Small abstract watercolor

Small Abstract Watercolor on Rives BFK Paper

I decided to take a break from my experiments with encaustic and do some immediate painting.  This is a new approach to watercolor. A lot of fun and idea generating.  I've done a series of brief paintings, this being the first.

Blessings for a great day.

Bente

Spring Energy

Spring Energy 12X12 Encaustic on Wood Cradle Panel

Transformation

Transformation 10X8 Encaustic (Hot Wax) on Wood Cradle Painted on the sides so that no frame is required.

This painting started out as a tree. It was then turned upside down and became a flower.  Then a landscape and now a Transformation.

Its like a metaphor for life.  If one thing doesn't work keep trying.  Come at it from a different direction.  "What if?"

Blessings for a great day.

Bente

Ice Blue

Ice Blue 12X12x1 1/2 Gallery Birch Wood Panel

If you've been reading my posts you know I am working with Wax both Hot and Cold.

The hot wax has so many things that happen to it that seemed to be a disadvantage.  I finally figured out how to turn it around.  At least I think that's what I have done here.

If you zoom in you can actually see the brush strokes below the sky.  If I had heated up the wax to the point that it was molten it would of floated any which way.  Instead I lightly fused to join the top layer to the one below and then I rubbed in the oil color to fill the gaps. I rubbed in different colors in different areas so that it is difficult to tell whether the color comes from a layer below.

This is also a larger substrate with the goal being to go larger and larger.

Blessings for a great day.

Bente

Abstraction

Abstraction 10X8 Encaustic on wooden cradle panel

Finding a way to abstraction

I was cutting up prints and cards that I had on hand to create some colorful business cards for an Art Auction that I will be in on the 7th of May here in Powell River.  You can see some of them above.  While doing that I thought it would also be a good idea to make some out of watercolor with paper that I have on hand.  

I started by taking a large serving plate and randomly dropping the watercolor paint onto it and then dragging the paper through.  I used two shades of blue so that I would have a value change.  This process seemed a little weak in color.  You can see the examples on the left.  Even though the color was weak I liked the random abstraction.  At this point I ditched the plate and started painting directly onto the paper with clear water and then first dropping the lighter blue color into the water and then the darker blue.  This gave me more intensity which I rather liked. You can see examples on the right.

From here I took a bright yellow and swirled over the blue and then finally the red.  I felt that the dots seemed to balance out the composition and were very important.  This was a great exercise to get potential painting ideas for the future.

I have been very busy in the last month.  I took an Encaustic painting course from Nancy Crawford, in Fort Langley.  I highly recommend this if you are considering such a course.  You can find her on U tube, Pinterest and Facebook.

I've also taken 3 online encaustic courses with Galli Publishing.  The instructor is Daniella Woolf and somehow I feel like I know her really well.  Great course, reasonably priced and well worth the money spent.  I also purchased a few DVDs on both Cold Wax Painting and Encaustic.  

You would think at this point I should be pretty good.  My husband says mistakes are simply learning experiences.  I should be pretty smart by now.  NOT.  It will take more play and time.

Meanwhile I think I will be digging up my other paints in between to see what ideas I can generate.

Happy painting and blessings for a great day.

Bente

Cloud Dance  Oil on Canvas

This painting was revisited many times.  I have settled on this now.  You can compare it to my last post and see what you think.

I am experimenting with many new techniques so hopefully you will be seeing something quite different in the near future.

Cheers

Bente

Cloud Dance

Cloud Dance 20X24 Oil on Canvas $525

I have been working with paint and wax and heat and a whole new way of working.  I then had to take a break and get out my palette knives and see if I could still put paint to canvas with lots of texture and color.

I will let you decide.

Blessings for a great day.

Bente