August was a whirlwind with events related to the exhibit at Manor Mill– I taught an encaustic workshop, gave an artist talk, did an impromptu short speech at an intermission during one of the concerts there, did a series of interview reels that you can see over on Instagram, and then gallery sat right before the show came down. I joked that I needed to go do a silence retreat after it was all done. I call myself a friendly introvert- I actually do love talking to people, but I don’t love talking in front of people, if that makes sense. I was really pushed to the edges of my comfort level with all the public speaking, but being uncomfortable is a good thing. It was wonderful to be part of that creative community last month, but now I am ready to hunker down again with studio work.
I have to get back to the thread I was working on for the two person show with Caitlin Gill in November at Adkins Arboretum’s gallery. I already have a few pieces ready for it that are encaustic mixed media with a lot of textiles and stitching happening. I am looking forward to working on more of these. I have a group show coming up at the Alexander Heath Gallery in Roanoke, VA in the fall as well.
And lest I go straight back to my hermit like tendencies, I am scheduled to do another encaustic workshop at Manor Mill again in November! You’ll have to scroll for a bit to get to the November classes. I really do love teaching and playing a small role in someone else’s creative path.
The painting above, Finding the Path, was started in my workshop earlier this month at the Mill. I was showing them how to lay down the layers of wax, how to fuse, how to mask off shapes, carving into the surface etc. and then some collaging techniques…I brought the panel home and kept working on it until it got to this point. The bird image is from vintage clip art that I came across years ago and I love to use it. I wish I had a before photo as it can be interesting to see transformation. I actually can’t even remember what it looked like when I first brought it back to the studio.
“Where do ideas come from? From looking at one thing, and seeing another. From fooling around, from playing with possibilities, from speculating, from changing, pushing, pulling, transforming, and if you’re lucky, you come up with something worth saving, using, and building on. That’s where the game stops and the work begins.” -Saul Bass