Topographies

morning sunriseMaine lighthousetidal foamshark2flyingfishtopo1first snow of the seasonyellow beachspringmt2

One thing I really enjoy is looking through images I’ve made in my (digital) files.

These images were taken of some of my Encaustic Monotypes.

Encaustic Monotypes are created by painting with molten, pigmented wax onto a heated surface.  And then, just like regular monotypes, prints are ‘pulled’ from the surface.

The heated surface I use is one created by Paula Roland, called a Hotbox.

I took a three-day workshop with Paula last Fall and highly recommend it!

I call these images ‘topographies’.

I’ve given each one a name…

see if you see what I see!

First Light

The Lighthouse

Tidal Foam

The Shark

Flying Fish

Coast of Maine

Snow Clouds

Gold Beach

Blueberry Hill

Doin’ the Math

I’ve been sub(s)tracting again…

substract1

And thinking…

How can I inspire you?

(Encaustic monotype ‘substraction’)

Blueberry Beach

blueberry beach

Something I enjoy doing (in my spare time) is browsing through photographs (old and new).  Its fun because a lot of the time I will have completely forgotten about an image I’ve made.  And lately, I’ve been photographing a lot of my artwork too, so that I’ll have a record of the process for reference.  These images usually end up filed away and forgotten, but I stumbled upon a few encaustic monotypes I made recently and this one in particular caught my attention.

Probably because I’ve been Jonesin’ for the beach (Maine in particular).

Hence the name.

The image is actually just a crop from a much bigger piece. I took it with my cell phone (using the Roidizer app).  I really do enjoy using that app!!

Wanting the sticky, salty sweetness

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Searching my heart for its true sorrow,
This is the thing I find to be:
That I am weary of words and people,
Sick of the city, wanting the sea;

Wanting the sticky, salty sweetness
Of the strong wind and shattered spray;
Wanting the loud sound and the soft sound
Of the big surf that breaks all day.

Always before about my dooryard,
Marking the reach of the winter sea,
Rooted in sand and dragging drift-wood,
Straggled the purple wild sweet-pea;

Always I climbed the wave at morning,
Shook the sand from my shoes at night,
That now am caught beneath great buildings,
Stricken with noise, confused with light.

If I could hear the green piles groaning
Under the windy wooden piers,
See once again the bobbing barrels,
And the black sticks that fence the weirs,

If I could see the weedy mussels
Crusting the wrecked and rotting hulls,
Hear once again the hungry crying
Overhead, of the wheeling gulls,

Feel once again the shanty straining
Under the turning of the tide,
Fear once again the rising freshet,
Dread the bell in the fog outside,—

I should be happy,—that was happy
All day long on the coast of Maine!
I have a need to hold and handle
Shells and anchors and ships again!

I should be happy, that am happy
Never at all since I came here.
I am too long away from water.
I have a need of water near.

“Exiled” by Edna St. Vincent Millay

Encaustic Monotype by me.

Sweet! Ribbon Candy without the Guilt

ribbon candy1

Low Fat Beeswax!

Just pulled (off the HotBox)!

And the countryside…

CountryScape

I used the credit card as the painting tool on this print also.

When I get inspired, I work really fast.  I’m not sure why – maybe I’m afraid the inspiration will leave as suddenly as it arrived.

Anyway, this was a very spontaneous process – and a lot of fun too.

I highly recommend it!