My Year in Review

It seems to me that the older I get, the faster the years fly by. Here we are in December with the new year of 2020 lurking just around the corner.

Although I seem to be caught up with almost everything but making art, it has been a creative year.

The series, "The Lightness of Being", that may be finished, (I haven't been able to work in the studio for over a month) was a exciting project. I created unique techniques, at least for me. Usually my newest series are slower to sell. I am not sure why, but this series has been received well by viewers and collectors.

In October, I created some works on un-stretched canvas , matted and ready to frame, that I offered as a special sale for the month of November. They are now back to the full price and I will be posting them on my online galleries. Thank you to the collectors that took advantage of the sale.

Click the link below to see the full series of "The Lightness of Being"

http://www.ezshwan.com/the-lightness-of-being.html

I have been teaching both group and private encaustic classes and teaching drawing to one young man and portrait painting in oils to a young woman.  Neither of these students had drawn or painted before. I am pleased to be able to share really seeing to them.

I have the dates and information for the next encaustic workshops. Let me know if you would like to sign up or are interested in other dates.
Jan. 20 & 21, 2020
Feb. 10 & 11
Private workshop:6 hours of individual attention: These are tailored to your needs; anything you want to learn and focus on. I am specializing in private classes, because so much can be accomplished.  You can take a cab ( taxis are inexpensive in San Miguel) or drive. Directions on my website; http://www.ezshwan.com/directions-to-studio.html

One day private workshop; $275 plus $40 materials fee 10 am to 4pm
Two day private workshop,; $550 $60 material fee
Some artists want the fast track to learning my techniques.
You will work side by side with me in my 
studio, creating your own work with direct input,
demos and suggestions from me.
The curriculum will be designed exactly to 
fit your needs.
deposit of $100 required.
​
​Two person One day workshop, $160 plus $25 materials fee​ 10 am to 4pm

THESE GROUP CLASSES ARE INTENDED FOR AT LEAST 3 PEOPLE. If you have 3 or more people interested, I will plan around your schedule.

THESE ENCAUSTIC GROUP CLASSES ARE INTENDED FOR AT LEAST 3 PEOPLE.

One Day Workshops: $125 USD plus $25 materials fee 10 am to 4pm

Two Day Workshops: $250 USD plus $40 materials fee 10am to 4 pm

Three Day Intensive: $350 USD plus $60 materials fee. 10 am to 4 pm

A deposit of $100 required at registration. Click PayPal button. The remainder of the fee can be paid the first day of class, in pesos at the exchange rate of the day, or a U.S. check

Day 1 & 2 of the encaustic workshop will cover all the basics, including information about how to make paint, about the commercial paints and their applications, about supports, grounds and techniques: paint application, fusing, glazing, inscribing and mixed media approaches, safety, materials, demos of applying paint, glazing, fusing, How to get that smooth surface! Introducing mixed media, creating lines and texture.. I will emphasize how these techniques can be developed to create a unique encaustic language for each student. I will talk (and demo) how to create glaze layers, as well as some special techniques like inscribing. You will leave with a printout containing all the information you need as well as a list of suppliers.

I give participants a thorough introduction to the encaustic medium method. Artists with backgrounds in almost any medium will find these workshops are an exciting opportunity to expand their visual vocabulary with wax. Some who attend have some familiarity with encaustic, others don't, but want to expand their artistic experience. This mix of artists adds to the learning experience and often inspires all to try new techniques.

In the advanced classes, we focus on surfacing, embedding, transparencies, glazing and hot pen, image transfers, India ink mark making and more. We will explore combining oil and encaustic and dipping. You should have several finished paintings after the workshops.

I will supply all the materials, encaustic paint. brushes, support panels, electric tools, scrapers and propane torches, as well as showing how you can make your own paints and set up your own encaustic studio.

If you want to bring some things to collage you can. Old drawings or prints or photographs can combine with encaustic, but the paper must be porous and not glossy or coated. Encaustic works with almost anything but acrylic or plastics.

Experiment with all the materials and create your own finished encaustic paintings in class.

The workshops are held in my home studio from 10 a.m. to  4p.m. each day. This allows the participants hundreds of examples of my encaustic painting over the last 14 years, including "what not to do!"

Cancellations 2 weeks before workshop will receive a full refund. 1 week before, 30% will be refunded. No deposit refunds after that.

Sell Art Online?

The other day a neighbor stopped in and saw some of my new sale paintings. She said,"These are beautiful. People have to see them." Why don't you take them to the park on Sundays?

I don't remember saying anything to her, but I am sure my expression was of incredibility. I stopped dragging my paintings to open air, un-juried art venues about 50 years ago.

 I sell from my personal home gallery and brick and mortar galleries.and online galleries. I can't remember how many solo and group shows that I participated in, and I will continue to do that, but times are different now. Millions of paintings are sold online. A report from 2017 said that an estimated $5.4 billion in art and antiques were sold online.

I also sell from FaceBook and Instagram, Saatchi Art https://www.saatchiart.com/account/artworks/312358 and Turning Art. Two other online galleries have asked me to join them and I will be working on adding images for them soon

This take time and effort but I am a professional artist and selling is my business. I owned a large art gallery in Scottsdale AZ where we represented many artists. This was years ago before internet selling was important. I found that most of our artists didn't;t want to bother with all the details of The Business of Art. They seemed to think that being an artist was enough. I reminded them that no-one was going to slip a check under their studio door, without a lot of effort .

I created a non-profit business to teach them art marketing, but very few of the artists showed up for the meetings. I taught the same thing at the University of Southern Oregon, and the few artists who listened and acted, prospered.
 
I believe it is easier now that so much can be done sitting at our computer. Yes, it takes time, but doesn't anything worthwhile take time?  I have been asked to teach art marketing again. I hesitate because there is much available information online covering this and anyone truly interested will take advantage of this kind of selling.

Below are some of the recently sold paintings,

Free International Shipping!

Free shipping! This is the first time I have offered that. Perhaps it will be the last time, but I want to make this sale offer something special and affordable to own or gift one of my original paintings.
The last painting that I shipped from Mexico to California arrived in ONE DAY!

Thank you to all the collectors who have chosen to claim one of these special paintings for themselves.

It is not too late to buy one or more of these unique, original paintings. The offer is good until the end of November.

Here are some of the available works. They are all matted 16"x 20", in a plastic sleeve, and ready to frame.

The figurative ones are a bit higher in price. It took many days to complete them.
I accept credit cards via PayPal.

Encaustic and mixed media on paper. Matted size 16" x 20" $250, Next month they go back to the original price of $450 dollars. 50% off this month plus free shipping. Who on your Christmas list would love an original painting at this great price?

Matted size, 16" 20".Next month they go back to the original price of $450 dollars. 50% off this month plus free shipping. Who on your Christmas list would love an original painting at this great price?

$250 includes the shipping. Next month they go back to the original price of $450 dollars. 50% off this month plus free shipping. 

encaustic on paper, matted and ready to frame, $175 Sale price

cold wax and oil on paper, $175 sale price

encaustic on paper $175, sale price

Pre-Christmas Painting Sale

The framed original painting

This is how this painting would look in a simple black frame

From My Studio to Your Wall

Who on your Christmas list will receive a very special gift?

I have been working on smaller paintings that fit into a 16" x 20" white mat with backing, in a plastic sleeve. They are easy to ship and slip into a ready-made standard frame. I want to include free international shipping, just for the month of November and the first week of December. You can choose your own frame when you receive the painting.

I thought I could make a painting a day, but that hasn't worked out because I stared adding layers of encaustic, stenciling and transversals; using the techniques I developed for my latest abstract series. Many days of work went into each of these paintings. 

I still want to offer a temporary discount of 30% and I will pay for shipping. The original price is $295 on the portraits, minus 30% = $206, and I will pay the $50 shipping to the United States. If you live in an other part f the world, I will have to refigure shipping cost.

These are the 6 available paintings; matted and ready to frame.

detail

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Artists Are Always Young

"Artist are Always Young" this quote was written under my high school year book photo.

I remember the picture well, I had just come back from a swimming class and my hair was a mess. I chucked at the quote, not being terribly impressed at 17 years old, I was more concerned about the unflattering photo.

Me, 2019

Dad' Day at the University of Illinois, where I was majoring in painting and commercial design

In this shot from a local newspaper, I was working from a nude model, circa 1959

Now, many, many years later, I understand. Artists are always young because we are never finished with our work. Just when I get the inclination to put the paints away, I get another idea about developing more techniques for my paintings.

It has been more than 60 years that I have been a working artist.

Just finished this abstract. Encaustic and mixed media, on board

I had a battle convincing my parents to let me be an art major in college. My mother often said, "You are going to have to survive on beans and live in a cold-water flat." She insisted that I take a semester of typing so I could get a job after school. My first job was in the art department in a book publishing company in Chicago.

I always carried a sketchbook when I was traveling with my jazz musician, Kai Winding. I sketched and painted musicians for 12 years.

backstage at the Nice, France jazz festival, circa 1981

Process of a very large mural, circa 1990

My Christmas display in Artisimo Gallery's gift shop. About 23 years ago.

My partners in my first gallery, Artisimo, Scottsdale AZ. Note the T shirts I painted for some occasion.

My first abstract painting done during my second year in art school. Casein on illustration board. circa 1953

I Repeat, I Am Not An Encaustic Artist

Sure, I have worked in the encaustic medium for 20 years. I can share many simple and advanced encaustic techniques and am always stretching what can be done with this medium, but that is not all that I do and love.

Diversity . The antonym is "Uniformity" Years ago someone suggested it would be better for my career if I would stick to one style and medium so my work could be easily be recognized. I have been working professionally since I was 21. I was hired by a book publisher in Chicago to work in the art department. I am now 85 years old. That would have been a lot of years making the same paintings. I wouldn't have lasted or kept my sanity.

August was a busy month. I had a full encaustic workshop, a drawing class and a new student learning to paint portraits in oil. I love it; going back and forth from abstract to figurative and using different techniques. In between, I have started another mixed media, encaustic abstract.

If you can measure and understand negative space, you can draw.

First we laid out our palettes, and started with the darkest darks, working through the mediums and the lightest color is last.

Everyone was busy making their original encaustic paintings. Next week is a new class

I start with the white milk paint base; apply watercolor and diluted inks and then the clear encaustic. Lots more layers to come.

Comprehensive Encaustic Workshops

learning to incise

The August workshops are over and both the group class of 5 people and the private class of advanced techniques were fun and inspiring, both for me and the participants. I am planning the next workshop in September.

group class

Advanced technique class

I will be taking a break from teaching in October to visit family in Scottsdale Arizona. In many ways that it a bit like going home. Here is where I, with a partner, opened my first gallery. It was a tremendous amount of work. I learned a great deal, especially about working with other artists. I have great respect for professional galleries. I understand what it takes to represent, display, advertise and host openings. Time, money and patience is needed.

Gallery reception

I am planning a 3 days workshop in October. Two people have already signed up and there is room for two more. It will be comprehensive

My 3-Day Encaustic  workshop provides a solid base in techniques and best practises for working with encaustic. Throughout this class, I encourage creative development in painting, layering, mark-making, and mixed media work. Students are introduced to effective studio setup, tools, and health and safety. I begin by approaching encaustic as a direct painting medium. Students become familiar and comfortable with brushwork, fusing, and layering.

Advanced techniques

I supply all the materials

Day 2 of the intro to encasutic

 This class examines the specific characteristics which make wax a unique material to work with; including opacity, temperature, adhesion, and texture. Next, we look at the many ways encaustic is adaptable to other mediums and artistic processes. Additional techniques we explore include collage,  image transfer, and combining oil and wax. After each demonstration, you are given time to work hands-on with the wax to explore each technique at your own pace. By the third day I will spend at least an hour working personally with each student, answering any and all questions.

Demo for the three day class

Encaustic workshops, gallery shows and sales

I haven't had the time to post much lately. The days have been full and positive, so here is a catch up.

The beginning of August I had the privilege of showing my work in two wonderful galleries in San Miguel de Allende.

One of my larger paintings outside the door of the gallery. Sold

Opening night. That is me talking to the young sculptor who made the work in the middle

The invitation to the Nude exhibit at the second gallery

Someone checking out my paintings. These are older oil paintings

Then my daughter, Cynthia Hamilton and I went to Mexico City for a wonderful short vacation to celebrate my birthday. We are never disappointed by our visits to this huge city.
Checking Google I found this:

"Mexico City has more museums than any other city in the world (150+ at last count). ... The most famous national museums are the Anthropology and HistoryMuseum, the Natural History Museum, the Modern Art Museum, the San IldefonsoMuseum, and the Templo Mayor museum" 

None of these were on our agenda, although I have visited all of them at other times. We always start our adventure by going to the Tamayo art museum. We decided since we only had a few days, not to venture unto the unknown and just retrace our steps to our favorite places.

Here is Cynthia in the park next to our hotel in Colonia Roma

An afternoon glass of rosé at the Tamayo museum

This old lady on this old bench in Chapultepec part next to the Modern Art Museum and across from the Tamayo museum

Then to add to this art filled month, I had a full workshop for the introduction to encaustic.

This was a beginning class in encaustic for all the participants

Everyone worked differently and I worked individually with each one, using slightly different techniques after the basics of encaustic were mastered.