Atlanta Encautic Group Forming

I’m really excited about being a part of a new group that’s forming here in Atlanta with all encaustic artists.  We don’t have a group here now and there’s certainly been an increasing number of artists working in wax in Atlanta.   We’re still narrowing down our mission statement, purpose, goals, and member criteria but hopefully we’ll make those decisions soon.   I do know we’re not interested in becoming a large group of artists where only a handful do all the work for the group!

We have our first group show coming up in August at Jack Gallery located at Studioplex in Atlanta.  More details on that and the group to come!

Joanne you did it again!

The 3rd annual Encaustic Conference in Beverly, MA was once again over the top. Honestly after attending last year I was skeptical as to whether I was going to gain any new ideas or techniques this year. I found out that just because a demonstration was about the same tool it was used completely differently with a different presenter.

Everyone at the conference was so open with everything art, whether it be technical tips or marketing ideas. I think I just might go again next year! Thanks Joanne for putting together another great conference!! I must say that Cari Hernandez was my favorite. She was so great at explanation and detail that we learned a ton of new techniques in a short period of time. Also Kandy Lozano’s presentation on working large has really inspired me to work larger. Her Rock Star video was really cool too!

Hope to see everyone there again next year!!

Montserrat Here We Come!

This coming weekend is the Third Annual Encaustic Conference at Montserrat College of Art in Beverly Massachusetts. It’s my second time attending and I’m really excited about returning. It’s so impowering to see so many artists who use the same medium to express themselves all in the same place at one time. This year I’m attending with 2 other Atlanta artists so it should be an even better experience. As artists we usually work alone and to be a part of this group is exhillarating!

If your interested in more information about the conference just click here.

http://www.montserratencausticconference.blogspot.com/

3rd Place in Trees Atlanta Exhibit!!!

Thanks to everyone who organized the Trees Atlanta art exhibit for charity this weekend!  Wow what a great turnout of tree art submissions.  There was amazing 816 entries that were narrowed down to 66. Glad I didn’t have that job, however Anne Irwin of Anne Irwin Gallery in Atlanta did!  I feel so honored that one of my pieces was selected to be in the show and even more honored that I received a 3rd place ribbon!  It really makes me feel good when part of the proceeds goes to a charity that works as hard at Trees Atlanta does to help beautify a city like ours.  You can visit their website at www.treesatlanta.org.

My piece is titled “Dancing Trees” and is a 12″ x 12″ encaustic piece on panel.  The exhibit will be open to the public for the next 2 weeks. All art is for sale with 25% of the sale going to Trees Atlanta.

Mask Detail As Requested

As requested by Dawn I’ve included a detail of each Adam & Eve mask.  This is the closeup of Eve.  She has glitter around her eyes.  To get this effect I carved out a layer of wax around her eyes and then used a very thin layer of white glue to stick the glitter too.  I then brushed a layer of clear wax on top and fused it all together with my heat gun.  I then was able to scape off a small layer to reveal some of the glitter.    The blue, green, and red swirls were created by again carving out the wax but then filling it in with wax that was pigmented using oil paint.  Each color has to done individually, fused and then cooled before going to the next color.   The same technique is used for the lips.

 

Here’s a closeup of Adam.  He has a gravel mixture on top which is glued on and then dipped into wax.  I found this mixture in the artificial plant section at Big Lots (I’m always keeping my eyes open for this kind of stuff).  I then melted it down to reveal the texture.  I also carved out the arrows and lips and filled them in with pigmented wax.  The fish are brads that I found at a dollar store and spray painted them bronze. 

 

Each mask had it’s own challenges.  The biggest was keeping the wax from melting off the tip of the noses as I fused the rest of it!

Allison

Encaustic Masks

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just completed 2 more masks for another fundraiser.  My nephew’s school, Mill Springs Academy in Alpharetta Georgia, is have a gala fundraiser this coming weekend and I’m donating these 2.  The theme of the gala is Mardi Gras so I thought these would fit right in.  I’ve titled them “Adam & Eve” and as you look at them closer you’ll see that I’ve incorporated some symbolizism into them.  Adam has arrows with fish on his cheeks and Eve has circles with red sparkles along with a few other suggestive shapes.  Both have leaves to bring in an element of nature. 

I’m happy doing these for donations.  There alot of fun to make and whenever I get an opportunity to get my name in front of people as an artist I believe it’s valuable even if there is no money for it.

Support The Arts

    I’m urging everyone to click on the link below and sign up to show your support for the Arts.  The 2009 Ecomonic Stimulus Recovery Plan which is currently in the Senate includes $50 million to the National Endowment for Arts (NEA).   Arts advocates from across the country are contacting their members of Congress to ensure that funding for the (NEA) is included.  Please visit the Americans for the Arts E-Advocacy Center to send a letter to your members of Congress and urge them to support the NEA in the economic recovery package.   This website is extremely easy to use and does get the message to your local, federal and state congresspersons.   Even better it’s FREE! 

DO IT!

Another Ribbon!

I received another Honorable Mention Award!   This time it was my ”Rose Petals” piece at The Kudzu Art Zone Gallery this past weekend.  The show was juried by Ronnie Offen.  Ronnie is a local atlanta artist who does beautiful pastels.  Her comment was she loved the depth and movement of this piece.  It’s one of my favorite pieces as well!  The title of this show is “Creative Beginnings” and one of the requirements was  to write a statement telling how this piece was a creative beginning for us.   Here’s my statement:

I recently left my professional career to pursue my dream of becoming a professional artist.  The hot melting wax was a warm relief to the stresses I had endured.  Working in wax feels so organic that I became drawn to elements from nature to add to my compositions.  “Rose Petals” is one of my first collage pieces.

 

This piece contains dried petals from a bouquet of roses given to me on my 40^th birthday.  Truly a creative beginning in my life!

Finally a new year!!

I always look forward to a new year, getting a fresh start and letting the past turn into charished memories or experiences to learn from.   I’m very grateful for alot of things last year.  I completed my art website and my husbands photography website which is a huge accomplishment for someone who’s a novice at web stuff.  I’m grateful for my new studio space as well, it’s heated and air conditioned!  Now I have no excuses for not getting into the studio!!   I also joined 2 art organizations and vow to be more active with both this year.  

I have many goals for 2009.  The number one is to research new avenues for getting my art out there and to submit more work to shows.  After that is to produce more work.  Or should I produce more work then research new avenues…..  I’ll keep you posted on that one.  I also would like to work larger this year.  With my new space I made sure I had a large open area to stretch out my panels on sawhorses (Howard Hersch like) and pour wax.   I’ll have to sell more work in order to pay for all that wax and wood! 

After the lapse in work during construction I’m excited about the new art adventures I’m about to embark on.  Look for images of mynew studio and gallery space on my website! 

LOOK OUT 2009!!

Atlanta Celebrates Photograpy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The month of October is Atlanta Celebrates Photography month. During this month there are several gallery exhibits and public displays of photography all around the Atlanta area.  The Atlanta Artists Center also participated.  I went ahead a reluctantly entered one of my photo encaustic pieces into their juried show.  Low and behold I won an Honorable Mention award!  The photos in this piece are a combination of my husbands and mine, http://denslens.com.  To create this piece I painted several layers of wax on a wood panel.  I then applied the photos to the wax in layers and painted more layers of wax on top.  I then carved into those layers adding more color and dimension. 

I don’t think I’ll hold back in the future anymore!