I worked on this new encaustic painting today. It's about 17"x 22". I built up several layers of pigmented wax, carved out the line across the surface and then filled it in with a mix of blue and burnt umber wax. Then I scraped it all back down with a razor to reveal the layers underneath. My overall feeling is so-so. It took about three hours of pretty fast work. With a piece that large, there's a lot of brush work and fusing. I do love the way the surface can get glassy and smooth to the touch, yet there's so much visual texture. Unfortunately, working in this medium can get expensive. And, I tend to start feeling a little sick after a few hours. I'll need to start making sure I keep a fan on and maybe wear my face mask indoors.
Overall, it was a good day of practicing. The painting was inspired by the cracks I see everyday in the sidewalk on my way to class. I've been making an extra effort to really observe the everyday things I see in my natural surroundings. The concrete sidewalk cracks as the earth beneath it shifts over time. Sometimes the lines are very beautiful. As I looked at this painting, I could see my next painting in my mind. My sketch below shows that it will be more of a mix between my Needles Substructure pieces and this one. I'll probably go with the same coloring and see what happens.
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