EncaustiZINE June 2017 by International Encaustic Artists

Learn how to photograph your art with this free, easy tutorial from Nicholas Wilton

Having good photographs of your work is essential to the success of any artist, and it has never been easier to do this yourself. The advent of new technology such as digital cameras and Adobe Photoshop have made it possible for all creatives to take and edit high quality images of your art. Join us as we walk you through this simple, step-by-step process that will result in outstanding, professional grade images. TO SIGN UP FOR FREE GO TO: https://art2life.lpages.co/how-to-take-better-photos-of-your-work-opt-in-page/

Dear members, I’m so excited for this issue of encaustiZINE©, our newsletter for members. We have some fantastic contributions from several members and an article from a guest artist. Melissa Rubin has done her usual outstanding job of curating this issue. Have you ever wondered if your chapter could pull off a special event such as a workshop or group exhibition in a special location? Read the article by Chapter/Membership Director Janet Hickok for some ideas. In the near future, Janet will have an exciting announcement about some new opportunities for our chapters. Stay tuned! This is the season for the Project Grant applications. The Project Grant is a $1250 grant for midcareer artists to support a specific project or body of work. This year two grants will be awarded. I’m very proud of the work our Board is doing to bring these and other opportunities to our members. Apply here. But hurry, the deadline is June 30th! https://www.international-encaustic-artists.org/ProjectGrantApplication The Board is currently in urgent need of a new Secretary. This is one of the positions that has some legal significance as a California corporation. The duties are not severe, but they are important. The Secretary prepares minutes of Board meetings and signs certain documents on behalf of the Corporation (this is a rare event). The Secretary need not reside in California. If you would be willing to serve in this capacity, please write me at president@internationalencaustic-artists.org. Our Mission Statement says it all: The International Encaustic Artists (IEA) supports the growth and advancement of artists at all stages of their careers, and provides opportunities and resources within a global community. Your Board of Directors is constantly looking for ways to enhance the value of your membership. If you have an idea, I invite you to write to me at president@international-encaustic-artists.org. Happy summer!

Melissa Morton Lackman President, IEA 1

I don’t know about you, but I don’t refer to myself as an ‘encaustic artist’. Ask me what I do, or who I am, and I will tell you I am, first and foremost, an artist. It doesn’t mean I don’t like encaustic. On the contrary, I love encaustic. But, I also love oils, gouache, powdered pigments, cold wax, graphite, papers, textiles, photography, hardware, printmaking, you name it. If it is tactile, mysterious, multi-leveled, multi-layered and full of possibilities I’m there. Ask me ‘what kind’ of artist I am and I will tell you I’m an artist who works in a variety of media, more commonly known as ‘mixed media’; encaustic is just part of my ‘tool box’. There is flexibility in allowing oneself to delve into an array of materials, even if we may feel encaustic is our primary medium. Being open to new methods, new techniques and new media can only enhance what we do as creative, and unconventional, thinkers. I’m willing to stretch, expand my view, and give some new things a try. I know I won’t like everything I encounter, but there’s always a surprise to be found when I least expect it. In this Spring/Summer issue of encaustiZINE©, we hear from a wide range of artists who work with a diverse tool box of materials: items bought at a hardware store; metals; collage; cold wax; photography; textiles and more. We also hear from one member who is an expert at using social media, another material that deserves some attention. Our Membership & Chapters Director, Janet Hickok gives some great advice for chapters interested in having visiting artist workshops. I am also happy to announce we now have a ‘Listings’ section where members can list their exhibitions and workshops. I hope you enjoy reading these articles as much I did! Melissa Rubin Editor, encaustiZINE©: A Digital Publication of IEA Vice President, IEA

beginning with endless possibilities. Should I add more paper to create a collage? Should I make additional marks or even paint on top of the work I’ve mounted? Should I deepen the darks? Add some additional color or fine lines? Whatever I choose to do with the underneath layer, when it’s time to add the encaustic, a game of hide and seek begins as I interact with the painting, sketch or print below, obscuring or revealing as I go. I have scraped back the encaustic entirely in Perhaps because of its multiple properties, encaustic is what certain sections of a work, revealing the pen and ink, old print I think of as a “process” material. It encourages or graphite markings underneath. In other works I’ve experimentation and a certain spontaneity, a go-with-the- intentionally allowed the encaustic layers to build in order to flow (excuse the pun) mentality. The process of melting, obscure what’s underneath until only shadows remain. (I’ve applying or pouring encaustic and watching it transform been told these more deeply layered works look from a liquid to a solid in a matter of seconds never gets “mysterious,” which I consider a compliment.) I’ve also old. This shape-shifting phenomenon can be repeated incised or simply drawn on the encaustic surface as another endlessly as the wax is reheated or further way of interacting with what can be seen down pouring is done. through the layers of encaustic. The process of Let’s face it. Encaustic is amazing stuff. It can be used for painting, sculptural work, mixed media and collage, making prints and interacting with photographic images. It can be carved, roughened, worked until it is as smooth as glass, thinned until it acts as a translucent glaze and combined with ceramics, metals, paper, wood, found objects, fabrics and other materials and surfaces too numerous to mention.

melting, applying or For my own part, while I love working with Repurposing old works on paper is one way to pouring encaustic and what I think of as “pure” encaustic, layering go. Another is to experiment with combining watching it transform and fusing as usual and observing the from a liquid to a solid encaustic with hardware store or other unusual complex interactions between the layers of in a matter of seconds materials. I have an abiding curiosity about what color and medium, my focus for the past other materials might work with encaustic, or never gets old. several years has been combining it with resist working with it, which can be equally hardware store and other unusual materials and working interesting in terms of effect. For me the experimentation over old drawings, paintings on paper and prints. This begins with an idea of what I want to make, and if in my recycling of former “rejects” encourages me to look at bits estimation the usual artistic materials won’t do the job, it’s and pieces of old work in a new way. Some of the most time to hit the hardware store or the internet to see what I can initially unsatisfying pieces have worked wonderfully as the find that could be adapted for my purposes. My Low Tide first layer of an encaustic painting or mixed media work. It series is a good example of getting creative with materials to was always hard to throw things away but now I have an get the effect I wanted. excuse to keep my flat file drawers full of odds and ends that either failed to live up to my expectations or never I was thumbing through my sketchbook one day in search of seemed to go anywhere. new ideas when I came across some printouts of photos I had

taken with my iPhone one very cold winter day on a beach north of Boston. The tide was draining out of the marshes above the waterline that day and carving intricate patterns in the wet sand as it headed towards the sea. Because of the low skies and late winter light, there was no color in the images I took, just a multitude of blacks, whites and grays.

However, there’s more to this than simply reusing old works on paper and this is where the translucent properties of encaustic come in. Taking an old painting, sketch or print and mounting it to a panel, for example, gives me a Opposite: Low Tide no.20 © Barb Cone

layering it on. As it dried it shrunk a bit and fissures appeared. At first I was unhappy with the fine line cracks, but then I decided that they looked naturally occurring and actually added something to the imagery. The compound was so sticky I had to let it dry a bit before I could carve into it. Too dry and it would be too hard to carve, so it was a process of trial and error. After the 21 pieces were carved, I sanded each to get a more finished look, then coated them with encaustic gesso and let them dry. The next step was to choose the best way to suggest the colors of the wet sand. For this purpose I used watermedia and powdered graphite over the gessoed surface, painting areas of contrast and rubbing the graphite into the gesso and varying the amount to create lights, darks and mid-range tones.

ABOVE: Low Tide no.5 © Barb Cone

I was intrigued with the idea of working with these images, building a surface and carving into it like the water had carved into the sand, experimenting with a limited palette of black, white and gray and incorporating encaustic to suggest the presence of the moving water. I decided on 18”X18”X1.5” birch panels for the purpose. I tried some modeling clays to build a surface on which to carve but they didn’t stick to the panel properly. I needed something wetter and stickier. I bought some cement patching compound and some wall-patching compound. The wall-patching compound was the winner, even though it was frustrating to work with, wanting to stick to my fingers instead of lying smoothly on the panel. Patching compound is designed to be used as a thin coating, but I needed between a quarter to a half-inch of it on the panel to allow the carving to happen, so I kept ABOVE: Low Tide no.6 © Barb Cone

ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT: Low Tide no. 16; Low Tide no.17; Low Tide no. 18 © Barb Cone

The final step was doing a pour of encaustic medium into the grooves I’d carved into the patching compound. It was tricky to tape the edges properly with the irregular surface. Sometimes the encaustic ran out and other times I poured too much in and had to re-heat and drain some of it out until the “water” level was where I wanted it. All in all it took months to complete the 21 pieces in the Low Tide series. I’ve sometimes been asked how the series grew to such a size and I always say that it took twenty-one panels to say everything I had to say about what I saw on the beach that day. Barb Cone (www.coneart.com) is the co-founder of MassWax, the New England chapter of International Encaustic Artists. She is the recipient of the 2016 La Vendeenné Award for Artistry, bi-annually awarded by International Encaustic Artists. Barb was featured in the “Ones To Watch” section of Maine Magazine, March 2017 issue and is the subject of a feature article in ArtBeat Magazine out of Denver CO, April 2017. She is also featured in “Flashpoints” in the JanuaryFebruary issue of Art New England. Barb was interviewed on ‘It’s All About Arts’ on Boston Neighborhood Network Television, February 2017. Selection of Current and Upcoming Exhibitions: Solo Exhibition NovemberDecember 2016, Mayor’s Gallery, Boston City Hall, Boston MA; Masterpiece Gallery, Boston Design Center, Boston MA; Portland Art Gallery, Portland ME; Coldwell Banker Gallery, February-March 2017, Back Bay, Boston MA; Encaustic Art Institute Gallery, Santa Fe NM; Cambridge Art Assn. National Prize Show, May-June 2017, Cambridge MA

The Low Tide Series, Nos 1-21, began with a winter’s walk on a beach at low tide. Under a big cold sky, the color drained from the landscape, reduced by lack of light to a neutral palette of black, white, and gray. Every few yards the terrain changed as the water draining from the tidal marsh carved wide, shallow channels in the sand as it headed towards the sea. The 21 birch panels in the series are 18”HX18”WX1.5”D. Mixed media, watercolor, graphite and encaustic.

mixing it up Â

by elle maclaren

As both an encaustic artist as well as a mixed media artist, I am interested in how encaustic paint lends itself uniquely to the addition of other materials. Whether applied or juxtaposed, textures and surfaces of other media compliment the quality of the surface of beeswax. Some of the materials I like to use with encaustic are metal, paper, cloth, iron filings, graphite, powders, metallic leaf, found objects and many more. The possibilities seem endless.

the color beneath. I dip stones into encaustic and dust them with metallic powder after the wax has hardened. When the powder is heated with a heat gun it becomes molten and alchemy has occurred! Iron filings can be fused into encaustic and then sprayed with a rusting patina. These are only a few examples of many methods I achieve when playing with materials.

The surface of encaustic can also be altered in many ways I hold a BFA in drawing and painting, and painted solely in with mixed media. Fusing and embedding objects is an easy oil for 30 years. I began working with encaustic 18 years ago. way to add texture and imagery by carving into the surface I am self taught, learning from books and experimentation, and filling in with powders, wires, iron filings, stones, etc. as I prefer to delve into a new medium and learn mostly from I like to create lines with wire or thin pieces of metal or wood experience. Prior to working with encaustic I was making as a different form of drawing. I absolutely love the way collage type pieces with copper, aluminum, creamy oil sticks glide across the surface of brass and steel that I patinated. Working with encaustic and metal; a sensual way of mark The possibilities metal has evolved during my time with making. Rubbing metallic and iridescent mixed media encaustic and is the material I add most often. powders into the wax and then briefly heating it presents are achieves a luminous effect. expansive and I find The possibilities mixed media presents are that working with expansive and I find that working with many My first encaustic/mixed media series was the many materials at materials at once heightens my creativity. I “Shield Series.” The shields were made by once heightens my have a large and diverse collection of media in building up many layers of microcrystalline wax creativity. my studio at all times. Almost anything lying and carving it into a two dimensional relief. around from some sort of project is fair game – Several layers of encaustic paint sealed the tile, wood, glass, fabric, etc. Whenever I see a new medium micro and gold or copper leaf was applied and patinated. that I am inspired to combine with encaustic I purchase it Because mycrocrystalline wax is soft it allowed me to carve and keep it ready and waiting. I have dozens of different out areas in order to place objects, such as stones, into it. types of patina lining the shelves in my studio. I collect Bits of string, brass screening and beads also adorn the objects wherever I go. I get particularly excited about rusty paintings. metal findings and stones. I have all these around me in my studio and I love to play with them as the painting evolves. A series of smaller works came later where steel panels were It is meditative. placed next to encaustic areas. Besides using chemical patinas on steel I began making my own rust using hydrogen I strive to push the limits of altering materials. Beautiful peroxide and salt. This produced interesting textures and colors of patina can be sprayed on different metals, metal images that would dictate what happened on and in the leaf and metal wire and objects. Applying metal leaf to warm encaustic. The series references relationship, and it became wax has a lovely effect as very small pieces rub off revealing a dance of sorts working back and forth with the juxtaposed OPPOSITE: Passage 18”x12”, 2016 © Elle MacLaren

ABOVE: Transition Shield, 36”x30”, 2006 © Elle MacLaren BELOW: Shield Trilogy (detail); detail from 1 of 3 in a series, 12”x12”, 2006 © Elle MacLaren

ABOVE: Sea Tale, 24”x24”, 2014 © Elle MacLaren

media. I realized the exciting fact that experimentation revealed images in the process. Currently, I am moving towards a more minimalistic approach with my work. My latest series, titled “As Above So Below”, a study of the surfaces of the planets, explores large areas of encaustic color and texture with subtle enhancement using oil, oil sticks, graphite and powders. This series is inspired by NASA photos taken in space that, to me, look very much like encaustic paintings.

ABOVE: Mercury, 24”x14”, 2015 © Elle MacLaren

Medium has a way of teaching, of showing me what to do. I am always morphing in my work. Mixed media supports this, always changing through experimentation and play. The future is bright with the anticipation of finding new ways to create with materials, those already explored and those that I have not yet explored. More possibilities and play are on the horizon and waiting for me in the studio. That is why it is so fun and rewarding to be a mixed media artist!

ABOVE: Venus Lava Flows V, 12”x12”, 2016 © Elle MacLaren

Elle MacLaren grew up in Michigan and has been drawing ever since she could hold a pencil. She holds a BFA degree from Alma College. Elle lived and worked as a professional artist in Boulder, CO for 30 years. She began working in Encaustic in 2005 and has employed it in her mixed media work. Elle has long been influenced by the colors and textures of the Southwest, especially New Mexico, where she visited frequently. She now lives and works in her studio in Santa Fe, as well as an Acutonics® sound healing practitioner. Elle is a member of the EAI, the IEA, and has a painting in the Encaustic Art Museum. She has been showing her work in galleries nationally since the 90s and won the Best in Show award for the IEA juried show “Poetry Bleeds Rust” in NYC in Oct. 2014. Elle is currently represented by GVG Contemporary in the Canyon Road art district in Santa Fe. You can view her work online at www.ellemaclaren.com or www.gvgcontemporary.com.

layers & treasures Â

by rinat goren

Truth. Thoughts. Life. Three words that can be found in many of my art titles, along with words like ‘Individuals’, ‘Mind’, ‘Choices’ and ‘Decisions’. Writing this article is an opportunity to introspect, to ask myself why I made certain artistic choices and observe the evolution of my art. Looking through the body of my work, I observe both the constants and the changes over time and identify repeated patterns as well as shifting of direction.

Encaustic collages were the ideal way for me to create depth, layer my work and bring light through the layers to keep them speaking. TRUTH: the recognition of reality is the most important value for me. As obvious as it may sound, truth is not always so. I need to commit to finding it. If I am to make any decision and choices in life I have to identify how important and crucial the truth is. Finding the truth requires the action of peeling multiple layers of opinions, perspectives and biases. It is a life long project of mine - to be curious, to question, to dig in and to try to find the facts, the reality, and the truth. My encaustic art is an abstract representation of this process. Each piece has multiple layers; one covering the other but always, thanks to the nature of wax, keeping the previous layer alive.

I can’t honestly determine what comes first in my artistic process - the visual, aesthetic ideas or the values and messages I choose to represent. The two components are woven together as I start each piece of art, evolving and growing jointly into the final result, which is then concluded with giving it a title. I started my artistic journey with collage making. Collage - the assemblage of different materials and creating a new whole - was a perfect medium to manifest my values and to send a message into the world. I combined acrylic paints, paper, threads, newspaper clippings, photos and small objects onto canvas and created a ‘message board’ of a sort. Those first collages were fulfilling and joyous and mostly successful. However, I kept looking for more transparency in my worka way to keep the layers alive after they were covered with additional layers.

Within each layer there are treasures to be found - a contrasting color, a piece of paper or a hidden figure. These ‘treasures’ are symbolizing the truth. I hide them between layers as a call and an invitation to be curious, and to search for true. Paper is used a great deal in my art. I enjoy the colors and patterns that magazine and newspaper offer as well as the texture of the written letters. It is a great way to reuse a material that is so abundant in our modern life and yet so beautiful and rare in its colors and textures. THOUGHTS: In addition to multiple layers (about 15 layers on average in each of my pieces), many of my pieces display a division into two distinctive areas (see ‘Focus Of The Mind’, ‘Heavens, Earth and Truth’). This partition conveys the existence of both sides of a value: truth and falsehood, good

The encaustic medium was the solution for my challenge. Beeswax’s transparency allowed for partial coverage of layers and penetration of light through the medium. OPPOSITE: A Unique Individual, 30”x30”, 2014 © Rinat Goren ABOVE: Paper cutting in the studio.

ABOVE: Heaven, Earth and Truth, 48” x 24”, 2015 © Rinat Goren

and evil, right and wrong etc. Here is another invitation for one to think, make a choice and decide. For me it is a continuous process - identifying the two perspectives, recognizing that both sides exist and occasionally both sides are to be respected, and yet, a choice has to be made. I feel the urge to determine exactly on which side of the partition I belong. Ambivalence is allowed too, of course. In fact, recognizing that two sides of an issue can co-exist is what makes them appear on my encaustic panels. The thought process is represented also by a series of shapes: circles or squares, connected by dotted lines or cut out of paper. (See ‘Commitment’). These shapes, in my mind, represent thoughts as they form in a mindful process - one fact leads to another, a piece of evidence leads to a conclusion, one piece of truth leads to a choice and therefore to a way of life. LIFE: So - here is the ‘simple’ process: Find the truth, make choices and live a fulfilled life. Simple? Not always. But I strive to live this process, celebrating the process of thinking, and making mindful choices. At the same time life - full of color, depths, texture and materials – is also an invit-

ABOVE: Focus of the Mind, 24”x24” 2015 © Rinat Goren

ation to act with lightness and joy and ‘go with the flow’ so to speak. As an individual, and an artist, I attempt to find balance between choosing carefully and letting myself immerse with creativity, joy and expressiveness. In terms of colors, I am not at all thoughtful! My hand just reaches and grabs the colors, with what seems like very little mindful choice. In the vast majority of my work - warm colors take over: red, orange yellow and pink are everywhere. Occasionally there is a burst of blue and green but for whatever reason those colors are rare in my works. I believe this is part of my unique individuality. Maybe colors are metaphorically the choice of the heart and not the choice of the brain? Again - looking at the entire inventory - gives me an opportunity to observe a pattern: My colors are becoming more and more muted with time; still warm and relatively saturated but slowly, with time, a bit more subtle. A second observation is the wide spread use of white to cover the colors as a top layer. Is it another attempt to mute my colors? Or perhaps another layer, inviting the art lover to dive in, and find the subtle truth. I invite you all to dig in, wave away the fog and without fear, discover the truth - painful or pleasant as it may be - to think, to make choices and to live.

Rinat Goren was born and raised in Israel and immigrated to the USA as a young adult. She was greatly influenced by American values such as individual rights, freedom, mindfulness and independent thinking. Goren resides in Woodside, CA with her husband and three daughters, appreciating California’s beauty and diversity. She loves the outdoors and there is no doubt that the California colors find their way into Goren’s art. Goren has been an encaustic artist since 2009. She has participated in numerous juried and solo shows and her work can be found in residences and companies in the Bay Area and the US. You can find Rinat Goren’s art on her website at www.rinatart.com

LEFT, ABOVE & BELOW: Commitment, 36”x24”, 2017 © Rinat Goren; Look Beyond, Seek the Truth, 20”x20”, 2016 © Rinat Goren

the long path to quiet

by jerry mclaughlin

My work is about trying to find quiet among the chatter and dark emotions present inside me. My paintings begin with intense color, recognizable imagery, words, and symbols. Usually there is a particular mood, emotion, or idea I am grappling with in those beginning stages. Song lyrics, poetry, mathematical formulas, and other vexing thoughts find their way into the initial layers. The content isn’t so much a direct representation of the difficult things inside me as it is a way for me to access them, feel them, and get them out into the world. Once they are on the panel, the more difficult work begins, the work of dealing with those feelings, accepting them, quieting them.

others, the more I felt I must be doing something “wrong.” I tried to shift my work to what I thought it should be or what I thought people would expect it to be. My friend, artist Rebecca Crowell, helped me overcome this. She told me that to find what was truly me, I needed to deeply consider my intentions for my work. That proved difficult.

People often ask how I arrived at my work or style. It came in two phases. The first phase was intuitive and probably born out of some degree of ignorance. I had little formal training in art, and when I began with cold wax and oils, a dark, brooding, textured, and monochromatic style emerged naturally. In the beginning it felt good. However, the more I studied with others and the more I looked at the work of

I paint using cold wax medium and oils. Cold wax medium (CWM) is a mixture of beeswax and solvent that is a paste at room temperature. I combine this paste with oil paints and dry pigments to create my work. The solvent is typically odorless mineral spirits, but some formulations use turpentine or d-limonene (citrus solvent). The larger commercial products contain either damar or alkyd resin to aid in curing and hardening.

One afternoon while organizing my bookshelves, I put all my fiction, art, and photography books in a pile and sat down with them. Until that day, I had only ever looked at them individually, never as a collective whole. I was shocked. There were no happy stories, no pretty pictures. There was not much color. Dark, violent, quiet, and erotic imagery In the next stages I build a textured, monochromatic surface dominated. There was a distinctly masculine energy to the work. Recognizing this, I was prompted to over all that intense activity. The challenge is The content isn’t so look at my music library. I found the same to bring the surface into a unified whole while much a direct thing, dark, romantic music; somber melodies maintaining a sense of power, passivity, and representation of the in minor keys. I saw something in myself I presence. I want there to be just hushed difficult things inside me guess I had always known was there but was reverberations of any prior noise and energy. as it is a way for me to afraid to confront. access them, feel them, I view my work as a kind of meditation. For and get them out into During the second phase of coming to my some, meditation is about emptying the the world. personal style, or voice, I struggled. I mind. That is not the case for me. For me struggled to get back to what I had done so meditation is about quieting the mind through deep focus. It is about acknowledging what is inside intuitively when I began painting. I needed to add words like of us, accepting it, and moving ahead. It is about developing dark, quiet, loneliness, and isolation to my intentions. It was a kind of power where one feels very deeply but does not not easy. That is not how people see me. But it is what I succumb to that emotion or let it govern their reaction to the wanted in my work. I was scared to paint big, scared of world. That is how I want my paintings to feel, that there is being exposed. But I wanted to make large, immersive intense emotion and energy underneath a powerful, placid pieces. When I finally found the courage to acknowledge my true intentions, that is when my work grew and felt personal. surface.

OPPOSITE: In the Carbide Mist, 36”x48”,2016 © Jerry McLaughlin

ABOVE, left: In the Mantle of Wake, 48”x36, 2016; right: Nights Abiding Gloom, 40”x30”, 2016 © Jerry McLaughlin

Cold wax medium’s plasticity and drying time allow me to build up multiple layers then go back into the work with solvents and tools to reveal the rich history previously created. Exposing bits of that history gives an energy to my monochromatic surfaces and keeps them from feeling flat. I also use cold wax because of its ability to develop complex textures. I build my textures by applying thick impasto layers, by scraping, scratching, and gouging, as well as by using various additives like sand, dirt and ash. My paintings evolve through a process of successive layering, sometimes 40, 50, even 60 layers. I use solvents and dry pigments to create tonal shifts and to develop complex, granular surfaces. Because of the thickness of the layers and the use of solvents, my paintings can be slow to dry, and the larger ones can take two to three months to complete. I often work on 12-15 pieces at a time. 18

There has been a recent surge in interest in cold wax techniques. There are great workshops across the country, but there are still limited internet and print resources. I recently published a book with Rebecca Crowell. The book, Cold Wax Medium: Techniques, Concepts & Conversations, started shipping in April this year. At over 300 pages, the book provides comprehensive information for those new to cold wax medium, as well as technical expertise and inspiration to those with experience. Fully illustrated, it features the work of nearly 100 artists from around the world. It demonstrates the breadth of what artists are doing with this medium. For purchase information, readers can visit our website, www.coldwaxbook.com. There are two other websites: www.coldwaxpainting.com, which provides some introductory information and resources for supplies and workshops, and www.oilandwax.ning.com, an online community of nearly 4,000 artists worldwide interested in cold wax medium.

ABOVE, left: The Ghosts Keep Whispering, 60”x30” 2016; right: Still at the Edge, 48”x36”, 2016 © Jerry McLaughlin Jerry McLaughlin, MD, (http://www.jerrymclaughlinart.com) was initially trained as a pediatric critical care physician. He began his artistic career in Denver, Colorado as a fine art photographer specializing in alternative process printing on surfaces such as tar and wax. Realizing he had always wanted to be a painter, he abandoned photography and started painting. He began with encaustic as his medium, but once he discovered cold wax and oils, he quickly transitioned and has never gone back. His work has been collected across the US and internationally and has appeared in several magazines. He is represented by the Jen Tough Gallery, GearBox Gallery, ARTERRA, and the Branner Spangenberg Gallery. Jerry just published Cold Wax Medium: Techniques, Concepts & Conversations, along with co-author Rebecca Crowell (http://www.coldwaxbook.com). It is the first ever comprehensive book exploring the myriad techniques and ways artists are using cold wax medium. Jerry is passionate about teaching, and he holds a certificate in adult education from the University of Washington. His strength lies in identifying and addressing the individual needs of his students and helping them analyze and develop solutions to the difficulties they are encountering. He is studying Creativity Coaching with Eric Maisel. Jerry lives in Oakland, CA with his husband Mike and their dog Bert. Here is a recent interview with Nicholas Wilton: http://www.jerrymclaughlinart.com/studio-interview-with-nicholas-wilt

follow the dirt road in your soul: Â

from new mexico to ethiopia and back again by carol mell

I have been showing photography for over ten years, photography that looked more like paintings and which either delighted or confounded viewers. Living between mediums — between photography and painting and now between photography and encaustic — is a complicated space I gladly inhabit but I’m always guided by my love for the living world and my relationship to it. And I love dirt roads, their history of rural life, the record of people who live on the land, the unexpected intersections between the created and natural world and always the metaphor for our journey on Earth. Years ago I adopted the motto, “Follow the Dirt Road in your Soul” for a column I wrote about rural life in the West. It still fits for my visual explorations. Through our many journeys from our home in the Southwest to our origins in the Northwest I have photographed from the car. A friend has called this “drive-by shooting.” So, when our youngest daughter was ending her Peace Corps service in Ethiopia it seemed natural that we should tour the country by car. Through all that strange and unexpected land, my husband and daughter gave me the front seat for ten days of shooting.

And so I shot them from the car, in the spirit of a street photographer, capturing the postures, gaits and expressions of their ordinary, but to me extraordinary, moments. I had a good camera with image stabilization and a fast zoom lens but still my shots were imperfect, marred by sudden jolts, poor angles or a dirty windshield — our poor driver was forever cleaning the windshield — but the process mirrored the transient frailty of those fleeting glimpses. Back home, over the next year I sifted through my images. To follow my vision I needed to learn new skills both in Photoshop and encaustic. I was so moved by the simplicity and certitude of Ethiopians who looked back at me with as much curiosity as I had about them. We were all having an alien encounter. One day as we had lunch at a little table on the street I saw a little girl pointing to me and crying. The sight of a white person apparently terrified her. Her mother smiled at me and shrugged as if to say, “What is to be made of a world full of such strangeness?”

Into this world of ancient religion, terraced fields, terrifying mountainsides, baboon beggars perched on road posts, great strange birds and exotic livestock, we drove for many hours a day.

I am a landscape artist and though I like to incorporate elements of human existence in my work I have never shot figures but the roads of Ethiopia, and they were mostly dirt, offered something I had never experienced. They were far from empty. Everywhere, in all weather, people travelled the roads on foot — farmers with their wooden ploughs, women with sheafs of grain on their heads, children sucking sugar cane, and boys with their burros, cattle, oxen, goats and camels. Few of them carried bags or purses but almost all carried a stick. Into this world of ancient religion, terraced fields, terrifying mountainsides, baboon beggars perched on OPPOSITE: Old Lady with Umbrella, 20”x16”, 2016 © Carol Mell

road posts, great strange birds and exotic livestock, we drove for many hours a day. Christians and Muslims alike wore robes that reminded me of Old Testament stories. Automobiles were rare, and as ours carried white people we often caused a stir in the villages we passed; but most of the time we were a single little car in a river of people on foot.

I did not want the series to be a travel documentary. My Ethiopians should stand alone as citizens of earth, I thought, outside any particular space or time. I decided to remove them from their surroundings and insert them into backgrounds I created, mostly from the Southwest where I live. I hoped to create a narrative about people who live in close kinship with the land, the weather and their religion. In my vision, the figures and the landscape should have equally dramatic voices in the story like husband and wife.

ABOVE, left: Blue Boy, 20”x16”, 2016; right: Little Blue Girl, 20”x16”, 2016 © Carol Mell

In photography and Photoshop my process is intuitive. I let the meaning emerge from unconscious choices. I combined figures with backgrounds that seemed to fit in color and light and mood, sometimes trying out quite a few before deciding. Often I inserted a more dramatic sky to represent weather. Each final image required many color and texture layers to create a statement about mood rather than actual place.

When the wax had the right thickness and flow I would sit with the piece and decide what more, if anything, it needed — oil stick, shellac, dirt, rust, or tea. Whether I painted a little or a lot I finished each one with an element of the living earth — sticks, flowers, feathers — as a bridge between fantasy and reality, to ground the story once more in the immediate moment. Over the year I worked on the series of 12 I was reminded of the novel, “Giants in the Earth, A Saga of the Prairie” written by O.E. Rolvaag in the 1920s. Rolvaag, an immigrant himself, wrote about Norwegian folk who settled in the vast and terrifying emptiness of the Great Plains and learned to wrest a fragile yet abundant life from it. And so, my Ethiopians also became “Giants in the Earth.” I have since gone back to concentrating on landscapes, trying to find better ways to incorporate photography with beeswax but this series will always hold a special place in my heart.

Once the final image was printed on fine art paper, I mounted it to a 16 X 20” cradled birch panel. I have been given a deep amber beeswax from a neighbor which I mix with white medium to give the whole piece a sunset glow. With most of the series I poured the medium over thickly. Rather than thin it with scraping, I tilted the panel and used a heat gun to gently move the wax off in whichever direction seemed right. The currents of wax across the panel represent the spiritual dimension, or what I call “the holy wind.” 22

ABOVE top: Turquoise Umbrella, 20”x16”, 2016; bottom: Girls Making Faces, 20”x16”, 2016 © Carol Mell

ABOVE top: Girl with a Stick, 20”x16”, 2016; bottom: Old Man with Umbrella, 20”x16”, 2016 © Carol Mell

Carol Mell is a photographer who received her BFA in Dance from The Juilliard School in New York. From a small town in Oregon, she is still fascinated by landscapes of the West. She is currently working and teaching photo encaustic in New Mexico where she lives. Her website is: http://www.carolmell.com.

what lies beneath: an unplanned adventurous detour to a waxy road Â

by bela fidel

I have been working in encaustic for about 18 years. I am sure that encaustic artists everywhere will agree with me that this medium is ‘a trip’. It is a trip in both quotation marks and without them; each day is a new discovery, a day with ‘what ifs’, ‘ahaa’s’, and, of course, frustrations which, thankfully, are usually short-lived.

compound, leaving some blank spaces for encaustic. I tested all the possibilities I could envision, including using compound on its own, powders, etc., and no encaustic. I liked the effect of fusing thin layers of joint compound when there was encaustic underneath. If I did not wait for the compound to dry (which is quick) and fused it, the wax would absorb a good part of it but would still leave an interesting, visible film. Then I would add more compound, rub some powders and fuse; or sometimes not fuse, just letting it dry on its own. I like to stagger the layers while letting previous ones peep through.

I had been humming along the waxy road for all these years when another ‘what if’ popped its head out of nowhere. This was an entity that likes discoveries, leaps into the abyss, questions at every step. ‘Mr. What If’ tapped on my shoulder every day: “When are you going to trust yourself enough to….”? I shrugged him off many times, but the notso-small-voice would not leave.

I thought the popcorn cement would give me more texture if I added encaustic over it, but that did not happen. The “When are you going to experiment with popcorn is too small and the small ‘dots’ Sometimes the 'hero has other materials without leaving encaustic mostly fell off when I rubbed my hand over it. to slay the dragon'; behind?” These ‘other materials’ were not The cement works well with encaustic but I doesn’t art-making oils, acrylics, watercolor, pastels, etc.; I had find it less interesting to work with. I have not involve such days? The already tried those. So, one bright day, the yet found as many possibilities with cement outer 'dragon' Hero’s Journey began. I could no longer as I have found with other materials. (technique, chemistry, dodge the call. A trip to Home Depot etc.) and the inner one: ensued, then another to Dunn Edwards, I have used Venetian plaster instead of joint doubts, fears, where the Masters Series Metallic Paints can compound and with the same technique insecurities. be found. described above. It is very pliable, it’s easy to layer, to create textured areas and it works Cement? What kind? Texturized, for popcorn ceilings? well with encaustic, although it takes longer to dry. If I am Smooth? Joint compound? Venetian plaster? I bought one working on at least two pieces at the same time, I can leave of each and proceeded to experiment. I had no idea where it to dry for a few hours. I confess that working with these this would lead, if encaustic would work with these materials is so exciting and fun that I really do not want to materials; not to speak of the painting’s longevity. wait for it to dry! So, after a while I decreased my use of Venetian plaster. Last October, I created 4 mixed media paintings with mostly joint compound and encaustic. All but one were all white, The Masters Series Metallic Paints (Dunn Edwards) dries or almost all white. I used a base of compound, mica quickly. I am yet to try Dap plaster. When using the Master powders, gold leaf, graphite and a torch or heat gun. Series, acrylics, or any other water-based paint over joint Occasionally, I started the painting with the compound; on compound, I can make changes with just water and paper other occasions, I added a few layers of encaustic before towel, stain, use thicker layers of paint, scrub with wet brush, adding it. I also layered the panel with gesso and remove some and leave some, etc.

OPPOSITE: Sunset, 24”x20” © Bela Fidel

I realize that joint compound is water-based and that perhaps many layers of encaustic over it would not be conducive to the longevity of the painting. Therefore, I only use a thin layer of encaustic over any of these materials. I much prefer using them side-by- side, allocating a space for encaustic within the design. I continue to learn about different materials that would push the envelope. I am now adding MPO (Master Paste Original) to my mixed media work. Each step is a true adventure; a quest and an exploration. After knowing quite a bit about how encaustic would react under different situations and manipulations, and loving every moment of it, I feel newly revitalized, more excited, ever more curious about the use of “off the wall” (literally) materials with wax.

LEFT TOP: Continuum, 40”x30” © Bela Fidel LEFT BOTTOM: Yellow Pattern, 9.5”x9.5” © Bela Fidel

ABOVE: White II, 24”x24” © Bela Fidel

This is a new journey in a new medium of transportation. Sometimes the 'hero has to slay the dragon'; doesn’t art-making involve such days? The outer 'dragon' (technique, chemistry, etc.) and the inner one: doubts, fears, insecurities. At times, it is like being in an unknown country. Other times, the hero has smooth sailing: she is confident, “with it”, and unafraid to take the road less travelled. In both instances, the use of mixed media with MPO, encaustic, cold wax; powders, glitter, and various paints is a journey of trust, of self-testing and, most of all, of revitalized creativity and fun.

ABOVE: White III, 24”x20”© Bela Fidel

BELA FIDEL was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In 1965 she moved to Israel where she obtained a B.A. from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem in English and Spanish languages and literatures. She also took courses towards an M.A. in Romance Languages. At that time, art and painting were not of much interest; instead, she loved books and music. Bela was living in Israel when the Six- Day War and the Yom Kippur Wars broke out. It was also in Israel that, out of nowhere, she started to paint! It took Bela over ten years to take painting seriously and a few years more to realize that art had become an integral part of who she was and responsible for her personal integrity, centered-ness and wellbeing. Bela’s other passion involves animals – big and small, wild and domestic. She is an activist on behalf of their rights and welfare (see: http://www.belafidel.com/endangered--threatenedand-exploited-species-series.html). Bela currently paints and teaches oils, encaustics and mixed media at her studio in North Scottsdale, Arizona as well as at other local educational venues. She is a juried member of the Sonoran Arts League and Arizona Art Alliance, as well as a member of the International Encaustic Association.

space contained

2016 emerging artist grant report by linda frueh

In the course of my lifetime the spaces we inhabit, both physically and psychologically, have been changing dramatically. As recently as the mid-20th Century, American lives were more proscribed, more stable and continuous than they are today. Careers were more linear, the arc of a life more likely to occur without great geographic change.

My heroes of inspiration have held steady over the years – the colorists Wolf Kahn and Mark Rothko, the bold compositions of Franz Kline and Robert Motherwell, and perhaps most germane to this body of work, the enameled vessels of June Schwarcz. June’s work broke new barriers in the construction of enameled metal. She sewed vessel forms out of fabric and electroformed them with copper, resulting in sculptural pieces, which retained the texture and stitching of fabric, but was able to support the molten glass that is enamel. Her pieces glitter like jewel-encrusted treasures yet have the fluidity of fabric in their forms. June’s work simmered in my subconscious as I explored encaustic and inevitably led to experimentation with fabric structures immersed in the molten medium.

Now we move, we change our life paths, and we are connected around the world in unimaginably complex networks of people and events. Boundaries are dissolving and new, unpredictable connections occur. Our lives are threaded through with diverse and far-flung influences. Although this adds richness to our lives, it also creates feelings of chaos and constant change. Between starting and finishing this article, for example, our country dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb ever created in a region of My first pieces utilized burlap for its rough texture and Afghanistan. Events like this blow holes in my open weave. A simple column, sewn with My artwork reflects own sense of security, even though they happen small pleats and made rigid with encaustic a search for stillness half a world away. We have little time to absorb medium, was the first encaustic work of any and balance while and process such events into our world-view. kind that I had accepted into a show. holding on to an emotional space. But we need safe spaces to inhabit and I began to collect different weights and moments of calm to re-energize ourselves; we textures of fabric and paper and to push the need quiet times in order to shut out the noise of the world, boundaries of shape and size. My mission became the the expectations of peers and the many life directives study of fibers and fabrics that can be sculpted in ways streaming from all directions. In these moments of quiet we that capture movement and fluidity like waves or splashes of liquid frozen in place. Tulle from the wedding dress can focus on the internal voice and truly grow. designer in the studio next door, cheesecloth from the My artwork reflects a search for stillness and balance while kitchen drawer, old linen napkins and bolts of muslin and holding on to an emotional space. Color is my primary burlap went into this exploration. I even tried the expressive tool, while stripped down compositions and beautifully organic webs of palm fiber dropped from local limited palette generate a sense of restraint and calm. trees in my pursuit of new designs. Most of the time when I am in the studio I work on flat Some of the pieces were utter failures – perhaps the surfaces – large panels – with a focus on coaxing texture weave was too open, or a synthetic fabric melted under and height from the encaustic materials. In the past year, the heat of fusing. Sometimes the failure was simply that however, since receiving an Emerging Artist Grant from IEA, a piece looked like fabric dipped in wax – where’s the art I have developed a body of work that more literally in that? expresses a sense of the permeable spaces we inhabit. OPPOSITE: Enclosure, 7”x8”, 2016 © Linda Frueh

ABOVE, Left to Right : Flame Vessel, 8”x3”, 2016; Ritual Vessel, 18”x3”, 2016; Water Vessel, 8”x7”, 2016 © Linda Frueh

in creamy opaque shades of celadon and white. The resulting piece has some qualities of ceramic in its gloss and palette – the burlap texture only peeks out in places but is largely embedded in wax.

But occasionally a piece held true to form, and in this I found the encouragement to push on. My interest then turned to visual delicacy – or a sense of weightlessness. The vessels in my recent work have visible holes and seemingly fragile webs that, like the spaces we inhabit, are permeable and mutable. A critical distinction emerged – the use of encaustic medium or paint to add rigidity and structure versus its use in surface embellishment. For the Ritual Vessel I layered a very openweave burlap with a tighter weave in bands, using untinted medium to add structure.

These early pieces still were visually heavy, however, and so I began to remove more and more thread from the burlap until reaching the limit of strength. Technical aspects of strength v. weight of a material began to enter my considerations. When I discovered raw silk fiber I found the ultimate material for creating ethereal vessels with strength to stand despite their apparent fragility. I learned to dye silk ‘hankies’ and ‘caps’ (silk cocoons unrolled into square and hemispherical webs) and also the lovely rippling ‘noile’ for texture and movement. With this I could reveal the delicate fibers and their fluid movement without burdening them with extra encaustic. The same colors that appealed to me in encaustic painting – lavender blues, rose pinks and goldenrod yellow – became the core of my recent of work.

I pulled out threads in sections to create open spaces, pushing further into the visual delicacy of the piece. The pink and yellow sections of the surface and top fringe are a separate, decorative use of encaustic paint. With Water Vessel I mimicked the prehistoric form of animal skin vessels, which later carried over into ceramic forms. In this case I combined the decorative and structural uses of encaustic by immersing the burlap vessel

ABOVE, Left to Right: Etherea 7, 8”x6”, 2016 ; Etherea 1, 11”x3”, 2016 © Linda Frueh

With my recent silk pieces I have been able to achieve a delicacy and sense of movement that springs directly from the fiber itself. Layering two or three webs of dyed silk creates enough body to hold a structurally sound amount of encaustic medium while retaining open space in the vessel.

me the means and encouragement to expand my exploration of place, stillness and emotion to three dimensions. I envision a long journey on this road – perhaps with room sized pieces and hanging structures of multiple vessels – but however long it takes I will be forever grateful to the IEA for giving me this opportunity.

It would be difficult to overstate the impact of receiving the Emerging Artist Grant for this body of work. It gave

Linda Frueh (www.lindafrueh.com) is an encaustic artist working in San Diego, CA. She was born in New York City and earned degrees in physics and business administration before turning fully to artwork. Ms Frueh attended the California College of Arts & Crafts and in 2016 was selected by two museum curators as one of "50 to Watch” contemporary artists in the San Diego area.

ABOVE: Ice Flume, 8”x9”, 2016 © Linda Frueh

Social Media is a powerful tool that can be used to gain exposure and develop your brand(s). Most people are familiar with Facebook and are active users of this platform. Instagram (IG) however, seems to be a bit more of a mystery for some in terms of how to best use and leverage this Social Media platform.

First, what is Instagram? "Instagram is an online mobile photo-sharing site that enables its users to take pictures and share them either publicly or privately on the app, as well as through a variety of other social networking platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Flickr." (source Wikapedia) Â

Instagram is all about the image - it is visual marketing at its core. That is why for artists it can be a very effective way to build an audience & fan base. Through sharing your images, you can tell your story, convey who you are and what you are about as an artist, entrepreneur, mother; whatever you want your story to be. When you first jump in, Instagram can feel like a waste of time, a platform where progress is slow and with little to no tangible results after what feels like a lot of effort. If you are able to build a meaningful targeted fan base, it can also be a powerful tool, that can help develop/grow your "Brand", drive traffic to your website and/or help you sell your art & or services. The latter is not easy to do, and it takes a concerted, focused and consistent effort in order to achieve success. Another important factor in building a targeted fan base is to ensure that you are clear about your brand identity and what your objectives are for your IG account. If you have a specific strategy for building your brand and what results you hope to achieve, then you can easily focus your IG images/content so that they support your brand identity, and you gain followers that meet your targeted criteria. For example, in my case I want followers that are interested in art, workshops, art education and art tools/materials etc. I try to gear my content so that it will appeal to an audience with these interests. I use hashtags (#) and post images that are relevant to my targeted audience. I choose to also include a small amount of personal photos (my cat, or food, for example) so that my followers over time can learn a little bit about me and feel to some extent that they know me on a more personal level. I do think it is important to balance out your posts, as too many of yourself (the dreaded â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;selfieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;) and or family could turn people off, and as a result you will lose followers. If you want to leverage IG to develop your brand (for business versus family connections) then create an account with brand focused content and perhaps a different account for your family centered content if that is of interest to you. Bottom line is that you can create different accounts that support a variety of brand strategies (if applicable to you), which allows you to maintain targeted/relevant content in each. 33

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Content is key! Keep all content you post relevant to you and your brand. Make sure your images are great - don't post an image that is out of focus, or just not visually interesting. Use relevant hashtags on IG to help other users find your content. Try to use about 12 hashtags per post, too few and your post won't be seen, too many and it can feel spammy. Just because Instagram will allow up to 30 hashtags per post it is not a good reason to use that many. The fewer you can use to encourage a positive response, the better – the interactions will be better from users that see your content. o For example, If you are an artist you might consider hashtags such as: #artist, #encaustic, #encausticart, #contemporaryartist, #abstractart, etc. In order to save time, you can keep lists of the hashtags (in groups) you use most often on your phone (in your notes page) and just copy and past them into your post. Avoid using extremely popular hashtags if they are not specifically relevant to your brand/strategy – this can be annoying or even overwhelming to other users. (Examples include #selfie #nofilter #tbt #toofunny and #love). Include shortened links to your website in your profile. Like others’ posts in your niche – and comment where appropriate. If others comment on your posts, reply so that the interaction is two-way. This shows you are present, paying attention and that you care about your business and your followers. Use the direct messaging tool for more private oneon-one conversations in the Instagram platform.

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Add your location via the geo-tagging tool. This is great for interaction and gaining relevant followers in your area Gain inspiration from others in your niche – both on post content as well as hashtag use. This can help you understand what works and what does not. Embed your Instagram posts on your website. Be consistent, and spread out your post frequency. In other words, don’t ambush the platform with a huge number of images at once and then remain silent for any protracted period of time. You don’t want to overwhelm your audience or allow them to forget you. Spacing your posts and varying your post timing will help you build a loyal and engaged following on the Instagram platform. Ensure every image is well captioned and high in quality and appealing to the eye. Informative posts enjoy significantly more engagement than any other type of post – so share instructions, advice and how-to as much as appropriate to your business and brand. Use keywords in your image descriptions. Connect your Instagram profile to your other networks and add the Instagram button to your business website. Elizabeth Schowachert (http://www.elizabethschowachert.com/) was born and raised in Northern California, and has always held a deep appreciation for and affinity with the sea and the natural beauty of the Northern California coastline. Her paintings reflect the deep bond she feels with nature and her love of the ocean. Organic shapes and forms are almost always present in Elizabeth’s work, whether she is working with encaustic medium or ink on paper. In recent years Elizabeth has been working primarily with encaustic medium/mixed media (paper, ink, and fabric). Elizabeth lives and works in Southlake, TX.

for chapters: hosting a visiting artist workshop

by janet c. hickok, IEA membership & chapters director

Forming a chapter within IEA allows for a group of likeminded artists to work together to organize exhibitions, group activities, speakers, and gallery / studio / museum visits. One of the greatest advantages is arranging instructors and workshops for chapter members. Hosting a workshop is quite an undertaking and requires much planning to bring to culmination. However, the rewards are numerous and well worth the effort. What follows outlines the steps the AlaskaWax Chapter took when planning visiting artist workshops. Budget and logistics are the most challenging, and perhaps, worrisome factors involved in such an undertaking. However, before either of those can be addressed, a few choices must be made:

ment/set up at the teaching location and a clear understanding if that, or anything more, is included in the initial fee. When the amount for the Who, What and Where is established it is time to develop the budget. Any costs associated with the event are considered expenses: lease of space, airfare, rentals, meals, advertising, multi-media equipment, beverages, snacks, janitorial fees, table/floor covering, etc. All expenses must be off-set by monies gathered from workshop fees, donations, fundraising events, grants and in-kind donations.

For AlaskaWax’s first workshop in 2012, chapter members submitted names of artists who’s workshops they found to be especially interesting. Karen Frey of California accepted our invitation. She purchased her flight north and agreed to be • The Who / artist reimbursed. She informed us of the cost to teach two 3-day • The What / workshop or course workshops and the pigments and medium that One of the greatest • The When / date(s) and times would be needed. We then knew what was advantages [of creating • The Where / venue. necessary to cover through fundraising. an IEA chapter] is arranging instructors and Cost and financial arrangements vary greatly Finding a place to hold the event was our workshops for chapter from one workshop and instructor to another. biggest hurdle; local venues were priced too members. Some are sponsored or affiliated with a high or unavailable for the dates chosen. We specific business, location or venue, some resorted to a large garage owned by of one of work with workshop planners, while others are working for our members. The chapter had a second mountain to scale themselves. Each approach will have a dramatic impact when the electrical load proved too great for the house; we dependent upon which process is used. Most have an ended up needing two generators to pull through. Every established basic workshop fee that is paid up front by the member pitched in by offering a place to stay, meals, group as the registration fees are collected. Alternately, you chauffeuring, work-tables, torches, heat guns and palettes. may pay the fee to the sponsor who then pays the artist; R & F The chapter as a group did all of the planning and fundraising. Paints is one such sponsor. Self-organized instructors most We held a group exhibition a few months later that included often require an initial registration fee, with payment options work created at, or as a direct result of, the methods and of their choice, for receiving the balance. Each instructor practices that were learned. should have a supply list for students as well as a Bio and Artist Statement to use for advertising, publicity, local media Our second workshop, in 2014, was choreographed and coverage, websites, FB pages etc. Once that is clarified it is planned by a member that had particular interest in learning essential to be fully aware of vital information regarding travel more about the use of cold wax medium. That member and transportation necessities, accommodations, meals,equip- approached, invited, and then communicated closely with Rebecca Crowell of Wisconsin. She agreed to conduct two 3day workshops in Alaska: one held in Anchorage and the other PREVIOUS PAGE: Lisa Pressman conducts a visiting artist workshop for the in Homer where Rebecca had a show hanging at the local muAlaskaWax Chapter © Janet C. Hickok 36

museum. Again, this workshop was put together with multiple emails and meticulous attention to detail. Rebecca, working on her own behalf, took payment from each attendee, had her flight figured in with the class fee, supplied participants with a materials list and voiced what amenities she needed. Once again, the venue proved to be difficult in Anchorage. A space was found, however after the class was over it was mentioned that it was much too small for the amount of students. Meals were shared and provided by the group, as well as travel to Homer and back. The Homer workshop was available at a significantly lower price because the local community college provided the space. Several of the students attending the workshops have continued working with cold wax as a large part of their studio practice. In 2015, a chapter member particularly interested in the style and approach of Lisa Pressman, was instrumental in bringing her to Alaska. Pressman, a well-established artist from New Jersey taught two advanced workshops, one each in hot and cold wax mediums. Arranging for a workshop site was tricky because space was needed for large work-stations, tables and a heavy electrical load. These requirements are not always available, and thus Anchorage proved to be overly expensive and not workshop friendly (i.e. leaving tables, art, workstations out each night). However, accommodations were located at Stillpoint Lodge in Halibut Cove, which turned out to be a major triumph and a highlight of the events. Creating a budget, organization, curriculum and arranging travel for Pressman were next. Additionally, transportation from Anchorage to Homer and back for attendees was necessary and made possible via a donation from a private school’s bus and a volunteer CDL driver. The easiest task was to sell the spots. Alaska? Homer? Halibut Cove? Lisa Pressman? What’s not to like? Not difficult at all, easily filled by membership and, as it turned out, no funds were then needed to advertise the event. The lodge was all-inclusive, the entire venue was rented and the whole campus and staff were dedicated to the group. That in turn presented the opportunity for attendees to invite others to make use of the lodge and its amenities and the additional income helped reduce the bottom line. The success was also greatly depend-

ent upon the sponsorship and affiliation with R&F Paints (Lisa Pressman was attained for teaching through the R&F workshop program) and Gamblin Colors which both contributed supplies. Agreements were signed and registration opened one year prior to the date. A registration fee was required, a nonrefundable cancellation fee put into place (as was the case in all of the four workshops), and artists were then given the option of paying the balance in full or in three or four payments. AlaskaWax managed and handled all payments. The chapter was also able to request and obtain a grant from IEA and the chapter had additional funds from a one-time award to all chapters that were in existence at the time a significant donation was awarded to IEA. AlaskaWax held a fundraising spaghetti dinner and silent auction as well to raise funds. All of these workshops were successful and possible with assistance from IEA and the hard work, support and determination of AlaskaWax members. The most important factor in orchestrating a visiting artist workshop is having a driving force that is ambitious, driven and diligent. It is imperative to keep detailed records of all financial transactions, personal contact information, contracts, goals, reminders, media coverage and advertising as well as an overall timeline of each step to chart and follow along the way.

Please contact Janet Hickok, Chapters & Membership Director if you have any questions, need budget templates, ‘request for funds’ templates or need more information on hosting a workshop within your chapter: membershipchapters@internation al-encaustic-artists.org

MICHELLE BELTO WORKSHOPS WAX & PAPER: COMPLIMENTARY PROCESSES JULY 7-9, 2017 Southwest School of Art 300 Augusta Street San Antonio, TX Students learn to create the ideal canvas for working with encaustic painting. The first part of the class will be spent in the paper studio creating custom paper using collage, rust and embossed texture. The second part of the class will explore a variety of mixed media applications on wax along with construction of custom shaped supports incorporating windows, ledges and carved spaces. More Information & registration: https://www.swschool.org/communityclasses •••

COMPREHENSIVE INTRODUCTION TO ENCAUSTIC PAINTING

MICHELLE BELTO: COLLECTING MEMORIES

A solo show of new work inspired by my grandmother’s scrapbook. In the Julia C. Butridge Gallery at the Dougherty Arts Center 1110 Barton Springs Road Austin, Texas

OCTOBER 28TH through DECEMBER 31ST, 2017 www.michellebelto.com

JUNE 12-14 AND JULY 21-23, 2017 Studio, 26805 Foggy Meadows San Antonio, TX This workshop is designed to prepare students with everything needed to begin an independent exploration of encaustic through demonstrations, hands on materials and extensive handouts. We address safe studio practices, and basic approaches to wax painting. Students will explore a variety of media and techniques for adding a mark-making language to their work. More Information and registration: http://waxandpaperworkshops.com/ •••

BEYOND THE BASICS: ADVANCED ENCAUSTIC PAINTING OCTOBER 20-22, 2017 Southwest School of Art 300 Augusta Street San Antonio, TX This advanced encaustic workshop is designed for the experienced student who would like to refine their work, explore new directions or to expand their skills in encaustic painting. Individual direction and development of a personal vision will be the goal of this class. Through guided exercises, informal group discussion and individual support, students will be challenged to push the boundaries of their work by developing material that is layered in content and concept. More Information and registration: https://www.swschool.org/communityclasses

BRIDGET BENTON WORKSHOPS NATURE PRINTING AND ENCAUSTIC AUGUST 19-20, 2017 310 ART 191 Lyman Street Asheville, North Carolina This workshop will explore different ways of combining the nature print and encaustic. The first day will focus on printmaking from botanical and other natural materials on various papers. During day two, we will embed the prints in encaustic, as well as exploring methods for making impressions directly into the wax. More information: http://310art.com/art-workshops-2017/

www.coldwaxbook.com (purchase link is available from the site) https://squeegee-press.myshopify.com/ (direct link to purchase) $42 online price $49 retail/bookstore price 8.5x11 inches, 320 pages, all color artwork from 100 artists from around the world topics include: history of wax in art setting up a studio tools and materials surfaces all the techniques we teach in our workshops realism collage/assemblage combining cold wax with encaustic, monoprints, experimentations, alternative surfaces, collaborative efforts elements of art personal voice finishing/hanging/shipping/repairing works

INTRODUCTION TO ENCAUSTIC SEPTEMBER 23, 2017 310 ART 191 Lyman Street Asheville, North Carolina This one-day introduction to encaustic covers all the basics: application, fusing layers, basic safety, and studio set-up. Explore the most popular ways of building up imagery in encaustic, including scraping and incising, working with color, image transfers, collaging paper and fabric, using stencils and masks, and adding final touches with pan pastels and oil sticks. More information: http://310art.com/art-workshops-2017/

CAROL MELL WORKSHOP PHOTO ENCAUSTIC WEEK SEPTEMBER 10-16, 2017 Ghost Ranch Abiquiu, New Mexico Learn the basics of photo encaustic in the land of Georgia O’Keeffe. Combining layers of melted beeswax and resin with photography adds depth, texture, color and soul to your images. Sharpen your shooting with expert guidance, then turn those photos into mixed media art. See more at: https://www.ghostranch.org/retreat/photoencaustics-g17a932/ http://www.carolmell.com

Blue Birch and Other Works: Cold Wax Paintings TAMI PHELPS In the Bistro at Jens’ Restaurant 701 W. 36th Avenue Anchorage, AK 99503

February 3-July 31, 2017 Curated by Blue Hollomon Gallery, 3555 Arctic Blvd., Anchorage, AK 99503 More information: georgiablue@bluehollomon.com

NORTHERN WAX: A GROUP EXHIBITION Curated by Jennifer Moss November 3-26, 2017 Venue: 514 2nd Avenue Fairbanks, Alaska More info: http://bit.ly/northernwax

Art2Life Retreats with Nicholas Wilton For more information: http://www.nicholaswilton.com/mainworkshop-page/

Canwax West presents: Lora Murphy International Encaustic Art Instructor September 29-Oct 1 2017 Advanced Contemporary Portraiture and Figurative In Encaustic and Mixed Mediaâ&#x20AC;ŚWorking Large

Workshop Description This intensive, fast past, workshop will be 3 full days. You will be working with a variety of materials and techniques Lora has either developed herself or borrowed from her classical painting background. You will be working on canvas and jute as well as wood panel, combining casein paint and gesso. You will also be using ink, paper, oil bars, cold wax, water based encaustic paint, pours and collage on board or on canvas. Lora will impart technical information while supporting you through an intuitive process. This class will provide a supportive environment and encourage you to reach new levels in your artistic process.

About the Artist Lora Murphy was born in Ireland and educated in Ireland , USA and Italy . Trained as an oil painter , she now works primarily in encaustic and mixed media . Lora teaches workshops in contemporary portraiture in encaustic throughout the world. Lora divides her time between Ireland and Denmark and maintains studios in both countries. Cost: $320 plus $70.00 supply fee Location: Shatford Centre, Penticton BC Canada Registration- shatfordcentre.com - open registration June 2, 2017 Bursaries: Available *for more information go to canwaxwest.ca

website: loramurphypaintings.com facebook:https:// www.facebook.com/LoraMurphy-Artist

For more information go to: http://www.canwaxwest.ca

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: FRIDAY JUNE 30TH, 2017

www.international-encausticartists.org/ProjectGrantApplication QUESTIONS?: education@international-encaustic-artists.org 43

Founded in 2005, IEA is encaustic artâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest and largest professional non-profit 501(c)3 organization. Â