Encaustic: BEYOND THE BASICS

I am teaching both encaustic and cold wax and oil workshops again. Check my workshop blog for dates: http://ezshwan.blogspot.com/ 

Of course I offer introduction to encaustic, but more recently I find that people who have some experience with the medium come to learn more than just making sample boards.

We just finished a two day workshop, 12 hours of fun, and learning many encaustic techniques. I love sharing everything I know about this medium, and it is a lot. I shared instruction and demos of how to make encaustic medium and the paint; how to create and use laser transfers, build pattern and detail with a hot pen, incorporate rice papers, oil glazes and more.
Students in my classes make their own paintings with my direction and no one makes the same painting.

I am sure that I had as much fun as Jean and Cynthia had.

60 Years of Making Art Video and Encaustic workshops

I have been sending this video privately to my subscribers, but now, this once, I am sharing it publicly.:https://vimeo.com/121501428

Of course since I made this I have continued creating and newer work can be seen on my website. www.ezshwan.com

And here is my recent announcement for the upcoming encaustic workshops.

Dates of workshops:

June 17 & 18, July 15 &16, August 19 &; 20, Sept. 23 & 24

Check out the workshop blog: http://ezshwan.blogspot.com/ for the details

Abstract; Back to Figurative

For the past 9 months, I have been working on my latest series, "The Lightness of Being" http://www.ezshwan.com/new-work.html and it has been a wonderful creative adventure. I challenged myself to explore different ways to use encaustic with mixed media. Some of these paintings will be in a 3 month show in what I think is the best, most beautiful gallery in San Miguel de Allende , July, August and September.

I may eventually go back to this style, but right now, I am having a break that is fun and keeping me smiling; painting images from old photos of my childhood, and that was a long time ago; a simple time. I have just started. I only put in a couple of hours yesterday, but I am looking forward to getting back into the studio.

I have been working as an artist for a very long time and have no intention of stopping

The new painting, "Here, There and Everywhere"

Begining paint sketches

starting with ink washes on pieces of canvas

Another oldie , a cover of a magazine from about 2002

What Have I Done?

I just got these two big boards from the carpenter. When I ordered them, 100 cm x 150 cm, ( 39 1/2" x 55") , I did not plan ahead. I went to pick them up Saturday and found that they were too big for my little car. I ordered a truck for Monday morning. When I got to the carpenter's workshop, the driver wasn't there. Not surprising in Mexico. I drove home and my daughter offered to use her larger car to retrieve the boards. They are now in my studio, overwhelming everything else, including me. The first free day I have this week, I will start with a few layers of white milk paint.

I wonder if I had been feeling very creative when I ordered them, or just ridiculous. These will be the largest encaustic painting I have ever made. Finishing the 48" x 48" Tetraptych was exciting enough to make me take on the challenge of creating an even bigger encaustic painting, or two. I will post process photos.

The last creation of the Lightness of Being series 48" x 48"

Nobody said it would be easy

I want my latest series to look spontaneous and free flowing. It is not easy for me to do that. I work for days, sometimes weeks to finish the larger of the Lightness of Being series. http://www.ezshwan.com/new-work.html

A couple of weeks after a painting is finished, I forget how hard it was for me to accomplish the result I want and start thinking about the next one.

So far I have made about 14 paintings and I have ordered 4 more boards from the carpenter. So if a diptych is two panels and a triptych is three than what is a four panel piece of art called? TETRAPTYCH (I had to look this up. I had wondered for years, but Google gave me the answer)

Here is the beginning stage

A couple of weeks later.

Process of an Encaustic Painting

This painting started out as watercolor and diluted inks on a couple of layers of milk paint. Then I covered that with clear encaustic. I wanted to keep layering, pushing back the color and pattern and adding more shapes and mark making on continuing layers.

It turned out I wanted more and more white and the only way I could achieve the look I wanted was to paint in white encaustic that had been softened with clear medium.

At the end of each day, I would think, "It is finished", then the next morning when I looked at it I felt "No, it still isn't right" Finally yesterday afternoon I feel it is finished and time to more on to another in this series.

And here is the process:

After the first layer of encaustic medium.

I didn't like the composition with the three shapes in the center and the heavy black shape on the left.

I turn the abstracts around on the easel for a different view. The middle shapes are softened and the heavy black shape is being scraped and layered over.

center shapes are changing; more white over the top black shape.

That shape that is on the left in this view still isn't right

I am happier with it now and call it finished. Lots of white was added.

A horizontal view

Contemplation and encaustic painting

As I mentioned in my last posting, I was in Encinitas CA for a spiritual retreat for 6 days. It was a time of meditation, contemplation and silence. After the days of not speaking, I thought I could live in silence forever; however, a daughter who lives in Scottsdale AZ, picked me up after the retreat and we talked for hours, catching up on everything since our last in-person visit a year ago.

But while in silence, I thought deeply about my life, past and present. I have been a working artist for many years. My first job as a professional was for a publishing company, right out of art school in 1955. In August I will be 84 years old. That's a lot of years of making art. I did take time off to work as an interior designer when fate offered me the opportunity to support my three daughters completely on my own. Now I am asking myself, "what do I really want to create in this last chapter in my life"?  The subject closest to my heart is painting people. I almost didn't make it out of 5th grade because I preferred to sketch my classmates than complete my math workbook.

I have worked in encaustic for 20 years, making both figurative and abstract art. I have taught encaustic workshops for 13 years. Should I quit working in encaustic? After more thought, I realized I do not want to be classified as an encaustic artist, I am an artist using many mediums, but I love using encaustic in mixed media and I do not want to stop giving classes. I get to meet wonderful people that I wouldn't otherwise.

I have some ideas for a new figurative series that probably will include encaustic and/or oil and cold wax.

I wouldn't want to stop sharing all that I know about encaustic with enthusiastic people

If you can't make it to San Miguel de Allende, I offer online classes, https://vimeo.com/251237255

and https://vimeo.com/ondemand/4167

Here are some photos of what I consider heaven on earth. the SRF retreat in Encinitas CA:

Here are some of the resent sales of my encaustic paintings: figurative and abstract