I have so far followed the way I always approach a New Project, first finding out about everything that has been done, and selecting things I like and don't like.
The next step is to try to analyse the results and try to define what exactly I like in different pieces, and what I don't like.
First the likes:
1. The glowing translucency of the medium.
2. The layering of many coats of wax fused together that can be scraped back or added to, creating amazingly rich visual textures.
3. The large number of techniques that can be combined together to create a complexity, variety and richness of textures impossible with just oils, acrylics or watercolors. I especially like to incise lines in the surface and fill them with contrasting color to add geometric figures or scribbles.
4. Poliptychs
5. Inclusion of objects:
6.The possibility to fuse photographic images under layers of encaustic and alter them, which will allow me to include in the new work bits and pieces of my older work, images of my own drawings, paintings, sculptures and photographs, images of my favorite objects. Everything then has gone full circle by the time time runs out. I like that idea very much...
In fact, to prove myself I was on the right track, I spent a while in Photoshop doing a mockup of a large potential encaustic mixed media work that has the Encaustic look, but also is distinctly mine, using images of my work and my collections, and spiritually in synch with my previous Trompe l'Oeil Paintings and my love for Surrealism. The window will actually be cut out and a panel placed a few inches behind to produce a changing perspective effect as one moves sideways. The signature will be a wax seal of my own design.
The dislikes? Well, I am not crazy about :
1. Using entire photographs as the first layer, even though the result can be quite beautiful...
2. Too many drips
The next step is to try to analyse the results and try to define what exactly I like in different pieces, and what I don't like.
First the likes:
1. The glowing translucency of the medium.
2. The layering of many coats of wax fused together that can be scraped back or added to, creating amazingly rich visual textures.
3. The large number of techniques that can be combined together to create a complexity, variety and richness of textures impossible with just oils, acrylics or watercolors. I especially like to incise lines in the surface and fill them with contrasting color to add geometric figures or scribbles.
4. Poliptychs
5. Inclusion of objects:
6.The possibility to fuse photographic images under layers of encaustic and alter them, which will allow me to include in the new work bits and pieces of my older work, images of my own drawings, paintings, sculptures and photographs, images of my favorite objects. Everything then has gone full circle by the time time runs out. I like that idea very much...
In fact, to prove myself I was on the right track, I spent a while in Photoshop doing a mockup of a large potential encaustic mixed media work that has the Encaustic look, but also is distinctly mine, using images of my work and my collections, and spiritually in synch with my previous Trompe l'Oeil Paintings and my love for Surrealism. The window will actually be cut out and a panel placed a few inches behind to produce a changing perspective effect as one moves sideways. The signature will be a wax seal of my own design.
The dislikes? Well, I am not crazy about :
1. Using entire photographs as the first layer, even though the result can be quite beautiful...
2. Too many drips
3. Too many dimples or bumps, too heavy a texture
4. Too many colors
5. Too busy an image
6. Work that is too obviously derivative, even very good looking and well done:
7. "Cute" stuff, especially including hearts, butterflies, birdies and flowers
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