Two for One: Visual Texture and Pattern

Sometimes texture is flat.  There, I said it.  Here texture is a visual illusion, masterfully created on a smooth surface. 

 Venetian Lace10    Jane Nodine

  9" X 9" X 2"  encaustic wax, oil pigment, resin, on panel  © 2011  

"The Venetian Lace series developed when I began experimenting with various color combinations and tree resin. Early results immediately reminded me of the beautifully textured and colorfully weathered walls of Venice Italy.  Further exploration of the process rendered rich textures and patterns that were pleasantly reminiscent of my Italian travels when I was teaching in the summers from 1999 to 2008. These works reveal the luminous layers of color and play of lacework and pattern in the series." - Jane Nodine

From the centuries-old walls of Venice to a completely modern interpretation of the rhythmic pattern of stripes- 

Lime Vibrations    Allison Miller  

encaustic wax

"My work poses the questions, "Where does one line end and another begin?  How does one layer lie beneath another? What is the boundary between one another, and ultimately how do we understand ourselves in the greater world"?

A line can serve to connect just as it can serve to bisect moments of the human condition and all of life's perfections and flaws, gratifications and disappointments, expectations and apprehensions. Colors given to us by nature bring meaning to our space and time.  Selection of color within my work is based on moods and their opposites which cause a tension and vibration.  Each viewer will have a different experience based on the colors within the piece and how they relate to their life.  - Allison Miller

Color Charting - How & Why

Color Charting Pack

Click to enlarge Record color swatches used in each painting along with info on medium, brand, color name, and tints (lightened with white). You can then work back into the painting and see instantly how you made each mixed color. Plein air painters make the chart while painting to capture color mixes better than a camera. After a painting sells, keep the actual Color Charting in your file along with a digital image of the finished work. This serves as reference to color correct any future digital reproduction of your work. Color Charting Pack comes with hanging tabs to display charts in your studio. Made from Multimedia Artboard in conjunction with Hylla Evans. Multimedia Artboard is the brightest white surface made and may be used with any art medium. It is immediately absorbent and fusing is NOT needed for encaustic paint applications. 10 sheets, each sheet 4" x 10" with tabs to hang each sheet on the wall The chart above shows four oil paint colors and two of the possible mixes, with tints.  I've recorded brand and color name.  This was prepared in advance of a plein air painting trip as part of an experiment with a very limited palette. Once on location with the above four colors and white, I made mixes of colors visible at varying times of day.  Obviously the morning was overcast, noon had intense colors, late afternoon colors had faded as the sun dropped behind the western hills.  These nuances could not have been captured by a camera.  One good pencil sketch and these color notes provide  information for several studio paintings. Artists have been emailing me snapshots of their own use of Color Charting Packs.  Send me yours!

Call for Entries: "Painting: Color Dominates"

We are looking for paintings which feature color as the dominant element of design.  Color sets the mood, color makes the statement, color controls the message.  Wax must be one of the materials used in each work.
Selected works will be the first show of a gallery section of Evans Encaustics.  Subsequent shows will be added four times a year but each show will remain posted longer.

Artists are encouraged to submit original works as follows:

Deadline is February 14, 2012.  Entry is free.
Submit up to three works via email to hyllaevans@gmail.com.  Be sure to include your full name, address, and permission to exhibit the image online if your artwork(s) is selected.  Include a phone number and your own email address.
Each jpg should be cropped, resolution 150dpi, not to exceed 1MP.  Label each with your last name and title of the work.
Feel free to submit a brief statement on the role color plays in each work submitted.

Paint Sticks (tm) VS Brush Ready Paints

Evans Encaustics Paint Sticks (tm) are ultra concentrated encaustic paint.  They may be used directly on the HotBox (tm) where artists prefer heaviest pigmentation.  Also, painters who use a larger quantity of paint will save money by buying Paint Sticks (tm) and breaking off pieces, then adding 3 times as much medium to the mix.  Paint Sticks (tm) always look like a popsicle shape such as these:

Brush Ready Paints already contain encaustic medium and are ready to melt and paint. They cost less than the same color in Paint Stick (tm) form. Of course artists may add more medium to make any color more transparent.  Brush Ready Paints are available in several sets.  The Brush Ready Paints are available individually in a 52ml square cake and in 17ml mini size. Standard cakes look like this:

Above is the popular starter set, also called the Ultimate Mixing Palette.  It's shown above with each color painted on Color Charting.

Brush Ready Paints are also available in miniature 17ml cakes and look like this:

Got questions?  Email me at hylla@comcast.net and we'll choose which format you want based on your own needs.