This Wild Storm

Hello Folks,

If you celebrate Easter or Passover, I imagine your observances (like mine) are looking a little differently this year. It's strange but in this time of isolation and social distancing, I feel more connected to the global community than I ever have in my life. I hope that all of my dear online friends are doing well and staying safe.

Recently I did my first encaustic painting of 2020. I'm calling it, "This Wild Storm", as it represents the current worldwide situation with the Corona virus. There is a lighthouse in my painting, as well as a snow-covered dock post. I believe there is light & hope, and I have myself firmly tied to the One I put my trust in.

I did this little painting on a 4x6 encaustic card. I thought a small painting was a good way to ease back into this medium. In September of 2018, I was diagnosed with Hypersensitive Pneumenitis (Bird Fancier's Lung) and had to rehome all of my pet birds. I also stopped doing encaustic painting at that time, until I could get proper ventilation in my studio. For Christmas Terry got me a new vent hood and last month (the snow is finally clearing) he set it up to vent out of our basement window.

He also set up a deluxe power bar on the back wall for the vent, my hot plates, our washer and lights for Terry's side of our work area. He mounted another power bar under my work area for plugging in my two styluses, encaustic iron and heat gun.

 My son got me a craft cart for Christmas that holds my handheld electric tools, paintbrushes, mark-making tools, stylus tips, encaustic medium & paints, oil sticks & oil pastels, encaustic cards (this is like paper for encaustic), heat-resistant sponges, vinyl gloves, buffing cloth, and a few other things. My larger supplies, like my wood substrates, are under the work bench. I can roll the cart back between the workbench and washer when I'm done.

I have three containers on my big warming tray. One is for encaustic medium (a combination of bees wax & tree resin), one is for white encaustic paint, and the one on the left is for paraffin wax, which I use to clean my brushes. I made my own white encaustic paint for the first time today, using clear encaustic medium and Winsor & Newton white oil paint. I made a cake of it for using with my handheld tools and then melted a pot of it for applying with a brush. I use the warming tray on the right to mix paint. Another technique is to lay the encaustic card on the warming plate and apply the wax to the surface directly. That is called, "Crayoning".

Thanks for visiting. I hope this weekend is special for you, even if you can't do the things you normally would do at this time of the year.

Many blessings to you for a safe and happy weekend.

Hugs & smiles,
Teresa