I was out for my walk today ... February has been the Month of Snow ... and the only way to get up the hill is to follow Tom's snowshoe tracks. I was visiting the forest mailbox (not only is it a 'Welcome, Please Sign' for visitors but also serves as a sporadic weather log).
Just beyond the main path heading across the back of the hill I noticed another well-used pathway, "Oh! I thought, Tom must have gone over that way too." As I found the crossing I realized, Nope! it was actually a deer track ... a well trodden highway through the woods. As I followed it for a bit, meandering alongside trees, under branches through undergrowth, it was not straight forward. At. All.And it got me thinking how it wasn't unlike my art process. (bet you wondered where I was going with that, huh?!? ;) )
Case in point, my current work-in-progress.
Last week (on instagram) I posted a grouping of finished plaster and wax 4x4" pieces that I've been trying to finish up for well over a year. For sake of clarity, I'd popped them in grid fashion onto a black canvas. On viewing the photo, it looked like an intentional thing ... as if they were all part of one cohesive piece. Which of course got me thinking, "hmmmmm.... how cool would THAT be?!"?
I had 3 random almost square pieces of plywood that I thought would be good for some encaustic experiments. Unfortunately, after playing around with one of them I've found I've become quite reactive to wax medium. (dang it!) The shape however would be perfect for a grid of 9 of these 4x4" cheese box substrates. I grabbed one of the other boards and covered it with book pages, old letters and stamped tissue paper. Floated a bit of molding paste over top and texturized it, then covered the whole thing with a thinned down wash of Titanium white.
After it had dried, I went back in and brought up the scrumptious ridges with a wipe on/wipe off layering that looks like it takes a minute? But really is a reedonkulously long process. Dark watery washes (quin gold/black or paynes grey OR raw umber/paynes grey) scrubbed down then back over with titanium white (or warm white). Less watery washes (wiped on/wiped off) followed by white. Then dry brushing (dark then light) and my final round is almost always applied, out of the tube, with my finger. First dark, then light. Painstaking process which sometimes I wish could be speeded up. But have yet to figure that out!
I added some text (and have since added some more since this photo!) transfers. Backwards. Always. And this base is close to being done save for its final thin white pouring medium coating.
The 9 plaster pieces are going through much the same process, sans paper base.
I'm getting close to assembling them and I can't wait to show you the finished piece.
Rambling paths indeed!