Mother's Day Weekend Trunk Show

In the Chicagoland area? Come out to see me this Friday and Saturday for a Mothers Day Weekend Trunk Show at Randy Heller Design in Highwood~

EncaustiCamp Spotlight: Bridgette Guerzon Mills

Continuing my series of guest bloggers from the EncaustiCamp retreat here is Bridgette Guerzon Mills from Contemplating the Moon....

"I mentioned in my last post that I will be previewing the instructors that will be teaching at Encausticamp this July in Salem, Oregon. This week it's my turn.

I am really excited to be combining two of my passions in one workshop this summer- bookmaking and encaustic. Well, actually three, come to think of it, because I will be covering mixed media techniques and incorporating those into your encaustic practice.

As readers of my blog, you all know that I have been creating handbound journals for many years. But my love of making books, goes beyond binding blank journals, it goes into the book art forum.

What is book art? Book art is works of art in the form of the book. Simple as that. But when you think of the book as a medium of visual expression, well, that opens of a whole world of visual exploration! Book art is the artist's interpretation of a "book". What I love about book art is the interaction between the artist and the audience. A book is not just meant to be looked it, but opened, touched, perused. So form invites exploration, while concept also engages. My first ever exhibit I was in was a book art show in Seattle, that included two of my pieces. I have been experiementing with book art forms since high school when my ceramics teacher, an exhibiting book artist, took me under her wing and introduced me to this fascinating art form.

Sheltered
mixed media book, includes pigmented beeswax
2005
published in L.K. Ludwig's True Vision: Authentic Art Journaling, 2008

It was only a natural progression that I would start exploring marrying encaustic with books. I am excited to be sharing my process at Encausticamp this summer in the workshop entitled "A Book of Images and Wax".

 In this workshop we will go over incorporating photographs with encaustic with either collage or transfer techniques. We will create these on boards which we will bind in an accordian type of binding. I will also go over using paper with encaustic, one of my favorite things to do, and incorporating those creations into our book of wax and images.

If that sounds like fun to you, then head on over to Encausticamp to register for 3 days and 4 nights crammed with all things beeswax. This is a retreat that is for all levels and beginners in encaustic will feel at home here too. I think that people are often intimidated about starting to paint in encaustic, so this is a wonderful way to venture into painting and creating with wax. 

a little sample book I made of encaustic pages coptic bound"

~Well I don't know about you, but if I wasn't already going to be teaching at EncaustiCamp, Bridgette's class would surely be enough to convince me to go!

EncaustiCamp Spotlight: Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch

The next Spotlight guest post is written by Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch, our fearless leader and event visionary host of EncaustiCamp. This will be a two part post - today she talks about who she is and part two will focus on the camp experience~

"I feel like I need to start this blog [post] with a big, 'it's just me!'
It's just me:
It's just me.
Having fun.
Fitting into this thing called life.

Playing with my passions and making them work!
Stitching up torn edges and frayed seams.

Daring to stand on the edge: and take the leap.

Committed to staying in my committments.
It's just me.
A lucky, lucky, LUCKY girl humbled by the fact that others want to come have fun; figure out this life; play; stitch; dare; commit; alongside me.

It's just me. Come on! Let's do it~


Foundations in Encaustic: EncaustiCamp 2011
Everything deliciously 'no way' becomes 'why not' and ends up here as a 'look at what we can do!' Join me to indulge and explore. From plaster to tar; wood icing to panpastel; propane torch to shellac...yes, it's all that good :)
in love. trish

Join Trish and five other instructors and six passionate assistants this summer at EncaustiCamp 2011. Three days and four nights of all things beeswaxy and beautiful~July 13-July 17. www.encausticamp.com

Encausticamp Spotlight: Michelle Belto!

Over the next few weeks I will be hosting a "guest blogger" series which will spotlight each of the EncaustiCamp Instructors and assistants. I couldn't be more excited about this event and I hope that you will be joining us!

Today's spotlight is on Michelle Belto. Michelle has developed her own luscious technique and I have to admit, there is a big part of me that wishes I weren't teaching at EncaustiCamp so I would be free to take Michelles workshop!

Here she is to talk about it~

All Roads Lead to Forever by Michelle Belto

18”X18”

Encaustic, Tar, Torch on Handmade Paper

"When I got married, I didn’t know the first thing about cooking.  Unfortunately, my new husband liked to eat…and eat often!   Thinking that it would be something easy, he informed me that his favorite side dish was mashed potatoes and that “it would go with everything.”   What he didn’t realize was that even the lowly mashed potato was beyond the level of my expertise.   I remember calling up my mom with a raw potato in my hand and asking the question:  How do you get from here to there?

I often get asked that question about my work.  How did you get there?   For those who will be attending the first ever Encausticamp in [outside of] Portland this summer, you will get there yourself!   Beating cotton and rag into a giant slushy pulp and then reforming it into something wonderful is addicting.  What’s more making your own supports will open the door to endless new ways to explore mixed media work, sculpture, and, of course, encaustic painting.

Here is a visual overview of the process that you will learn when you come to camp:

1)

          

2)

           3)

 

Participants will first learn how to make pulp from ordinary recycled materials.  We will use the pulp in a pour-mold (1) which will allow us to add cool things like glitter and cut up newspaper or embed threads or botanicals. Our form, created from foam core and other materials, will be embedded in the pulp. This will make the support stable enough to take the wax.  (2)The next step is to remove the water by pressing.  One of my students is hand-pressing the pulp.  See she is smiling!  It is fun! (3)  The final step is to allow the form to dry…and voila!  You have just created your one-of-a-kind support."

Michelle will then teach the students to use the support to create their own encaustic masterpiece. Thanks Michelle! Who would have thought you could learn so much in one day of camp? Can't wait to see what else is in store! 

Stay tuned......

Giving Up Shame

I have never been a faithful observer of the Lenten Season. In years past it felt more like a religious ritual - the act of fasting or giving something up for lent - then anything to do with my relationship with God. But this year I can't help but connect the place that I am in my recovery journey with the observance of Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.

Reflecting on and letting go of past baggage.

Repenting of our sins has gotten a bad rap over the years. I'm beginning to understand the deeper reason God says to come to him and confess. The bad choices I have made certainly come as no surprise to Him. He doesn't need me to tell him about them. He already knows.

Nor does he simply want to rub my nose in it. As if some sort of aversion therapy is necessary to bring about my redemption. His word tells me if I am weak and weary to come to Him and rest. No condemnation.

No, I see now that it is not for Gods benefit, this thing called repentance, it is for my own - for as long as I am unwilling to name it, it holds a secret power over me. That power is called shame.

Just as I cannot stuff my feelings - it is necessary for me to feel them and acknowledge them in order to let them go - I cannot stuff my sin and expect to be free.

This year I have decided to give up something for Lent. I am giving up shame. 

"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?" ~Isaiah 58:6