Art's Fringe Benefits

Hanging out with other artists and talking art is nearly as good as making the stuff. No one gets it like other artists do, and an extended stretch of time with art pals is just a wonderful time to share news, enthusiasms, stories and opinions about art.

Binnie Birstein before the opening of NEW @ FAC

Last weekend I spent nearly two days talking art and hanging out with friends at the NEW @ FAC show in Fairfield, Connecticut. We even managed to fit in a pajama party at Binnie's on Saturday night.


Here are a few images of work in the show. There were 55 pieces of work in encaustic altogether, so not all the work is included here. (NEW members can see all my photos on our yahoo site.) The show is on until June 25th, which means it will still be up during and after the encaustic conference.

This work was in the entryway: LtoR - Kim Bernard, Pat Gerkin, Binnie Birstein, Nancy Natale

It kills me to post this horrible picture of myself, but I do want to show you Billie Jean Sullivan, Director of FAC, in blue, Show Organizer Binnie Birstein in the white shawl and Curator Laura Einstein on the far right. Laura did an excellent job selecting the work and finding a way to hang it all and meld it into a unified exhibition.

This is part of the first wall after the entryway. LtoR work is by Donna Hamil Talman (2), Misa Galazzi (top), Dawna Bemis (2), Ken Eason (2), Helene Farrar (top), Barbara Cone and part of a work by Earl Schofield.

Work by Beverly Rippel (top), Sharon Coffin, Sue Katz (2) and Binnie Birstein.

These are by Diane Langley on the left and Linda Cordner on the right.

Corner piece by Carol Odell, sculpture and painting on right by Kim Bernard.

Kim's piece again with two by Gregory Wright.

LtoR: A diptych and single panel piece by Rick Green, two landscapes by Pam DeJong, blue landscape by Charyl Weissbach and bottom work by Suzanne Des Rosiers.

Two pieces by Alison Golder on the left, then Kellie Weeks and Lelia Weinstein.

On Sunday we did a two-hour talk and demo and were happily surprised when Joanne Mattera stopped by on her way out of New York. (LtoR: Binnie, Dawna Bemis, Joanne, Misa Galazzi.)

Here is Binnie demonstrating use of a propane torch.

Dawna talking about her work.

And Misa showing us a book that documented a recent solo show of her work.

Do you think Binnie is talking about painting with encaustic or techniques of flying here?

Whatever it was, Binnie did a great job introducing New England Wax to the Fairfield Arts Council and providing lots of fun for artist pals.

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Bulletin: The number of Art in the Studio followers has hit 100! Welcome followers. I hope I can keep you interested and entertained - or at least amused.

More Collage + Encaustic

Sometimes I feel like I spend my whole life stumbling around like Mr. Magoo at the hind end of the elephant, taking the tail for the whole beast. Myopia is me. I get so focused on whatever is near at hand or last to arrive in my mind, that I can't see the big picture or remember what came before.

Cuppa, collage with encaustic and oilstick on book cover, about 7"x5".

Or maybe it's just that I get so wrapped up in the new, that I forget the old? Anyway, I'm in the studio and having a really fun time making these little collages on book covers. I'm making some bigger work at the same time, but these little pieces are very enjoyable.

Hear Ye, collage with encaustic and oilstick on book cover, about 7"x5"

What I mean by my opening statements is that in my rush to embrace the next new thing, I completely erase all memory of what had me so engaged with the old, abandoned thing. I forgot that I really love doing collage, that is, I love the kind of collage that's more like mosaic because I really love mosaic. You see how it goes.

In the Pool, collage with encaustic on book cover, about 9"x 5.5"

I've done mosaic with glass and tiles but that's a lot more work than these and you have to be careful about glass splinters. Plus it's very heavy. All I have to be careful about with these is the paper storm that I have brewing on one of my tables. I hope it doesn't get hot too quick because if I turn on a fan, I'm done for.

Wish You Were Here, collage with encaustic on book cover, about 9"x 5.5"

In Other News 
I received the stolen and recovered paintings back from Tucson today. I kind of dreaded opening them to see their condition, but they weren't bad - a few chips and scrapes. I think the rubber surrounding the panels in place of frames really saved them from more damage. That's one of the great things about encaustic - easily fixable.


Preparing for NEW @ FAC
New England Wax is having an exhibition at the Fairfield Arts Council gallery in Fairfield, CT that opens next week. It was organized by my pal, Binnie Birstein, who lives in Connecticut and belongs to the FAC as well as to NEW. The show was juried and curated by Laura Epstein, who has a background in Asian and contemporary art. I've been working on the show for a while - gathering images, preparing lists of accepted work, putting together the catalog, etc. This Saturday I'm helping to receive, unwrap and check in paintings. There's really so much work to it all. It's worse than housework - but more exciting and with a better ending. (You do know that you can click on these images and see them larger, right?)

Learning Lessons

Happy May! Later this month New England Wax will be exhibiting work by 33 members in a show juried by Laura Einstein at the Fairfield Arts Council gallery in Fairfield, Connecticut. In conjunction with the larger show, there will be a group of small works in encaustic shown in the Director's Office. These pieces will be a maximum of 12" in size and priced at a maximum of $100 each. Unlike work in most shows, these paintings can be taken off the wall and brought home right away - perfect for our instant gratification culture.

Little Chain, encaustic and beads on 6"x6" panel

I started making some of these little paintings in between working on larger pieces and had a good time with them. I find that I can be a lot more abstract than I am able to be with a larger piece. Why is that? I wish I could translate it into larger work, but it doesn't seem to work out.

Little Islands, encaustic, beads and felt on 6"x6" panel

These are really fun to do because they are so immediate. I used up all the 6x6 and 6x8 panels I had and ordered more.

Little Dance, encaustic and felt on 6x8 panel

It was fun to make gestural marks like this. I shy away from doing it or obliterate them when they are in a bigger context. Let them live!

The Sleeping House, encaustic and book page on 6x8 panel

This piece probably has too much going on for such a little painting. It changes the palette that I used in the others by bringing in the dark red/orange. Is it all too much? I can't tell. This image also doesn't capture the shimmer of the iridescent paint I used in places.

Little Bouquet, encaustic and mixed media on 6x8 panel

(You can tell I wasn't too inspired in my naming process.) This piece really changes up the palette. I began it when I was teaching my Smith class and showing them some techniques.

So now that I'm experimenting with these little guys and have received a new supply of little panels, I have dug out all the odd colors I bought as impulse purchases at conferences or online. I have had some of them since I first started painting with encaustic and have never even opened the packages. I get stuck in such a color rut that I need to expand my horizons.

Sometimes I feel that the longer I paint, the more I have to learn - both about the process and about myself. Do we ever stop learning?

Just in case, you thought that in fact there was an end to the learning process, I present to you Alice deBoton who recently passed away at the age of 103. Possibly you have seen her already if you have "encaustic" as a Google filter. I just love this image of deBoton with the torch. If you want to read more, here's a link to an obituary which tells of her remarkable life http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2010/04/15/local-artist-lives-until-age-103/. It says that she took up encaustic as a medium in the 1980s, which would have been in her 70s. Now that's inspiring!