At last I have come to the end of the Tulip Series! I created the last two. Now there are five. They can either be mounted separately or together to make a bigger impact.
Created in an ACEO size (3” x 2.5”) they allow you to own an original work of art for next to nothing!
#4 and #5 to be found in my Etsy shop.
Now to see all 5!
Yes, you read it correctly!
The First Annual Autumn Arts Painting Challenge and Competition on Facebook.
When I read the title I just couldn’t resist it! I first had to make sure my style of art was eligible since the categories were oil, watercolour and mixed media. I need not have worried as my encaustics fall within the mixed media criteria. Phew! First hurdle overcome!
OK. The title of the competition suggests an autumnal theme. Now to see what artists are submitting. Oh my goodness, what talent! And, I have committed myself to place two entries in the competition. Much scratching of heads required to see what my trusty waxes can come up with.
After trying out a few ideas I decided on fungi (mushrooms). I had recently been on a walk through some local woodland and discovered some amazing mushrooms growing and since they do seem to grow more in the autumn due to the dampness I decided that they could be my subject!
I really did feel very nervous because once you have browsed through the other entries you will come to realise the incredible talent from around the world. Some of the paintings really give the impression that the viewer is actually there. Just wonderful!
The rules are simple. The painting has to have been completed in October and entered before 31 October. As long as it falls in the categories I described it is free to enter.
Anyway, you will be curious to see my first offering? Here it is! Woodland always has such a diverse amount of foliage, fungi offering a bountiful supply for the artist to enjoy and try to replicate.
Global warming they call it. So, why is it still cold, wet, windy etc etc? At least the grass, weeds and lovely flowers are flourishing.
In celebration I created this ACEO entitled ‘Astor’ which I have for sale in my Etsy shop.
Remember! An ACEO only has one rule. It must be 3.5” x 2.5”. It can be made in any medium you like. I find in these days of ‘the credit crunch’ (I have come to dislike that phrase because it covers a multitude of sins) people still enjoy art but might not have enough spare cash to spend out. So, by creating ACEOs you can own an original piece of art, show it off however you wish without breaking the bank.
How to display your ACEO? Try framing it. These days you can purchase frames and mounts specifically for ACEOs like 
Or you can place your ACEO in an album on your coffee table ready for your guests to browse!
Another way to display your collection of ACEOs is to place them on individual stands 
Or, you could be really classy and use this black stained glass stand from Nonnie’s Treasures.
For the first time for quite a while I am in the right mood to put iron to canvas! The wonder of encaustics is that you might have an idea of a subject matter but how it will evolve is up to the waxes on the day.
For the first painting I used my hot air gun. Ooooh the power! Well, actually, the heat. I am always very conscious of where I place the gun once I have used it. I really wouldn’t want to set the house on fire!
Whilst I was blowing the waxes around on the canvas and using different colours the idea of water lilies came to mind. I am always amazed to discover how diverse water lilies can be in colour. Remember the famous painting by the artist 
Now here is my interpretation. A very different view but I still feel that the title Water Lilies is right for this encaustic.
Interestingly enough, I only searched out Monet’s painting after I had completed mine. This painting is for sale on Artfire.com
In complete contrast but still using water as my main ‘prop’ I painted this one entitled Sail Boats. I loved the feeling of release and freedom that the sea and sky offer to the lone sailor. Just enough breeze to keep the boats moving!
This encaustic is for sale in my Etsy shop.
So, you see water has many moods depending on colour, application and ultimately, subject matter.
My husband and I went for a walk on Saturday in one of our favourite parks run by the National Trust in UK. This particular park, called Sheffield Park, was designed by 'Capability' Brown in the eighteenth century when he created irregular belts and clumps of trees and cleared informal paths through the woods. 
There are truly some wonderful views.
Meanwhile, in encaustics, I have painted some flower images similar to crocus flowers or tulips.
This one entitled Windswept Flower reminded me of a delicate flower being buffeted by a fresh, cold wind in early spring.
Here I tried to convey how delicate the petals could be.
This one called Meadow Flower could be seen as more of a crocus or even a tulip!
Isn’t wonderful to be able to b
If you are interested in viewing more like these please visit my Etsy shop, Artfire or Zazzle. If you wish to contact me I would love to hear from you too either through my Etsy shop or directly through my blog!
Thanks for visiting and I hope you enjoyed your stay? Do come again soon!
Perhaps nothing on our list of disappearing Europe and America is so dire; plummeting so enormously; and so necessary to the survival of our food supply as the honey bee. 'Colony Collapse Disorder,' or CCD, has spread throughout the Europe and the US over the past few years, wiping out 50% to 90% of the colonies of many beekeepers -and along with it, their livelihood."
FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY, A GROUP OF ARTISANS ON ETSY ARE DONATING 5% PROCEEDS (of participating items) TO BEE RESEARCH. Look for the red bee logo in my shop, and see our team web site for more details www.beeswaxteam.com
Since I am proud to be a part of the Beeswax Team on Etsy I have offered some of my paintings to be considered in this sale. All you have to do is check out my Etsy shop to find which items have the above bee sale logo!
To give you a head start I will let you cheat and help you by listing the three paintings that are part of this sale.
So, do check out all the paintings which are listed on the Beeswax Team's web site for further wonderful examples of what can be done with beeswax! alternatively check out the shops on Etsy that show the logo as their avatar.
Well, as promised, the picture is now hung!
My husband got out the ladder. Have you ever tried standing, safely, on a ladder that has been extended on the stairs? Very scary. Having placed a towel at the top to protect the wall from the ladder making any marks we discussed the height at which the painting should be displayed. Once that was confirmed, he put two screws so that the painting could balance nicely and it would be easier to keep it level and straight.
Once the screws were in place I handed him the painting after having made sure that he still liked it!
Carefully the painting was lowered onto the screws, levelled and once we were happy with the 
positioning the ladder was safely removed.
And, so my friends, thank you for your patience! Now is the time to stand back and view my latest, largest encaustic entitled 'Flora'.
Although initially the painting was to be for us, I have decided that if accepted favourably enough it could well go on sale! Then the headache of how to pack it!!
Let me know what you think. Honestly, I won't be offended if it is not your cup of tea but I really would be curious to read your views.
Thank you for looking!
Whilst we spend the last few hours of 2008 reflecting on the past year, our mistakes, our joys and achievements, we should still be looking forward to another wonderful year ahead. Life is what we make of it with a little luck thrown in! Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't so well. It's all trial and error!
I am not trying to make light of situations but just feel you have to try to think ahead..... you know, the light at the end of the tunnel idea again?
Well, whilst you are all doing that I decided to have one more listing on Etsy for 2008! Actually my shop On A Whimsey is just over a year old and I am pleased with what I have achieved so far. I have loads of ideas in the pipeline for 2009.
Meanwhile, I digress! Here is my latest addition to my shop.....
Pastel Pansies - giving us the hope that a lovely spring is just around the corner!
That just leaves me one more thing to do and that is to wish each and everyone of you a very hopeful, good, healthy and happy New Year!!
Thank you all for your continued support - I do so appreciate it and look forward to seeing you and meeting new readers in 2009.
My long suffering friend has returned! My Muse. Oh, I have been truly lost without her and have just drifted along with no real ideas or aim regarding my encaustics. This is really unusual for me but now I hope to be all geared up again.
At least with all those Christmas preparations over and done with I now have more time to devote to creating again. What really helped was that I was given a hot air gun with variable heat settings as a Christmas present. This would make hot air work so much more easy to do rather than fight with my hair dryer all the time when the hot air and wax had lives of their own!
Anyway, my first creation for quite some time has now been completed and I have listed it on http://onawhimsey.artfire.com
It is entitled The Eyes Have It. 
When an idea comes into my head I just want to get the waxes out, support and decide which tools I am going to use. Once I am nearly at the completion stage I wish that I had taken some pictures to demonstrate the process of how one of my paintings become the finished product. Always, too late so I was determined to remember this time! Some of you may remember this post from my other blog which will gradually be 'run down' since I find blogger more user friendly!
To continue, with this in mind I have used my latest encaustic and remembered, just, to take pictures along the way.
Step one was to take a blank, white canvas that had been triple primed with gesso and to decide whether I would use it landscape or portrait. For this exercise I decided on portrait style.
I wanted to paint a flower using my iron, hairdryer, stylus and tissues.
The top of the painting would need a yellow background. Next I wanted some depth of colour. To do this I used a hot iron, tipped it up with the point heading for the canvas and melted some wax on it so that splodges of wax would fall in dots overall. Now to heat up the hairdryer and blow on those spots so that they would blend and I also used some tissue to blend even further.
Each layer of spots would be blown and pushed around with some tissue until I got the effect I was looking for.
Bit by bit more depth is achieved by adding darker colours on top of previously lighter ones.
In this third picture you can see the different coloured layers producing different effects.
Now the time has come to heat up my mini iron. This is inserted into the stylus which can heat up different sized tools to create different effects.
As you can see I have started to paint an idea of a flower using the mini iron. The painting continues to evolve although I am not totally certain of the final direction the waxes will take me!
At first I thought of a poppy flower and here is where you will see the dilemma I have put myself in..... should I continue or just stop! There is always the time to decided to walk away from the painting or to add just that little bit more.
Well, I just couldn't resist it! I went that bit further and now have changed the whole structure of the flower. I stopped using the mini iron for a while and started with the hairdryer again.
The shape of the flower was beginning to evolve but it needed some finer work to be done on it. Now, I really had to be careful not to overdo it so that it would be completely spoiled.
I added, using the nib of the hot stylus, some stamens and detail for the centre of the flower. It was very nearly finished. Again, I carefully heated the centre to try and soften the look.
Here we are!!! TADA!!!!
So, you see, you never really know where you will go with encaustic art. The waxes decide the final outcome for you and to try and go against the flow just will not work. Believe me, I have tried!!
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