It's time to look around

Although I tend to concentrate on my own work there comes a time when it is good to look around and see what others are creating. It helps to give a different perspective and get you out of a rut!

As you may have gathered from some of my previous posts the art of encaustic is to paint with hot beeswax enabling the artist to create a unique painting which can also include other mediums to produce a mixed media painting.

Since I sell most of my paintings on Etsy.com in my shop I thought I would enter the word 'encaustic' into a search and see what examples of work I could find. A whole host came up but some of them seemed to stand out more than others for me.

For instance, a Portland, Maine artist called Willa Vennema has used a wood panel for a support to create her encaustic entitled Bees in Bee's Wax

Willa says that 'this piece is from her Series of abstract encaustic/mixed media paintings. If you're not familiar with encaustic, it is a painting technique which uses hot wax as the medium. The sensuality of the medium is its best feature. The surface of the paint has a beautiful glossy shine that can be buffed gently to renew it. The paint seems to glow because light reflects through the layers. There is also a faint perfume of the bee's wax used to make the medium. There's nothing like it!'

This is another masterful creation so full of movement and depth entitled Elegant Motion by Shelby of BS Art Studio. Here you can start to feel the drama that the waxes can achieve!

An example of mixed media is seen in this piece by Newbyart entitled Leaving the Hive which is about the artist's personal journey of leaving a group of close friends (the hive). There's something reassuring, though, that communication is just a stamp away.

So, I leave you to explore further and find your favourite piece whether it is solely an encaustic or a mixed media piece. The styles are so varied and exciting but most of all, totally unique!