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I knew it was a matter of time before I wound up needing three areas in which to work! And this was the little guy responsible for it:  This is a typical mop head found in this part of the world. Someone had discarded this mop and I spotted it. Something about the multitude of colors, the threads, the yarns -- it all really talks to me. In fact, it was yelling at me: "Take me! Do something with me! Turn me into art before I wind up in the trash heap!" So I did. I took it, cleaned it, and made it all pretty. And then I did this to it:  I cut a section of the yarn and pinned it to a used "Bounce" dryer sheet. (Another cast off that speaks to me. Dryer sheets say: "Take me and use me! Do not throw me out---and there's many, many more of us. Save us all!". So I did. I've got a butt load of used dryer sheets just waiting for a second use. Here's what it looks like pinned together:  And this is why I needed another room to work in. I used to have a hammock hanging up in this area, but I've converted it to a "sewing room".  You can see where I pinned the mop strands to the dryer sheets -- it's on the table next to the fan in the background. The encaustic section (the next step in this process) is off to the right of the table where I did the pinning. And that makes 3 areas. I'm absolutely amazed I've expanded to use this much space. And to think, a year ago when I found this space, all I wanted was one table to play at. I guess it's true what they say: "We expand (or contract) to fit the rooms in which we find ourselves." By the way, that little room on the left in the above picture? That's actually a kitchen, but a friend is renting it so she can play at mosaics. But when she comes in to work, she hates working alone, so she usually takes one of the areas I've got. She's in for a bit of a surprise if she comes in today, 'cuz I've got all three tables occupied. Anyway, enough of that. Here's the next step in this "let's create a fabulous work of art out of a mop" project. Below is a shot of a longer strip of mop threads. I sewed two dryer sheets together to cover the new dimensions. Then, for fun, I left some of the dryer sheet attached alternatively between the sewn lines. I have no idea how it will look after I dip it in wax.  Here's the first small piece out of the wax. I really like the way it looks actually, But knowing me, I've got to push it...I'll be experimenting with adding more wax, scraping it back, manipulating it. And, oh yes, you see where I cut the dryer sheets away from the sewed columns? Don't think I just tossed them out. I'm saving THEM! I'll do something with them, trust me. (I swear, in another life I must have been a first class hoarder!)  Below is a shot of the first one with more layers of wax on it along with a first dipping of the longer piece. I like the smaller piece in the above shot better, I think. And I'm going to fiddle with what I'm going to do with the bottom one, but for now, I'm still fascinated with the possibilities of this path I'm on.  I hope you'll stay with me on this journey over the next few months. I plan to post lots of progress shots and discussions and I look for your feedback and input! I cannot get this art show ready without your help!
Later, caio!
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Encaustic Workshops, February 2012 -- Part DeauxIt's been a while since the remaining two workshops.....I've been travelling, moving, painting the walls of the new place and working on a couple of commissions. So now, I'm just finding the time, early in the morning to get this post completed. The remaining two workshops were just as fun as the first two. The beauty of workshops is that each one takes on a personality of its own. Some workshops are loud with raucous laughter, others are quieter, with students heavily concentrating on their work. Either way, all work stations began their day with a complete set up. I charge a full price for my workshops, so I do not skimp on the tools or supplies for each student. This is what each student started with each morning, which I think is a pretty good set up:  As you can see in the above photo, each student receives a substrate (canvas) upon which to apply the encaustic paint, multiple brushes, carving tools, texture tools, stencil supplies, and other implements to manipulate the colors in the pots on the hot griddle. Here are photos of students at work, followed by their paintings: 
 This is a close-up of the kind of texture an artist can create utilizing one of the techniques I taught.
The beginning classes were so successful, I have an interest list already built for a second set of beginning classes. Yippee! I think we'll do them towards the end of May. Plus, many of my students are interested in an Intermediate Class where we'll learn more techniques, such as image transfer, more embedding techniques, and possibly the shellac burn technique. Stay tuned for more information on when those workshops will be scheduled! In the meantime, keep scraping to uncover, discover and discard!! Encaustic Workshops, February of 2012 Thinking that others would like to learn about the art of encaustic, I developed a Beginner's Encaustic Workshop at my studio in Boquete, Panama. I wasn't sure just how much interest there would be, and so I limited enrollment to 4 students per workshop and I scheduled four 1-day workshops. Imagine my surprise when almost every spot got filled! I've held two of the four workshops and people seem to be genuinely pleased with both the content, how it's presented, what they've learned and the value received. I'm genuinely pleased with their results. Check out these photos of their paintings and people at work:
And check out these results....
 Library Installation One week ago, the efforts of many years' work by many honorable people in Boquete came to fruition. Boquete's first lending library, in a new, sleek and modern building opened to fanfare. Many speeches were made by local dignitaries -- all in Spanish -- and the folklorico "polleras" ( the gorgeous fancy dresses) were on display. After the typical congratulating of all the hard work by everyone involved, a ribbon was cut, the doors opened and we all filed inside. This is where my involvement began. I had been asked to paint a large encaustic piece as a permanent endowment to the library. In exchange for permanent information about myself displayed next to the 3 ft x 7 ft piece, I agreed. If you want to see pictures of the opening of the library, click here to read about it in my other blog, "thirdworldwife.com". Because RobynColeArtworks is about art, this discussion focusses on the piece itself. For the past 7+ weeks, I have been in my studio full time preparing this piece. Dreaming about it, planning it, designing it, envisioning each panel as it tells the story of Boquete's evolution of art, music and literature. Rather than type on and on about what the piece is all about, I think it's easier to show the painting and the written description next to it. Here goes:  "Art Music, Literature: A Boquete Tapestry" And here is the discussion of the piece:  Here are a couple of more photos, just for funzies:  Showing parts of the painting to friends.  A side view, while patrons explore the piece.  The slightly over-excited artist talking with a patron.
"Ruh Row, Raggie!"
I haven't posted in 6 weeks. And I have a good excuse. Really. They're called Henry and Joe. They're my grandkids and they've been with me for a month. Oh yeah, a couple of others came with them. Like their parents, their aunt, and their other grandmother. But those people are incidental, right? I mean, compared to two darling, blonde 6 and 3 year-olds, EVERYONE else is incidental. They leave tomorrow for England, which is home. Yup, my grandkids speak with English accents because my son married a Londoner and they're raising them in a darling village south of London. Odd to hear my own grandkids say: "Grand-muthuh, might I have a glahss of woe-tuh?" Jeez, they sound smarter than me. After they leave, I'm in the studio solid until January 26th. All will be revealed, but suffice it to say I'm doing a large painting for the new Boquete Public Library. It opens on the 26th and my painting will be featured on the ground floor. And with family staying with us over the holidays, I'm late. Very, very, late. I will see you in late January and I will have posts on my art activities: A truly successful Holiday Selling Season (0ver $1,000 in art sales and 2 more commissions), 20 people interested in an encaustic workshop, progress and photos of the library commission and its development and more! I have no idea what is going on in the world, but I can quote word and verse of the Scooby Doo movie. Rock on, Scooby. "Ruh Row, Raggie!" Holiday Bazaar, Part I: The Results I have been in such gratitude lately. Ever since John and I packed up my booth from Boquete's Holiday Shopping Bazaar on Friday, November 25th and took our tired bodies home, I have been giving thanks. My artwork was VERY well accepted into the Boquete community! I was selling all day long, people asked for brochures and business cards. I developed an interest list for an upcoming encaustic workshop after the first of the year. I sold three encaustic paintings and have a commission for a 4th. In addition, of the 15 whimsical bling pieces I showed, I sold all 4 bling bowls, 2 bling balls, one hanging cross and one standing cross. With orders for more! How gratifying, how fulfilling this is to me. Thanks to all my friends and new customers for supporting my efforts! These are the paintings I took and the circled ones sold. The woman who bought the upper left one also ordered a companion piece to go with it:   In addition, one of my favorite whimsical bling pieces, the two-sided cross, sold to a dear friend and the same woman who purchased the painting circled on the lower right, above. It's a precious piece to me and I'm glad it went to a great home.
I have two more shows to do. One is a "Girls and Gab" invited event at a private home on December 1st, and the next one is Holiday Bazaar, Part II on December 10th. Then I hope to rest, relax and get ready for 8 family members coming in for the Holidays. I will keep you posted on how the future events unfold. I'm also excited to build my first encaustic workshop. I'm able to take proceeds from my sales and purchase additional encaustic tools to build out a well-stocked encaustic workshop. Let's see, I need a new heat gun, another griddle, more paints, more beeswax, ooooh, maybe I'll get that butane torch I've been wanting, and.......ahem.....talk to you later! Okay, readers, my heart is in my throat these day, my eyes are at half mast and my body is weak and tired. Why? I'm showing my new encaustic paintings for the first time here in Panama in 3 days and it's exciting, thrilling, scary, and all that. I took a photo of the body of work. I've got twelve small paintings I'm putting on display and they are available for purchase, as well.The show is a "Holiday Bazaar" at the local community center, called BCP. Other Boquete artists, vendors, crafts people, etc will be showing as the idea is to kick off the Holiday Shopping Season with us! So, while technically, it's not a formal art show (that will come in February), it IS the first time anyone here sees my work. And there's a good chance it will raise some eyebrows. From what I've seen here to date, the art here is very traditional: landscapes, flowers, local indigenous children -- representational stuff. Mine is not. I paint concepts, not people, places and things. So, like a said, I don't know if there's a local market for my type of art or not, but either way, we'll get a good idea of it one Friday, right? I'm really taking a risk, but what is life without a few risks and multiple shots of adrenalin that keep you up at night, eh? Anyway, after the show I'll update y'all, and in the meantime, here's the photo of the 10 x 10" encaustic paintings I'll be showing:  SANDI MIOT I'm in love with a new social media group called "Loving Mixed Media". It's run by a completely selfless artist who seems to be devoting himself to his art and this .ning web site. I'm new to it, so I may not know everything about the site, but if you're a mixed media artist, you should check it out. While perusing the site, one of the other artists posted this video about an artist she admires. I admire it to. In fact, I'm jealous as hell of her talent! So, I'm sharing that video with her here. Enjoy!  It's been a few days since my last post. You saw the video for my first encaustic medium pour. Well, ALMOST saw my first pour, if my right arm hadn't been in the way the whole time! Hey, like I said, I'm a painter, not Steven Spielberg!
The 8 ozs. of medium went well, so I just jumped right into making two pounds. I have two muffin tins: one small and one large, so I poured all of the two pounds into the muffin tins. The next day I popped them out and stacked them. This is two pounds (less one of the larger spheres) of my stacked medium. Hey, this in and of itself could be an art installation, don'tcha think? I've already used one of the blocks of medium and I think it's pretty good. What I'm learning, though, is if I put too much oil point in the heated tin, it will cause the wax to resist hardening. It will always feel sticky. I've got to pull back on the amount of paint I use. Which is could, because it's less costly, right? I am such an immature little kid when it comes to trying new things. I woke up at 4:30 am this morning, thinking with excitement out the day ahead. Finally! I get to play with wax that is not in teensy tiny tins and trial sized! I couldn't wait to get errands out of the way and get into the studio. As much as I love the refined, rich colors of manufacturers such as Enkausticos (shown below) and R & F, my budget and my plan of painting are not in sync. These small amounts are fine if you're doing the European style method of encaustic painting, but the way I plan to paint is to use much larger amounts of paint in a much more freehand style.  Once in the studio, I quickly cleaned up my studio and made my encaustic work area ready for making medium. I gathered all the players together for a little family portrait. Shown clockwise, starting at the top is: a heat source. In this case, an electric griddle; pharmaceutical grade white filtered beeswax from Swans Candle Supplies in Washington; Damar Resin Crystals from the same source; aluminum tins from the store to hold mixed medium, oil paints from Gran Morrison in Panama City, a weight watcher's scale I brought with me from the states and a large pot. The pot will go one the griddle, 8 oz of wax will get melted followed by the addition of 1.5 ozs of damar resin. All will be mixed together until all is melted. Then it will be poured in the metal cups.  Or, better than that, just watch this video. Remember, I'm a painter, not Steven Spielberg! Enjoy: |
