Needles Substructure #1

Today was my first day of school. I met my three studio mates and they are all really nice and creative people. I can't wait to get to know them better. My studio is cozy and comfortable. It has a feminine feel to it. I think that's why I picked it out of the two choices I had. They are all textile majors, I'm sure my work will be influenced by what they are working on throughout the year.

Since my recent attempts to paint with encaustics, I realize that I don't have the control over the medium in the same way I do with oil or acrylic paints. The more I paint, the more I discover, and the more I understand its nature. I guess my favorite aspect of the medium is it's textural properties. It builds up with every pass of the brush. The beeswax itself is a beautiful deep yellow that I almost don't want to hide with the other pigmented wax that I have.

I'm planning on incorporating other natural elements into the paintings I create. Today on my way to class I picked up a bag full of the many, many, many, pine needles that are so abundant in North Carolina. I added them into my first piece. The pine needles were a great substructure for more layers of wax. I like the end result and have more ideas in mind.