Sometimes Art Isn’t What It Looks Like

Sometimes, doing art is the business of doing art. My “art” today was visiting The Women’s Building to talk with them about putting up my art.

Here’s a photo of the blank “canvas” – walls in the lobby near the entrance to their large meeting space. I was thrilled to be offered this space. I was thinking I would be offered some space on the 4th floor, near their offices. This lobby space will get a lot more traffic!

So, it is a GO for April! I’ll be exhibiting six large pieces and sixteen smaller pieces. I’ll have plenty of time to work on fixtures to hang and protect the art.

Tuesday – Women’s Building Interview

Tomorrow I’m very excited to be meeting with the Exec Director of a non-profit in San Francisco to see if my artwork that I did while at the Women’s Art Intensive summer 2007 retreat will be accepted to be hung in their space.

Since the installation is large (4 pieces that are 6′ long scrolls and 2 pieces that are 15′ long), it is challenging to find suitable places to put the art.

Wish me luck!

Artwork to be Donated

Well, I didn’t get any art done today, and I am still at work, so that is understandable. But, I did get an opportunity to donate two pieces for an upcoming conference in July. I haven’t made them yet, but I will get working on something soon, unless I find something suitable in my “inventory.”

Last time I donated something, it got fought over and ended up selling for $500 to raise money for my niece’s elementary school. The principal got outbid and I ended up doing a second piece for her.

MLK Day


Today is MLK day. It’s dreary out, intermittently raining with cold sunshine.

This is a motel sign you can create yourself.

Paperless, portable art!

His & Hers

Here are my first encaustic painting results I’m willing to share.

I titled these “His and Hers.” They’re made from leftover wax scrapings I received in class last week. I especially like the pink which is a mixture I probably could not have come up with on my own, and it is a color I’m really attracted to working with.

The set up with the new griddle and sardine cans worked great. I didn’t blow any fuses or catch anything on fire. (Note to self: get a fire extinguisher for the kitchen and garage. My house has a fire alarm and sprinkler system, but I’d hate to see it go off with all the water damage that would ensue.)

These pieces are 9×9 on cradled gesso board. I used the Holy Grail as a primer, then 2 coats of clear beeswax (without damar; that hasn’t arrived yet). A tracing paper drawing of gears went on top of those 2 coats of wax, after a good fusing. I was able to get a very nice smooth and milky surface, which I ended up covering up, but fun to practice with the heat gun to get rid of all the bubbles.

The stripe is a combination of wax pastel overlaid with the wax paint. When I went to fuse these areas, the wax pastel broke up underneath. The detail is gorgeous – very ephemeral – but hard to capture in this photo. (Tip: click on the photo and it will pop up in a new window, enlarged. I can see the speckly details on my iMac; can you?)

Now on to a couple of little pieces on the press.