Sunflower Valley : Presented Mounted and Photographed

Original Art in hot wax : Sunflowers

I have just finished this piece featuring a valley of sunflowers.

I worked in hot wax on a A3 gloss card painting using my hot iron and stylus tools together with a heat gun for remelting the wax once applied.

I have been painting a lot of Sunflowers of late, and this piece took about 10 hours in several sessions for me to get to where I wanted to be. I used to find I liked to finish a painting in one or two sessions but I have changed the way I work now and often feel coming back to a piece after a few hours or days break I can see how to develop the picture, and as encaustic wax is so versatile I can easily remelt and rework the piece until I am happy with the work.

Photographing Art Work

It can be a challenge photographing artwork to show online. I find that with my wax art it can be difficult to show the subtlety of the work as when displayed on a computer screen lines in the wax which add a great texture in real life can look clumsy when photographed. Likewise the colours and the sheen, although they do show, often have much more depth than represented in online screen view.

Presenting and showing artwork online

It is also, at times, difficult to know how to present the paintings, I sometimes use a display easel to demonstrate how a painting could be displayed or a frame, which can help show how a piece maybe used. But this doesn’t always give the true feeling of size.

When we photographed the “Splash of colour – flower meadow” paintings this week I decided to hold the pictures to give a perspective to the size. I had a fellow artist comment on how effective this was and so again with this painting I am showing it in relationship to its surroundings and me holding it.

This picture is approx. 16 x 11 in size and the mount in a mid to dark blue really highlights the golden yellows of the Sunflower subject I feel.

What do you think?

What do you think?
Why not leave me a blog comment below.

ACEO and ATC : Miniature Paintings

When I first started to show my encaustic artwork online a few years ago, I was asked by a lady called Margaret (an ACEO Collector) on an Artists Art chat forum if I painted any ACEO’s. Not knowing what an ACEO was at the time, I did a search, as you do, and found ACEO stands for Art Card Editions and Originals.

Having heard about ATC (Artist Trading Cards) before I found that ACEO’s are on off-shoot from these. From my research I found out that as ATC are traded or exchanged, an ACEO can be found for sale. They are very collectible and a popular pastime for many and an affordable way to collect art.

Miniature works of Art : Art Card Editions and Originals

A miniature type work of art, an ATC or ACEO can come in a wide variety of styles, materials and subjects. The only criteria is that the size is 2.5 x 3.5 inches.

I have found since painting some AECO’s myself that the variety of talented people creating these wonderful works is so wide and varied I couldn’t possibly mention them all here but from watercolours and acrylics to mix media they are contemporary, modern, classic, abstract, impressionist and much much more …

I have a couple of my own displayed in our office on mini wooden easel stands, plus a couple by other artists that I have bought for my husband, I just couldn’t resist them, one is an Owl (he’s so wise sometimes) and the other a F1 car. As we love to be surrounded by art these small pieces are perfect for our busy office as they don’t take up too much space.

Encaustic ACEO

Although I am concentrating on painting some larger pieces at the moment, I still paint an Encaustic ACEO from time to time, as they are still great fun to paint and I enjoy the challenge of painting in miniature with wax.

I first thought of these miniature pictures as ways to show people what could be done in wax and maybe a taster into looking at larger works, but they are an art form all to themselves and a very popular collectable one at that! I have sold quiet a few over the past few years, to collectors in both the UK and US.

Hot wax Collection : View An ACEO Showcase

A few of my Encaustic ACEO paintings, some still mine, others sold and in private collections can be viewed online in a slideshow on the Art In Wax youtube channel which I put together at the end of last year to showcase some of these works.

Epilogue

Having written this blog post I was then inspired to paint an ACEO. I haven’t painted one in several months and it was a challenge but in the end I created a couple of these miniature art works.

Two new paintings are pictured below : The Sunflower and Landscape are new this week, the fish was painted in 2011 and the flower vase earlier last year 2012.

My ACEO’s are for sale, you can contact me direct for details of how to make a purchase via my website contact page form.

If you perhaps collect ACEO’s and/or paint and create them yourself or you just found this post interesting do please leave me a comment below, its great to get feedback.

Beautiful Freesia

From Watercolour Pencils to Encaustic Art

If you have read my blog before you know I love flowers and have a passion for painting them.

I have been doodling with my watercolour pencils recently, and thought I would have some fun with my wax this weekend and see how a doodle of a Freesia flower translates when painted again in hot wax and this what I came up with, it has a wonderful sheen and texture.

I used some purple and gold wax, feathering them together with a hot brush style tool and giving a great texture, which isn’t easy to photograph!

Hot Wax Demonstration : Sunflower

Encaustic Art

Wax is a wonderful medium to work in and it is my passion as an Encaustic artist to create pictures using this versatile medium.

Following on from the launch last month of the new Art In Wax Sunflower exhibition, a collection of 6 paintings all painted in hot wax. Adrian and I created a video diary of me painting some of the pictures in this new collection of A4 sized pictures and a short demonstration of a smaller postcard size sunflower to accompany the exhibit, these are now live on the Art In Wax Youtube channel.

Hot Wax Sunflower Painting

A new more detailed demonstration

In addition we have now created a further film of me painting another postcard size Sunflower. This film is more close up and gives a more detailed view of the technique of working with the heated stylus tool.

Encaustic wax and tools used

In this demonstration I used :

• Stylus Tool with the mirco nib.
• Stylus Tool with a metal brush nib.
• A limited palette of 4 coloured Encaustic wax blocks : Green, Yellow, Orange and Brown.
• A6 Encaustic gloss card

The demonstration can be viewed below or via the Art In Wax Youtube channel How to paint a sunflower.

If you would like to, please leave me a comment to let me know if you watched the film and what you thought.

Hot Iron Painting Techniques

I use many different types of heat tool to create my paintings in wax.

Encaustic Art has a wide and varied history of painting techniques and painting style. The words “Encaustic Art” means many things to many people. Some paintings are created with deep layers of wax, with the design almost carved into it, others use mixed medium styles.

I paint in hot wax. I melt the wax using a variety of tools, I have specialist craft irons, stylus tools which I use like a hot palette knife or for detailing with a combination of heated nibs. I also have a hot plate to melt wax directly onto the painting surface or heat the wax to apply with a brush or more conventional painting palette knife.

I have in the past blogged about using my favorite tool “the stylus heat tool with the micro iron nib” but in this post I am concentrating on the Encaustic iron.

Encaustic Iron Tool

The Encaustic art craft iron may look like a conventional iron but it is especially for the job of heating wax.

I use one of the irons to create parts of my artwork, as a painting tool it is a different shape from many palette knife but once mastered can be used to create bold strokes and also amazing detail. By adjusting the angle and pressure, light and shadow can be introduced into a painting as the flow of the wax can be controlled in this way.

A Very Versatile Tool

As you can see from the first set of photographs on the right;

• Iron flat to lay a coating of wax onto the card.
• Angled more upright – the iron tip used.
• Side angled to make a more defined line.

The iron can be used flat to lay a coating of wax onto the card, which could add lots of wax and colour
or just a light background to work on.

With the more upright angle the iron can apply colour and shape and details, I sometimes use the iron in this position to add even small birds to a landscape.

Side angled to make a more defined line as I show here in the stem of the rose.

I often use the iron in the reverse position as in the photographs below;

• Creating a line for the horizon.
• Cutting into the wax to create waves.
• Loading the side of the iron.
• Sliding the wax to make a defined block of colour.

By using this edge of the iron in this reversed position I find I can control the edge of the tool in a way to create a straight line which is useful when painting a landscape or seascape horizon or when creating a candle, and dragging the wax to give a textured effect.

I sometimes use another one of these irons in its up turned position, thus making it into a mini hotplate which is good to add effects to areas of paintings when I don’t want to get out my full sized hotplate.

Combining Techniques

Each of these techniques work together to create the overall paintings.

I may use the Encaustic iron to create an entire picture or just parts of it, but it is an essential tool for me as an Encaustic artist.

I sourced my hot irons via Michael Bossoms website @ www.encaustic.com and many of my supplies come from here too, I also get supplies from Barry Moulton at Wakes Waxes in Colcester, but there are many suppliers online and worldwide selling encaustic tools and equipment.

Watching Me Paint

All of the photographs published in this post are taken from some of my video demonstrations which are live and available to watch via the Art In Wax Youtube Channel.

• Single stem rose : Painting An Encaustic Rose
• Boats : How to Paint a Sail Boat
• Festive Candle : How to paint a festive candle

More in 2013

For 2013 I am planning to create more online video demonstrations and exhibits.

The plans are in place for the next video which will be a workshop style film, based on painting techniques and adding elements into a picture …… so watch out for that.

I am also working on paintings for a new exhibit for the Art In wax online exhibition page, this will be a series of paintings based on a theme, which I’ll keep as a surprise for now!

What did you think of this blog post? Please leave me a comment below.

Thank you Hazel