosity. I will search until I find something that is worthy, or create something myself to post.

An upcoming trip to Lake Tahoe will provide ample inspiration for lanscapes, and certainly crisp luscious water with a thousands shades of blue.

Until next time, keep up the good art.
Pro Bono Creativity.

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