Grrrr.... & New Blog Name

How do I get myself into these things? A learning curve, I suppose. Early on in the process of working on Ampersand panels (actually the shadowboxes turned over), I covered the sides with blue masking tape........it really bothered me and I couldn't get away from the relationships of the color on the sides and what I was applying to the surface. I took it off and was fairly careful not to make too much of a mess. Now that I am through working on the panels, I decided they looked a little TOO raw birch so I thought I'd just stain them lightly with some gel clear maple stain and then paste wax them. Guess what...that darn gel is still sticky today and I ran a search and saw that it would have been best to wipe them down after 10-15 minutes. I don't remember ever doing that in the past...and MinWax should make larger print on the directions on the can!

So I've been in the studio rubbing sides of panels with paint thinner and then sanding and needless to say this will be NOT be a good experience. I've learned my lesson and will make sure the sides are masked off with brown painter's tape I found next time and there will be no gel stain on them either.

BTW......what kind of presentation and finishes are contemporary painters/artists using in your area? I had even considered wiping a little white glaze on these pieces at one time and then decided not to. I guess if I made a gazillion dollars I could have an assistant or send out for framing but since I don't ...guess it will just be me. Mostly I try not to frame but sometimes you just gotta!

Oh yeah....did you notice I changed the title of my blog....branding, that's what Alyson Stanfield of ArtBizBlog calls it.

Twelve Panels

I decided to just go ahead and make a page on my site for all the panels I've been working on. I finally got them photographed today...still haven't taken slides but that can wait for another day (with a little sun).

This is one of them...Green 1........sorry no great ideas for titles for these yet. Here is the link to the page with all of them.

Panels done.........and Just Stuff

Hummm...it's been a while since I posted to the blog. Guess I gotta quit saying that as it happens quite frequently.

I've been out and about, working on the twelve panels (which I think I am deciding are finished). I just put an insolation medium coat of GAC 500 on and maybe will sand and very lightly stain and finish the sides to resemble framing.

I had a wonderful visit with Nita Leland in Dallas over a couple of days there. My friend Robin Walker and I met her one evening for dinner and we all talked non-stop for two hours. Aren't artist friends great! I went home the next day instead of going by her workshop.........the oak pollen has done a number on me for over a week. The headache will NOT go away.

I've had some very flattering news lately...........I got a call from Kathy Cooper of the Women Artists of the West group last week. She asked me if I would exhibit with their group at the Annual Exhibit and meeting to be held at the Hilligoss Galleries, Chicago, IL (actually at the Long Grove gallery location) in November. Wow....well of course, I said yes. Now what will I send or maybe paint something new? It's an honor to be included in this group although I certainly don't paint like anyone else who is a member there. They seem to have mostly realistic painters. They do have diverse interests, with their membership scattered all over the country...and not just in the western states now.

After the panels dry....I'm putting them away for awhile to "rest". and will be getting some big canvases down to start priming for the next project. Been working on those little pieces TOO long....I coulda painted a mural by now.

Oh...........and all those little wax tools like hot palettes and paints are coming in and staring at me......but they can wait for some new little panels for the moment.I've spent a lot of time at the encaustic forum, too, so no wonder I didn't have time to post anything

......Getting out those BIG brushes next.

Thinking of last year

Just sitting here at the computer and blogarithm sent me my blogs update. There in the couple of new updates was one I started watching just before heading to France last year at the end of March. Meanwhile, here in France is the blog. It sure made me want to pack up and go back. Looking at all the spring flowers popping up and the blogger talking about sitting out drinking a glass of rose with her lunch........hum, nice.

On the art side........I've been buying and sending off for encaustic supplies. I've had it in mind and waffled back and forth for several years now. It could really be a neat way to collage but is also expensive and a learning curve for what will work with wax and what won't fuse properly. It also concerned me for the fumes and health issues. The more I read the more I realized that one really big factor to staying safe (other than good ventilation) is to buy the paints and mediums instead of making them yourself and good equipment to keep the temperature from getting too hot and making harmful fumes. I know it isn't as simple as that but it's a start. I've spent lots of time researching on the R & F forum. I won't be able to use my acrylic painted papers but will work around all that and see how it goes.

DUH..........it would be nice if I read my previous post sometime before writing another with some of the same info. Oh well, I had to come back and label this post anyway as I keep forgetting to do it half the time.

Catching up

I've been busy with no time to take out to blog. More important. truthfully, is that when there was time there was really nothing I wanted to write.

I've continued to work on some of the panels. These are the two blue ones. Also I have two red ones probably about ready to put away as well. The green pair...they are still staring at me relentlessly from the wall easel.

I went to Baton Rouge at the end of the week to trade out some paintings with my gallery there. They ended up keeping a couple that I planned to bring back. But hey, that's alright if someone is looking at them over at their other location.

My friend Christy offered me a place to stay overnight while I was there. We had a good long talk that evening and went out to her studio to look at encaustic equipment and supplies. She sent me home with some beeswax pellets and an old rival crockette for the paraffin wax to clean your brushes...and a bunch of oriental paper to play with. So I broke down and sent off for the electric palette made by Encaustikos...and the book everyone recommends by Joanne Mattera. I was getting ready to order some pigments, mediums,etc. when it dawned on me to wait until I get back from the trip to Dallas next week as that will be about the time they would be delivered. I have a lot of oil pastels and even some paint sticks in the studio so I can use those, too. I found a place called Evans Encaustics on the internet. I think I'll order some basic supplies from them and see how this goes. It will be another learning curve as you can't use acrylic in your underpainting with encaustics. My plan....if you can call it that is to learn to use wax with my collage work...and make it just another form of mixed media. It occurred to me that I might be able to encapsulate the acrylic painted papers with something that is compatible with encaustic. If anyone knows of such ...let me know. I'm thinking maybe...white shellac.The main thing is to find something that won't repel the wax from sticking but that will seal up the acrylic paint on the paper.

Continuing saga of the panels

I'm spending too much time back and forth to the computer. Seems like it's sometimes harder to get your work back to the studio and rotated around to galleries than it takes to paint. But, I've got a couple of more panels half working............

Here are the two that have the working titles of Orange/Maroon right now. I have two blue ones, too...but not to post yet.