Ruby Sky, Oil on Linen wrapped canvas by Bente Hansen

Ruby Sky 18x24 Oil on Linen Gallery Wrapped Canvas  SOLD

The sunsets we have in Powell River are amazing.  I didn't start out to paint a sunset but the painting took over and here you are.  There are many rich colours including magenta and violet.  The painting was started with an underlay of transparent colours and from there the majority of it was done using a palette knife.  Thick and juicy.

Blessings for a fabulous day.

Bente

Breaking Free revisited

Breaking Free Revisited 10x18 Encaustic Sold

As I"ve mentioned, one of the beauties of Encaustic is that you can go back and back and back into the wax and keep adding or taking away.  In this one I added something that I am not familiar with.  Neutral White.  It's not a bright white.  I added it to the upper layer and then pooled the wax so that the lower layer would come through.  Meld together.  I think this gives more of the floating feeling that I was searching for.

Blessings for a great day.

Bente

Roiling, Encaustic painting by Canadian artist Bente Hansen

Roiling, encaustic on Cedar Plank Panel 6x16  $125

This encaustic painting has plaster in the bottom dark areas.

I had been reading about an artist that found a way to use clay in her encaustic painting.  Since clay sometimes has a hard time attaching to clay I thought this to be a very complicated approach.  My thought was that if I used plaster, like the plaster that was used to set broken arms, and then added wax to the plaster on the hot plate then the plaster would attach to the bottom layer of wax.  It worked very well.  This way I could get the texture of rocks or anything needed to add height to the piece.

Blessings for an inspiring day.

Bente

Of the Wild, Encaustic Painting by Canadian Artist Bente Hansen

Of The Wild   Encaustic  Sold

This painting has collage paper and sand in it for texture.  I enjoyed adding the splashes of white texture with encaustic dry brush.

IMPORTANT

It has been brought to my attention that if you have signed up to receive these blogposts by email that Google sends you the notification.  BUT if you reply to the email it gets sent back to Googles' no reply email.  What you need to do to comment on the post is to go to the red  Bente Hansen Fine Art at the bottom of that email.  Click on it and it will bring you to my blog.  You comment from there.

I do enjoy receiving comments but this seems very complicated to me.  There must be an easier way.

Blessings for a great day.

Bente

Transformation

Transformation 10x8 Encaustic Mixed Media SOLD

Hot wax, paper, plaster , oil sticks and pastels.

These are some of the things I used in this painting.  The textured area was created with cold dry brush painting.  Between each layer I lightly fused.  Fused so that it glistens but doesn't melt.

Blessings for a great day.

Bente

New Day, Encaustic Painting by Canadian Artist Bente Hansen

New Day 8x10 Encaustic on wood cradle board $80

I posted a different version of this in May.  That's the beauty of Encaustic.  The melted wax turns solid very quickly and you can rework it within minutes or years.  It doesn't matter.

With the stormy days we are having I have revisited some of the abstract that I have that to me are of a wave action nature and made the waves more intentional.  As they are in nature.

Blessings for a great day.

Bente

The Dance, Encaustic by Canadian Artist Bente Hansen

The Dance 8x10 Encaustic on Wood Cradle Board SOLD

I lived with this painting for quite a while.  Couldn't quite figure out what was missing.  As soon as I took the white India Ink and danced over it I knew what was missing.  The spark and energy in the air.

Blessings for a great day.

Bente

Danish History by Canadian artist Bente Hansen

Danish History, 8x10 Encaustic Mixed Media on Wood cradle board $80

This painting started as a monotype print on a Galli Press.  I used oil paint left from oil painting I had recently completed.  Using the Galli Press I made a number of mono types.  When the oil paint dried I glued the paper to the cradle board.  I built on it from there.  First layers of clear encaustic and then string, paper pan pastels and many layers of paint.  The brighter window areas are brushed with a gold powder and rubbed in.  The heat of rubbing with my finder embosses the powder into the wax.  It can then be buffed up to a high sheen.  This image has not yet been buffed.

Blessings for a creative week.

Bente

Fresh Start, Encaustic by Canadian artist Bente Hansen

Fresh Start 8x10 Encaustic on Cradle Board  $80

I reworked this and a few other encaustic paintings this weekend.

I lightly touched a few areas with a bright white to give more of the impression that I wanted .  I am very happy with it now.

Blessings for a great day.

Bente

Rainy Day, Encaustic by Bente Hansen

Rainy Day 12x12 Encaustic on Cradle Board  SOLD

I started this piece with a stencil that was created by cardboard push outs for a game.  Rather than throwing out the cardboard I thought it could make an interesting stencil.  There is a shellac burn, india ink, pan pastels and many layers of wax.

I love the fact that I can go back to existing paintings that haven't sold and try something new on them to make just the right change.

Blessings for a great day.

Bente

The Writer, Encaustic on wooden cradle

The writer 10x8 Encaustic, mixed media on wooden cradle board  $125

This painting started with the image below which was created with a Gell press using the oil paint that I had remaining from a large oil painting I had done.  I used 24lb bright Hammermill copy paper which was gratefully available at our local office supply store.

I glued the paper to the cradle board.  When the glue was dry I drilled and punched holes into the birch so that I could tie the feather to the board.  The wax would likely hold  the feather but wax is not glue and I wanted a guarantee that the feather wouldn't fall off down the road.

I then tried pouring the encaustic wax onto the board.  This ended up being a make work project.  It was really too thick so I spent the next few days trying to get the right amount of wax off to be able to see the image so that I could work on it.

My last step after using oil paint to infuse my lines was to rub pan pastels colors in areas where I felt the oil colors weren't strong enough to my liking.

Buff it up with a soft cloth and here you are.

Blessings for a creative weekend

Bente

30x40 Contemporary Oil

30x40 Contemporary Oil Painting by Bente Hansen SOLD

This painting is the result of someone sending me three separate photos of where they live.  The days in the photos were grey, cloudy and full of cloud movement.  So my brushes randomly put lots of color on the canvas and from there it was a puzzle as to how to put it together.

I can get quite lost in these paintings which is a great thing if other things in life are a challenge. I believe it is meant to help sort out the painting and the challenges at the same time.  A way of getting the order straight.  I wanted the colors there and at the same time it needed to make sense.

Today we have waves crashing and the wind sending branches and twigs onto the deck.  Seems quite fitting that it is the day I post this.

Blessings for a wonderful day.

Bente

Outcropping

Outcropping 10X14x1 Oil and CWM on Cedar Plank  $150

I painted this on a dried 1" cedar plank.  In an attempt to find other substrates I visited a lumber yard specializing in dried cedar.  I bought a few planks and then prepared them with Gesso as I would with a birch cradle board.  I drilled holes in the back for the D Link so the painting can be hung or placed on an iron or wood pedestal.

The painting is oil with the final sky area being mixed with cold wax medium which gives it great depth. In a few weeks time the CWM area can be buffed for a shine.  The other area can be varnished in about 6 months time if you wish to have a shine from the painting. I have also inscribed into the oil at the early stage which you can see in the rock area.  Painted on the sides and signed in the bottom right hand corner.

Blessings for a creative and happy day.

Bente

Dappled Walk Contemporary Oil Painting by Bente Hansen

Dappled Walk 30x40 Oil Painting on gallery Wrapped Canvas

We are having an Open house at the Dancing Tree Gallery in Powell River  on Thursday from 6-9pm.

I painted this for the opening.

We have such gorgeous weather right now and when we walk the dogs in the bush the sunlight streams through the branches.  How do you even begin to paint something like that?  I started abstractly and think I got the feel for the day.

Blessings for a creative and happy day.

Bente

Gatineau Colors, Oil Painting by Bente Hansen

Gatineau Colors 14x11 Oil on Gessoboard   SOLD

I had a wonderful visit to Ottawa. Saw my niece and her 4 character cats.  We spent time driving through the Gatineaus in Quebec.  The days weren't bright but that didn't dampen our spirits.  The colors were glorious so I had to do a painting when I got home.

We get the fall colors here on the west coast but not with the same intensity as Quebec.  I was very happy for the visit and for the time of year.

There was also a display in Ottawa called Mosaic. I happened to catch it on the very last day.  The sculptures were huge. Celebrating Canada's provinces and diversity. The creativity and imagination was humbling.  That they could make such gorgeous images from plants when as artists we may have difficulty putting an image to paper was quite an eye opener.  I was very proud of this display and grateful for the timing.

Blessings for a creative and happy day.

Bente

24x24 Oil Painting by Bente Hansen

24x24 Oil on Gallery Wrapped Canvas, SOLD  painted on the side so that no frame is required

I had fun painting this.  Good thick paint.  Lots of palette knife work.  It came together easily. Depending on my mood, I sometimes like to almost throw the paint and see where it lands and go from there.

Its gorgeous here on the Sunshine coast.  I wish everyone a thankful weekend.

I am thankful to be alive and living in such a gorgeous place and country.

Blessings for a creative day.

Bente

Watercolor by Bente Hansen

Watercolor 6x11 on watercolor paper

In preparation for teaching an Encaustic workshop I thought I should get back to some basics.  The plan was to do some shapes which I could print on my encaustic plate and then glue to a board.  I started with some rice paper and it didn't do what I thought.  Then I grabbed  some standard watercolor paper and this happened instead.  I rather like the standby.

Hope you do too.

Happy Creating.

Bente

Ocean View 6x16 Oil on 1" Cedar Plank

Ocean View 6x16 on 1" sanded cedar plank  $95

I thought I would try something new.  AGAIN.  I am constantly searching for that perfect combination.  I drilled holes in the back so that it can be hung on the wall but I really think it looks best sitting as a display on a table.

I bought some of this cedar to try using with my encaustics and started with the oils.  I never know which way I am going to go until I get to the studio.

Blessings for a great day.

Bente

A Day at the beach

A Day at the beach, acrylic mixed media 16x16  $225

Acrylic mixed media painted on wooden cradle board.  Painted on the sides so that no frame is required.

This one started as an acrylic pour.  I felt it needed more oomph and so I started looking through my cache of beach finds.  The dried up seaweed, parts of shells, beach glass and pebbles.  The gauze painted with gold acrylic was the only attachment that wasn't a beach find.

It's quite interesting when I am walking my pooch on the beach.  We are usually looking out at the beautiful scenery but there are times, at low low tide for example, when there is a twinkle in the sand or something that doesn't blend in with the rest.  This gets my attention and I end up going home with a pocket full of small flat pebbles or shells or even dried seaweed.  I also have a huge container of rusty stuff.  I think, this winter, I will be trying to stain rice paper for my encaustics with that.

We will see how this influences my work in the future.

Blessings for a great day.

Bente

Night Life, Mixed Media, Bente Hansen

Night Life Acrylic Mixed Media 8x10 on Cradle Board  $80

This painting started out as an acrylic pour.  The initial image that came to mind was an evening beach scene but I thought it was too weak.  I added pearlescent acrylic inks and some of my beach finds, including skeletons of baby crabs, shells and small pebbles.  To me this is a true water scene with all the bubbles and little images.

It is painted on the sides so that it can be hung without a frame.

Blessings for a great day.

Bente

Art Cards

 Getting ready for the studio tour this weekend.  Thought it would be a good idea to make some personalized art cards.  Last year I made book marks by dragging watercolor paper through paint that I had put in my enamel palette.  I liked some of the results so much that I kept the book marks and thought it would be fun to do some quick watercolor sketches on watercolor card stock.

Below you see some papers that I made using a baby press.  It was fun getting different results using 3 layers of rice paper.  The Akua inks are water based so I will be able to use them with my acrylic mixed media and encaustic as well.  I loved the top left hand corner one where I printed 3 layers of ink and then the final one was gold on the backside.  The jewel toned effect was fabulous.

Blessings for a great day.

Bente

Breaking Free

Breaking Free 10x18 Encaustic Mixed Media on Cedar Board $175

This painting is done on a kiln dried cedar board.  It is gessoed with encaustic gesso and there are many beach finds including the feathers plus paper and gauze.

This painting tells a story or you can create your own.

Blessings for a great day.

Bente

Outburst

Outburst 12x12 Acrylic on Canvas

I started this painting differently.  This time I did the outside negative space prior to pouring the paint.  I wanted a definite contrast in both solid color and complimentary and value difference. I then poured the blues.  I was aiming for cloud formations but got wave action instead.  That's fine with me.  I am fascinated by both.  When the paint dried which took a number of days I added more dark blues by dropping down water first and then tapping acrylic paint on the water.  This way it dissipates quite nicely and blends in.  It was fun to do.

Blessings for a great day.

Beach Activity, Acrylic painting by Bente Hansen

Beach Activity 18x24 Acrylic on Wooden Cradle Board $240

Happy Summer everyone.  I hope you are enjoying the wonderful weather.

I am blessed to live by the ocean.  The change in the environment can be quite drastic from one hour to the next.  I have figured out while pouring these acrylic paintings that even if I am loving the color combinations, if the painting does not speak to me of some aspect of nature then it becomes a do over.  The painting can conjure the feeling of moving water, wind, landscape, trees.  It doesn't matter as long as there is some aspect of nature in it.

I started this painting upside down meaning for it to be a big sky type of abstract.  Then as it was drying I changed my mind and like it better this way.  I suppose you could hang it one way for a while and then the other way for a while.  I am sure they will both speak to you.

Blessings for a great day.

Bente

Holiday

Holiday 12X16 Acrylic on wooden cradle Board  $150

Blessings for a great day.

Bente

Abstracted Landscape

Abstracted Landscape  11x14 Acrylic on Canvas

I considered calling it OOPSIE.  The fly in the photo in the bottom right hand corner isn't actually stuck on the painting.  It was just there when I took the photo and I didn't see it in the lens.   I will take another photo without the fly. LOL.  Just goes to show that when we are busy we don't necessarily see what is right in front of us.

Blessings for a great day.

Bente

Happy Canada Day

Happy Canada Day 9x12 Acrylic on Canvas

It started out looking like a Maple Leaf.  The paint had another idea!  I don't mind.  It's all about the imagination.

150 years of Sovereignty and prior to that who knows how many years of beautiful country.  I am proud to be Canadian and very happy to live in this beautiful place.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Bente