encaustic... a process explained

encaustic is basically using hot bees wax to cover a foundation. what i did in judy's class was learn the basic technique and then some different techniques to add or embellish. we started with a board. you could use a stretched canvas, some people have put encaustic into their journals. once you have chosen your base, you can choose to paint it or not. i used acrylics to paint my backgrounds, then i did a collage with photos i have taken, glueing them down securely. then i put on the first layer of hot 160* wax. after the wax sets, you can use a blow torch or a heat gun to set the wax. it melts a little and rids the surface of brush marks. its a technique that needs practice to not get the wax too hot and to be certain to cover the entire area. then you can do a number of techniques, by scratching the surface or intaglio, then adding another layer of wax and heat setting it again. or a stencil, gold leaf, shellac, adding a tissue image, or burnishing a reverse transfer . there are so many techniques and combinations... but each time you add wax you must heat set it again. another process is painting with hot wax... you can use pure pigments or oil paints or pre-colored wax blocks to color the wax... the trick is to take small brush strokes since you can only paint while the wax remains hot. after every little bit you should stop and heat set it. this is the exercise i found to be the most difficult. if you go to judy"s website http://judywise.blogspot.com/ to the dec 13 post... the heads that are shown were done with hot wax... we were told to turn our sample upside down and copy it that way. i am not good at drawing and this method seems to make it possible to achieve some what of a likeness. i'm sorry i didn't explain the process in the beginning. it really has nothing to do with stitch ... i just have to do something different once in awhile to soothe my gemini nature.

from judy's class

here are two of the images i did... wow, i really love this process. i finally know what to do with my photographs! there are so many little things to learn... its not just painting with wax... you get to play with fire too! you can go to judy's website and see more. http://judywise.blogspot.com/

playtime at judy's

i took an encaustic workshop this weekend. it was a spur of the moment decision and it was just what i needed. i filled up all three of my jars! judy is one of the most wonderful and generous teachers ever. i am new to encaustic but i am convinced now that i need a set up which will include an old electric frying pan and griddle and a little corner somewhere so i can melt wax. i haven't shot my work yet... so i will show it later... but here is sweet judy in her studio. its really a fun place where she encourages us to play!

tj, the wizard of photography

signed sealed delivered! wow... what a great experience. i loved making this piece...though my hands are a bit worse for wear. that photo fabric is really woven very tightly and this piece is all hand quilted. i loved putting the photos together and i want to do more of that. i will try it with my own fabric and bubble jet next time. i was in a hurry to get this one done so it wasn't an option. here is the info if any of you are in the portland area and want to go... its a lovely space. and the pieces that were being hung when i was there were really good. this will be an interesting show. so you can get a feel for what's going on here, i included an artists statement at the end.

'Spread Ego'
organized for PLACE by TJ Norris

Pioneer Place Mall / 3rd Floor
700 SW Fifth Avenue

December 4, 2010 - January 31, 2011
Opening Reception 12/18, 5-8PM
Gallery Hours: Wed-Sat 12-6PM

artist statement:

“A man is like a fraction whose numerator is what he is and whose denominator is what he thinks of himself. The

larger the denominator the smaller the fraction.” - Leo Tolstoy

SPREAD EGO

Is it really possible to feed the ego?

I’m a difficult subject. The whole notion of posing really makes me uncomfortable, silly. In years past I’ve

referred to myself as ‘an acquired taste’ to potential suitors– often allowing adequate time for pause. As a

maker I’m almost exclusively behind the lens of the camera, often shooting the inanimate -- poised

outside the frame. Though this frame is self-defined. Perhaps pieces of my personality may surface in the

work over time, but the viewer would have to be a master decoder to decrypt my soul as its ticking.

“If you want to know all about Andy Warhol, just look at the surface of my paintings and films and me, and there I am.

There's nothing behind it.” - Andy Warhol

The reluctant subject: In this piece it was hard to initially imagine dozens of images of myself made by the

hands of fellow artists, all to be hung staring out into a single space. If anything this project is something

of an inversion on the subject, or rather, an anti-self-portrait -- less about me the person, less about the

history of portraiture on the grande scale and more about all its supple implications. But there’s a baseline

here, one of absurdity and of allowance -- and my penchant to allow certain curatorial sensibilities to take

over guiding this course to search and find a more critical role (super-ego) to unleash such a dialogue.

And for this I’m honored that a large handful of artists were willing to create portraits of me to be shown

collectively, to breathe a collective voice (or sigh as it were). And if I told you the thought of seeing these

amassed will make me blush would you believe me?

“The higher we soar, the smaller we seem to those who cannot fly.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

Did you know that the possible derivation for the word narcissus could mean sleep or numbness? There

is a lot of myth and fallacy around what constitutes ones ego, in particular the artist’s ego. It is from the

deep self in which one projects the core of their being through a physical/tangible medium. It’s the

impression of others that becomes the public eye. Through the history of the artists’ gaze many have

been portrayed in their best light, classically commissioned for court portraiture. But this idealism speaks

as loudly as the flat surface. You cannot buy your own self image, it’s often handed back to you, and not

always on a platter.

“There used to be a me behind the mask, but I had it surgically removed.” - Peter Sellers

Over the last three decades of studio work I have discovered that there is this innate sense to just let fate

take place, and allow the self to be substituted for outside intervention. To let things dry and meld with the

elements. What I am most interested in emerging in ‘Spread Ego’ is a sense of letting go of my own

image to a sense of trust, acceptance, perspective and gaze. In these works artists are fully allowed

license to fill certain gaps, flaws included. As I age my body changes and things find settle and disruption.

‘Spread Ego’ incites and embraces that change. It reminds me of the posturing in the Grace Jones song

“I’m Not Perfect, But I’m Perfect For You”. A time-based reality check.

TJ Norris

December 2010

work in process

i've been working on three pieces simultaneously... this one is a spur of the moment decision to be part of tj norris's show... there remains some revisions and some needle work but it is on the last stretch ... its due to be hung no later than saturday. since i haven't posted in awhile, i thought i would at least give a glimpse as to why!

hippo birdy 2 velma!

this is most incredible. it is called shifu. it is a japanese technique taking paper that has been cut in a special way and then spun. then it was woven into paper/cloth. notice please that there seems to be no beginning or end. i had the great good luck to win this in a drawing from velma who is so talented as a weaver, spinner and maker of books... among many other talents. please go look at her blog http://velmabolyard.blogspot.com/ where she confesses today that she is younger than wm blake. it is her birthday! happy birthday velma!!!

look what came!

thank you heike! i love the subtle tones of blue to purple to grey.

i love the assortment of textures, the feel of old cloth, the beautiful packaging.

i am dreaming of what they will become.

japanese gardens part 2

here is part two(or three) if you count the last post... i am trying to see how i can post more than one image and have the layout look right.. i am not very satisfied... if anyone has any advice on how to upload photos i would appreciate it.

well to the point... these are a few of the detail shots from our beautiful japanese gardens. it was an overcast day which was just perfect for the atmosphere here. on a sunny day its almost another place altogether...you can see mt hood from the pavillion. and everything glows. but fall is really my favorite. we always have an intern gardener from japan... imagine a japanese gardener coming here to learn. that speaks magnitudes. i will more than likely use these photos in a collage for a quilt design inspiration further down the line... i hope you enjoy!

japanese gardens, part one

yesterday, my son, my husband and i went to the japanese gardens to see an exhibit of shikoko fukumoto we really enjoyed it but i couldn't figure out what her process was. one of the guides thought she had sewn around the circle and another thought she used paste resist. neither of those methods seemed right though. the edges weren't crisp and even as if she had used paste and if she had sewn, i'm not sure how the center would have stayed white. so it remains a mystery unless one of you can tell by looking at the photos... it was delightful to see this sheer fabric ...old mosquito netting, originally a natural color... that she had brushed while the fiber was wet with the dye to get these striations in the weft. the play of light was truly magical.

you can see more info on her and on the gardens

here www.bellasartesgallery.com/fukumoto.html

and here japanesegarden.com/events/indigo/

the exhibit

i finally had time to go to the exhibit... here is the window in which my piece was displayed. it was a thrill to see it there. i feel grateful to the portland museum of contemporary craft for forging this relationship with our city's guilds. the next opportunity to exhibit will be in a year and a half more than likely. every guild that is a member has a chance to have a show related to something else that is showing in the museum. i've been out and about lately so i will have more pictures for you soon!

accepted!!!

wow... i am really happy to announce this... and a little shy about it too. funny combination of feelings... "dreams of future" will be in the community exhibition at museum of contemporary craft in portland, or. the museum is committed to supporting the craft guilds in the area and periodically shows work from their members. being a member of columbia art fibers guild, i really appreciate their commitment and the support of the guild.

the process of entering a show, writing a bio, writing an artists statement, preparing the work for delivery... all of it was a learning experience for me since it is the first time i have entered anything, anywhere. that i actually brought myself to do this was long in coming and is what is more important to me than the actual acceptance. though, of course, i am floating on air about the whole thing!!!

the space between the pillars

oh my... it has been awhile since i posted... life has been busy with out of town visitors and a dyeing workshop. and the weather has changed from our last bit of sun to gray rainy days. i'm not complaining mind you... just takes a while to readjust. its time to pay attention to my space. so i have been cleaning up the studio in preparation for getting back to work. nothing makes me want to get back to work more than a nice clean space ... i don't mind the mess when i am solidly in the process of working but its a real downer to come into a messy place to start again. and i have just been dumping things from classes and what have you... so. now workspaces are cleared and the ironing is done and i have new pieces of fabric to shoot when the rain stops and the light is brighter.

i was reminded about this last week when i went to a lecture by gerhardt knodel who is a weaver based in michigan... he showed slides of his work over a 35 years time period. there were some major changes in the art fabric scene that he took part in. in particular i liked what he had to say about space. he compares fiber to architecture where space is integral to the finished project. he says that it the forgotten space between the warp and the weft that plays an important role in determining the use of the fabric.

its an interesting thought, space. something i have always needed ever since i was a child. with three little sisters and a mom that needed a lot of help, it was something i didn't have much of. in my adult life i made it a priority. i created a corner that i called my own and a bit of time to pursue some needle work. now that is so much a part of my life that i don't know what it would be like with out it. the warp and weft of my life has been formed around my space.

dreams of the future

i had a big first today. i entered a juried show at the museum of contemporary crafts here in portland. they are putting on a show entitled text. this is a piece i did last year in a collaborative group. each of us were to do a piece that would then inform a larger piece. the larger piece would then be auctioned off to benefit a land conservancy organization. so this is what i contributed to the group think... i paraphrased m oliver's words and printed them onto hand dyed organza. there is a map of the portland from 1860 showing the main rivers and tributaries, the trillium which is the state flower that i drew on the hand dyed silk, and then a photo of my sweet little friend, rosie. at the top is the title of the piece...dreams of the future. i used some of ann johnston's hand dye for the background. on the left is the back of the piece which i actually signed. that was a first, too. even if it doesn't get selected to be in the show, i learned a lot by preparing this for entry. labeling everything, wrapping in acid free glycine paper, placing it in a folder with ties to secure it, again with my name address and phone and then the paper work. and i believe this is a good piece but if it isn't chosen, it may be that it didn't fit with what the show was to be about... i won't take it personally.

meaning of magic?

well here is what i have been up to... stitching... stitching ...stitching! you have to stitch up and down every little strip. as i am not fast with a needle, this is taking quite some time. the magic it performs on the squares is unbelievable... the stitching transforms the cloth... i wonder if this is why jude calls it magic?

the blue atrocity is the piece i made to learn double weaving... it has shown me the concept but i don't like it ... i will do another piece that will be much simpler. it is a good concept after all.

i have 6 little squares made for rosie's quilt... and going strong. i know she is going to love this little blanket... it has some of the fabric from the clothes i have made her... and it is turning out to be so soft from all the stitching..did i say how amazed i am? well i am!

rosie helps me weave!

i have a very special friend, rosie. she is 4 and i have played a special part in her life since (before even) she was born. she's become very interested in my sewing. she has helped before. at three she would sit by my side as i sewed and her job was to take the pins out and also to use my special stork scissors to cut the thread at the end. yesterday she helped me weave a block. she chose the colors, helped rip, and placed the strips where i told her to, weaving a nine patch block. she asked if it could be a blanket for her dollies... so of course thats what it will be. good idea, rosie! i made the circle today and will make 7 more squares to make a nine patch blanket.

next two weavings

a circle weaving with little slivers from another project... they were really too pretty to throw out. thought i could do something with them but what? well..this was the perfect thing.

then i did this other one to sort of commemorate our forgotten (not really) 7th anniversary! it has a shirt from each of us and my wedding jacket fabric. the green isn't as dull as it looks...its getting dark earlier these day now that the equinox is here...

random weavings

judes class has been so engrossing that i forgot my anniversary was today! well... other things too like canning 30 jars of relish and 14 jars of plum ginger jam and pesto and vegetable stock to freeze. anyway... i did some random weavings just for the heck of it... i don't have any project in mind ... its just fun to do and the more you do the more fun it is. ... but wait til i tell you what i'm doing next! these are from hand dyed both natural and procion, silk and african hand dye. the burgundy and green one has my wedding jacket fabric in it as well as the colors of the wedding so there was something in the collective consciousness telling me that something was up! well... i'm off now. hubby and i are going out to celebrate! 7 years of wedded bliss! we are both so lucky to have found each other but thats another story...

close up

here is a close up... some in class asked for this and i posted it there. it shows the moire effect of the organza a little better. i tacked all the edges with invisible basting and i think due to the nature of the silk, i will do some more eventually. this was done with shot cotton woven with sort of an acid green and bright pink. its amazing that it turns this lovely bronze color. at the moment i am ripping and cutting up old fabric to do some more pieces. this class is great... if she ever offers it again , i recommend it.

jude's cloth to cloth 2 class

alas, i have been smitten by the goddess of generosity and mistress of the woven square. i will not let my tree piece suffer unfinished for long though. but today i did my first woven square and it has consumed my heart! i have a few more planned to do and then i will do a bit more on trees... i should be thinking of its real name but i won't divulge that until the end....

check out judes site if you don't know about her... she is fabulous. there is a lot to explore on her site...

a bit of gold

i had a few quilter friends over to see this piece today. i can't tell you how nervous i was. as much as i am making this piece for myself, its still daunting to put it up before others. its meaning is somewhat of a personal vision... cycles of growth, spiritually, emotionally...even physically to a certain extent. it was well received. we all showed our pieces that we had been working on and that was inspiring. when you see what a group of women put their hands on and bring to life, how can it be other than inspiring? after they left i worked more on the hand stitching using a bit of gold and did some invisible basting joining the light to the dark.

root growth

well i have slimmed down and added some roots. i think this is more balanced and somewhat recognizable as roots although they are not meant to be realistic. i will be quilting the little off shoots of the roots, some by hand and others by machine. i wish i could do it all by hand but my hands are arthritic and i want to get it done in this lifetime! i appreciate your comments... one of the reasons i want a blog is for feedback on works in process....

new photos

the last photo was not so straight so i have straightened it out on the design board and added some space at the top as well. sometimes when i am working i forget to add enough space all around for the binding which in this case won't show.. but i still need the seam allowance and space to square up if needed... also i've taken a closer pic of the dark area on top left. for some reason the close up seems lighter... why? but you can get the idea of what is there... i think

these show the whole piece better. i am also readjusting the photos to have one set be the reverse of the other. hopefully this time my hand stitching will be better.

details of roots

here are some close ups for details. i have used several of my own hand dyes and my photographs in this piece. the larger piece on the bottom is a commercial print by lonni rossi.

roots

this is the working title... it is still in process but the design/placement is generally in the right place. there will be handwork and more machine work. but after a week of work i am happy to be this far along. the class was great and none of the work looked like hers... i think that is the best compliment.

branching out

it looks like i misled you from your comments. i am not on the coast; i was there last week. i am in bend, oregon... sort of in the middle of the state, south of mt. hood, in the salisaw forest. there has been a fire and the land is rebirthing. today we went on a field trip to see some of these magnificent tree ghosts. it was a great composition study in black and white. the feeling was etherial. don't despair though the whole forest wasn't destroyed. and it is recovering quite nicely. there is plenty of green as well! there is certainly a lot of inspiration here for our theme.

fly away

the coast was fabulous and there are so many pictures i would share... i should start a flicker page but i have had some trouble getting that up and running and have no time to sort it out now. maybe in september. for now, i have flown away to my next adventure. tomorrow i will start my week studying with rosalie. changing my focus from the sea to trees. we will be creating a quilt top that will evoke trees. it will be abstract. i have my series of trees printed on organza as well as a lot of ephemera for embellishing, including some silk rods from grace. i really can't wait for the fun to begin... and then when i get back jude's class will soon be starting! how good can it get?

branching out

well i have no photo of fabrics for now... but i have completed my dyeing task... a forest floor combination from melissa at fabric dyeing 101. and a nice little run of greens that i did myself. why am i dyeing all this fabric, you might ask? well when i get back from the coast, i will only have a couple of days left to get myself organized for "branching out" with rosalie dace. she is from so. africa and she is coming to sisters, oregon to teach at jean wells' stitchin' post. are we lucky or what? google her and see what she does... it is really beautiful... its a different type of story cloth... the photo is one that i took recently and will be transferring to organza and other fabrics to incorporate into the piece i will do in class. i'll be at the coast until thurs... its predicted to be windy and cool so the surf will be great to watch... we can never go in here in oregon anyway, so we might as well have a show! and it will bring good things in with the tide...i am really looking forward to this! stay tuned!

again

and again, time has passed by in the wink of an eye...
we are about to embark on some serious canning and then to the beach... in between times we take care of family and suffer the heat while entertaining out of town company...and today a four year old birthday party! talk about time flying by....
i have my dye station all ready to go so will attack that first thing in the am. who knows, maybe i will have something to show soon... will it be tuna , peaches or cloth? or maybe all three!
i am more at ease with it though, than i was last week.
thanks for your supportive messages!

beauty all around us, we just need to look.

i went out to my magnolia tree to bring in a bloom for the bedroom, as the scent is so lovely. i couldn't resist taking a few pictures. i had never seen the inside of a magnolia... exquisite! don't you just love those curls?

never enough time

some days i pull into the garage and want to go straight into the sewing room instead of upstairs to responsibility... today i had promised to make a lasagne from scratch for my husband and my son... it was fun... i do like making pasta from scratch.... and i like it that i grew the tomatoes last year and canned them and now have made sauce with garlic and basil i have grown and that i make the bechamel sauce for on top and then grate the cheese and spread the duxelles anf the ricotta. it all pleases me very much... but its what i have done all my life. now i finally thought i would have time to pursue fibers. no kids at home...far from it... and no need to go to work each day. but i am older and it takes more time to do things. and i have to spend more time taking care of my body. family issues take up time too. and caring for a husband... not that he has intense needs... he is an artist and understands if the dishes aren't done. he even does them from time to time and his own laundry too now. all in the guise of helping me to have more time in the studio..... so why don't i seem to have "enough" time?

trying something new

before i could quilt this piece that i did in jean wells' intuitive quilting class last may... i wanted to test the new batting i am trying out. this is called "deconstructed nine patch"



so i challenged myself to work quickly without over thinking...something i tend to do if i am not under a time constraint. i've been thinking of my next series since i got back from morocco... you can see the pictures here... http://web.me.com/nddas
there are also pics from japan there...
i'll talk more about my new series later but for now here is what i did today. it is not quilted or embellished yet. its working title is "listen to the call". ignore the little white squares... i couldn't crop them out.

front

back

apricot jam

i made three batches of apricot jam. although i haven't been in my studio creating, i have been in the kitchen and the garden. and today 3 books from jane dunewold came, all except the new one... so i have inspiration at my finger tips.

peach season

today i am off on another track... i have so many things i like to pursue that its hard for me to stick to just one. i am a gemini, after all! here are some peaches that i was commissioned to do.. this is before photo shop...which i will use just to brighten and clean up a few blemishes on the peaches. its been such a cold summer here that peach season is late. these aren't perfectly ripe and are from the grocery store. usually i get them from the farmers market. i like the peaches from maryhill the best but they aren't here yet. i suppose these are from california.... not local unfortunately but i have an august deadline and i don't like pushing things too far. i wonder which one she will choose. i like the peachy background myself.

anna's quilt

here is the finished product....of course i've got the back shown first... the back is a direct result of being in jean wells class. i am happy with how the colors all worked out. . its always amazing that the same colors can read so differently in various quilting styles.i am finished with this type of quilt for awhile.... this was one that i based on a kaffe fasset design... his was square and just used a featured fabric in the center where as mine is rectangle with an appliqued center. i just felt like a bit of hand work to see how my hands would respond. happily, in small doses its fine. needless to say anna was thrilled. i was happy to make it for her as she is someone quite special.