faces of Antigua, and a very happy me!

I started drawing faces when I was 8 years old. Instead of working in my math workbook, I observed my classmates faces and was captivated for the rest of my life... It took me many years to even consider making a painting, or taking a photograph without a person the central focus.

I still love faces and here are some examples of my trip to Guatemala, including a shot of me enjoying my continuing dream of experiencing different cultures . I am blessed!

encaustic inspiration from Guatemala

I got home at midnight last night after a wonderful trip to Antigua, Guatemala. To say that I am inspired, is an understatement. Because of the torrential rains, flooding and roads washed away, we had to revise our plans and spend more time in the city of Antigua. The experience of that city completely surprised me. I was expecting a lovely town with a colorful history, but I was delighted to discover the fabulous, high end dining, exquisite stores and much more.

For this post, I will concentrate on the walls that captured my attention and inspire me to a new series.

If any of you also are inspired by the textures, colors and layering, feel free to use any of the photos.

Photographing encaustic

"Just Me", encaustic on board, 16" x 26"

In between packing for Guatemala, and checking the weather, I am  playing with my new camera. I can see that I will have to re-shoot all my work. The digital camera flattens the images, but at least I have 14 mega pixels now, and I can boost the definition in iPhoto. Here is one I did  2 years ago.

We leave early tomorrow morning. A shuttle service will pick us up a 7 a.m., and drive us directly to the air port in Mexico City. From there we fly into Guatemala City and take another shuttle to Antigua, where is it raining and more rain is expected. We will have to make our own sunshine.

I am hoping to take lots of colorful photos and will post them when I get back at the end of the month.

a tryptic ?

I have been experimenting with my new camera. The learning process is taking a while. Reading instructions can be frustrating for me. I just want to get my hands on the controls and see how it works. Perhaps, I need to use the left side of my brain more often.

I walked around the apartment taking shots and trying out the video. Here is a photo of 3 of my recent "soft" paintings, grouped together.

Burned out!

I am ready for a break. I have been working every day for weeks now. The results of the last few days do not satisfy me. I will put the paintings away, and plan on cleaning the studio soon. It is such a mess, that it is adding to my discontent.

I did rework a couple of older paintings that are fine, and these are posted. I think there are improvements, but at this time, I am not sure I am seeing clearly and I am joining a couple of artists friends for a glass of wine.

Really red!

When I pulled the newest paintings out of the stacks to see what I had finished for the November gallery show, I realized that almost every one had red as the dominant color. don't get me wrong, I like red, but wow, when is enough enough?

With that said take a look at the newest addition. I am sure living in Mexico has had a great influence on my palette.