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"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!"
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I'm Like a Kid on Christmas Eve!You know that feeling you had as a kid on Christmas Eve? When all of life's wondrous gifts were still possibilities? When the puppy you'd been praying for could STILL be on Santa's agenda? When that guitar you'd begged and begged for just might be hidden in the house somewhere? That's how I fee right now. I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve. Because starting tomorrow, I will be able to roll up my sleeves and get into making encaustic art BIG TIME!! I haven't been able to truly begin experimentation because: A) the encaustic set of medium and paints I originally had were only a starter set and B) I've been researching the best way to get the best grade wax imported into Panama. But now that all comes together: My 10 pounds of wax and 2 lbs of damar resin (for hardening) have arrived at Airbox Express in downtown Boquete. I found a set of pots for melting large amounts of wax at a patio sale at The Zapadora in Potrerillos today. My neighbors gave me a hot plate they're no longer using. I've bought 5 tubes of oil paint I will use as pigments after I dry some of it out. And, through the generous loaning of a miter saw by my friend Kelly Collier and the access to a free wood pile by Michelle Brewer of Bajareque Wood in Volcancito, I have been making my own substrate wood panels for next-to-nothing in cost. Tomorrow I plan to lay out oil paint to dry, I plan on melting 6 to 7 parts wax with 1 part resin to create my medium. Normally I would use an 8 to 1 ratio, but encaustic expert Joanne Mattera suggested I use a little bit more resin because of the additional oils from my oil paints I'm using as pigments. Normally one would use dry pigments to mix with the wax medium, but I'm starting with oil paints as they are more accessible here in Panama. I don't have any photos to show you, but I would like to begin referencing some of my favorites in this industry. I love love love the work of Gilda Snowden. She is a Detroit artist my age and loves to upload videos. I've watched almost every one and this recent one has really captivated me. I plan on painting in the pouring style she shows in this studio tour. Enjoy, and I'll post pictures of work in progress tomorrow! I had troubles embedding her video, so just click on this link to watch it. |
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