Its safe to say I spent the majority of the weekend playing in the (encaustic) studio. And I have FIVE noteworthy things to tell you about – if you happen to be interested in all things encaustic…

One.

I found a new medium that I love.  Clairvoyant Medium – cool name, huh?  I happened to be looking through the source section of Daniella Woolf’s book, The Encaustic Studio and saw reference to it. I ordered a 1 lb. bag to try it out (clairvoyantencaustics.com) and am definitely going to re-order.  The medium comes in small cubes, which I find extremely handy – it heats up quickly and is great for those working smaller, which I happen to be.  No need to wait around for the larger container to heat up…and the surface is lovely; silky, creamy and smooth – yummy!

Two.  Get an anti-fatigue mat to put by your table.

Three.  Consider CFL lights (compact fluorescent light) – they’re available in ‘natural daylight’ and come in different wattages.  REALLY makes a difference if you have ‘light issues’ like I do.  Nice, cool, clean, natural light.  (5000K) *Note: There are clean-up requirements for these bulbs; be careful with them (they contain mercury).

Four.  Make sure you have the proper type of fire extinguisher in your studio.  There are extinguishers for different types of fires.  Read the label and get the extinguisher you need for the area you work in (i.e. workshops), if your studio contains solvents.  It makes a difference!

And, Five.  

Check out the ‘heated palette’ I got for 19 bucks!! Remove the serving dishes and frame and you’ve got a perfectly flat, square surface to use as a palette or (and the reason I wanted it) for monoprinting!  The instructions said the warmer would only reach temperatures of 170 degrees.  I knew that wouldn’t be enough…but (being the savvy shopper that I am), figured since it was cheap, it probably wasn’t too accurate either and I was right!  I bought a surface thermometer and it reached 250 degrees! There is a temperature dial – so you can adjust it – it works great!

And here’s a tour of the space…(I couldn’t resist more images of my palette)