Pulsating rhythm dominates these paintings, some in the natural ripples of water, air, or emotions, some as syncopations in open space. The energy vibrations emanating from these works inspire toe-tapping, dancing, and sometimes a quiet, static gathering of thoughts.
Prayers for the Earth: Agave/Agape, Fanne Fernow 2011
encaustic, 22" x 48"
Very many terrific paintings were submitted and some of them will show up on this blog in the future. Thanks go to the fine artists who work hard and are generous to send me a glimpse of what're they're doing. Fabulous work is happening out there in the real world! - Hylla Evans
INTRO TO ENCAUSTIC PAINTING Hylla Evans (hylla@comcast.net)
707-996-5840 Supplies to Start Encaustic Painting in Your Own Studio
Remove any solvents or flammable materials from work area first!
BURN CREAM and access to cold water
absorbent painting supports (untreated wood, paper, bisqueware)
electric pancake griddle and extension cord
fan to exhaust fumes out the window and an open door or window to bring fresh air inside
glass cooking thermometer (Keep wax paint under 220F.)
paper towels
non-stick muffin tins and loaf pans (flat bottoms, NOT cans from foods)
natural bristle brushes with wood handles (hake without metal are best)
scraping tools and pointed tools, spatula
natural unbleached beeswax (or medium can substitute)
encaustic paints and medium
heat glove
ladle (for adding medium to paints)
propane torch with trigger start fitting TS-4000 BernzOMatic
"The Art of Encaustic Painting" by Joanne Mattera
Know your material inside out. Knowing comes from both cerebral learning and studio practice. One without the other is not enough. Know an accurate history of encaustic. The gold standard is in The Art of Encaustic Painting by Joanne Mattera. Have that book available (plus any others you like) for students to peruse during breaks. Much information is available on the internet and some is blatantly wrong. The internet is not a vetted source. Assemble all technical information about waxes, the nature of medium, and reasons for fusing tools and the techniques of each, various substrates and their properties. Know how encaustic behaves alongside other media. Know this from your own experiments in addition to what you've been taught. Know every tool artists use with encaustic. Though you won't show every tool in class, you will get questions. The breadth of misinformation out there is astounding.
Know how to impart your information generously and accurately. Teaching encaustic is not a good plan if you don't have training and experience in teaching itself. Learning styles vary, artistic development varies, students come to class with strong interest and some knowledge. As teacher, your handling of each of these differences is critical to everyone's success. It's important that you be able to mentally identify the learning style of each student in the class quickly. Draw them out at the start of the day to gauge HOW each learns. If you want books on general teaching methods and identifying learning skills, you can easily find those. I recommend the Teachers College bookstore or online articles. I'm not suggesting that you give students a test on entry. Have one go round of students introducing themselves, keeping it simple but giving you good information. Ask them to address any of these: what is their art medium in which they are most comfortable, have they taken a class in encaustic or read books, how do they come to find this particular class? Provide name tags then you make notes on what you glean from each student telling you about herself. Though your class will be diverse in experience, you need to help each artist move forward from where she is now. You want to encourage each individually in the course of the class and with follow up email. Encourage them to contact you by email but don't require it. Respect each student's privacy, strengths, and vulnerabilities. Class is not a competition and you need to diffuse any notion that one student is better than another. If there is a question to which you don't know the answer, say so. Get the answer and communicate it to the whole class the next session or by email if there isn't another session. Unless the class is convened specifically to teach your own methods of making your own art work, do not make that a subject of conversation and try to diffuse such requests to after class or during a break. People cannot help but to try to please the teacher and consciously or not, some will mimic your work.
Syllabi vary depending on subject matter and audience. A class that lasts longer than one or two full days will expand more into some issues, possibly including critique and homework along the way.
This is my basic, bare minimum syllabus for Intro to Encaustic Painting. I've put more notes at the end that reflect topics covered throughout the class.
Have each artist gesso a section of one panel (so it will dry and be available for comparison of primed vs unprimed wood)
Distribute any handouts along with name tags
Introductions around the room - light but informative
History of Encaustic: who, what, where, when, and why (reproductions or projected images)
Archival properties of encaustic vs other media
Safety precautions (burn treatment, ventilation, safe studio practices, when to see a doctor)
Supply list and resources list (see later blog post for the lists I use as example)
Discussion of materials being used in class (properties of beeswax, medium, hot palette, tools, brushes, supports, gesso, paints)
Explanation of additional materials that are not available in class
Here comes the How. Demonstrate priming, taping sides if desired, applying base layer, fusing
Explain the role heat plays in decomposition of the wax, in fusing, in texture vs fluidity
"Gentle fusing" distance from surface and time between fusings to cool (You will return to this in talk and demo repeatedly. Distance + patience = gentle fusing.)
Keeping work at its best: photographing, shipping, labels and packing encaustic work
Transparency and adding layers
Using layers of clear medium within the painting
Scraping or subtracting partial layers
Many ways to achieve fine lines and clean edges
Transfers (importance of using one's own imagery)
Collage
Mention further classes for works on paper, color theory, 3D, professional development, etc.
Frequent Q & A
Finishing work: polishing, bloom, hanging
In a clean area, artists talk about their works done in class and take questions.
Notes:
Along the way, show reproductions of art that show a large range of what's being done with encaustic. Make sure that each work referenced has copyright credit and full attribution under it. Provide a handout of links and be sure each artist you've referenced is included. The reproductions you show should be of high quality and they are for use in class only. Do not distribute reproductions for students to keep.
As class progresses and students have attained skills, work individually to prompt thinking about how those skills will be put to use in their own work. Are new doors opened? Techniques support work at hand but they can also be the impetus for new content or a new artistic direction. Supporting artistic growth has to include discussion of works in a larger art context. Take the opportunity to have artists talk about their work, perhaps write about it, and encourage critical thinking about principles of design and meaning in their art. Even in a technique class, you set the bar as high as possible for artistic growth. If you don't do that during class, they may not necessarily think through those issues on their own.
After each class break (lunch or overnight), introduce the basic schedule for the day and review interactively the prior information as you perceive the need.
Pattern as a design principle can be simply defined as repetition of a shape or form within a work. The separating interval may be regular or changing, but such a repetition creates a rhythm. These patterns are never accidental. They play an outstanding role in communicating the meaning of the work.
Submit your own work that relies on pattern to do the heavy lifting of communicating your intent.
Email one or two jpgs with your name and painting title in the label of each jpg. Paintings may have been made in any medium but must be created in the last two years and must be your original work.
In the body of the email please be sure to provide your full name, your website link, the title, medium and dimensions of the work as well as the year it was created.
Labor Day, September 3, 2012 is the deadline for entries.
This Fog was included in the 2011 Provincetown Set, available only at the Conference. The 2012 set had no Fog.
There is a limited quantity freshly rolled in, available in Paint Stick (tm) $20. This is a light color, precisely the color of shallow marine fog at the beach, slightly cool and much welcome this time of year.
AUGUST SPECIAL
Receive a 120 ml cake of encaustic medium free when you order more than $50 of Paint Sticks (tm). This won't show in your cart but you will receive it with every order placed in August.
The size 120 ml is the volume of a jumbo muffin tin cake.
CALL FOR ART: PATTERN DOMINATES
Continuing our look at specific elements of design, the next show will be limited to encaustic paintings that rely on pattern more heavily than other elements. No artist statement is needed. Please submit up to two works in which pattern creates a rhythm clearly.
Deadline is Labor Day. Email to HyllaEvans@gmail.com and include the painting year and dimensions and title. File should be high resolution but not exceed 1 mb size. This must be solely your own work and I need the link to your own website even if the work is not shown there.
Here are twelve paintings in which lighting clearly sets the tone in the meaning of the piece and seems to carry the piece more than other elements of design.
Artists' names are hyperlinks to their websites. Most have informative statements there. They are all articulate and would love to hear from you.
We are looking for paintings in which the use of light sets a mood and other elements of the painting's design complete that statement. This online show is open to oil paintings and/or encaustic paintings.
Please include title, dimensions, website link, medium, and year. Include a short statement about your intent using light as a design element.
Submissions should be sent to hyllaevans@gmail.com by May 15th. Submit one or two images completed in 2011- 2012. Images are best at least 150dpi, between 300kb and 800kb.
To see the last show go to Color Dominates and scroll down a bit.
My ever-favorite color, Violet Gray, is available while supply lasts in a 17 ml mini $7 brush ready and a 52 ml brush ready $14. Email me to figure what your actual shipping will be or to order.
The other limited edition color is Malachite which is available in Paint Stick $26 or brush ready mini 17 ml $8.
Artists cite inspiration from colors they see. Well, this paint maker is inspired by artists' requests for colors.
This week I've made these:
Yellows don't translate well on the internet. Any mixes made with yellows also don't post online true to their genuine colors. The second color above (Deep Turquoise) is really more green than it photographs. Deep Sea is more luscious than it appears above.
Custom mixes of yellows and greens are made for artists by special request. There's no big fee for this. In fact, it's the highlight of making paint for me. So ASK!
The colors above are not on the website but are available individually or as a set. Email me, supply is limited.
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RedPinkCB (Somebody), Louise P. Sloane 2012
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