Meet Becky Collins: The Many Faces of EncaustiCamp

Another edition in the continuing series designed to share with you the many faces of one of my favorite places to teach, EncaustiCamp. Held each summer in the Seattle area, this extraordinary retreat not only has captured many a student and teacher's heart, but also become the subject of a book featuring each of the instructors and a few of the camp VIPs. I hope to bounce around between teachers, vendors and former students (or "lifers" as they become affectionately known), throughout the series to give you a taste of the goodness from many perspectives. 

This week we are joined by EncaustiCamp Lifer Becky Collins (Attending EC even once gains you the title of "lifer" as once you've experienced camp you stay connected for life). The story of how Becky's husband surprised her with the trip to EncaustiCamp for their anniversary is a camp favorite. As an artist already, Becky gleaned much inspiration from the experience and returned home ready to move forward with her career. Read on as Becky shares her story...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Encaustic Abstract by Becky Collins

Where Art Began: Becky Collins has wanted to be an artist for as long as she can remember! Her Aunt was an artist. And when Becky was 4 she painted Cinderella characters on her bedroom walls. When her Aunt was finished Becky told her that she wanted to be just like her when she grew up. And she is!!!! Becky has done something creatively artistic every day since.

The Winding Road: Becky was an award winning Decorative Finisher for 15 years in Cincinnati, Ohio and is still painting furniture and cabinetry. Two years ago she moved to Tryon, North Carolina where she moved her business. Beespoke Studio is in process of moving out of her home into her own studio store front in Landrum SC.

She found Encaustic through a Facebook friend who posted her class photo's. That sparked 6 months of research and play. Her first painting, made for her husband for their 18 year anniversary adorns the counter of their bathroom to this day. But in 2010 before any classes or official training she created Encaustic pieces in her kitchen while her husband was out of town. More research brought her to study with Heidi Franconi-Beal in Paso Robles, California.

Abstract Artwork by Becky Collins

Surprise! In 2012 Becky's Husband Steve surprised her with Encaustic Camp for their 20 year anniversary. Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch called her during dinner and told her the big surprise!! She couldn't stop crying! Her best friend then called to tell Becky that she was also coming with her. Brittany was unable to come in the end but Steve and their 3 kids are Becky's biggest cheerleaders, they believe in her and all the creative outlets she chooses to get involved in.

Leaving Inspired: Becky is a full time artist. She paints modern, abstract very organic work and has gone from painting walls with her faux work to Encaustic with painting cabinetry and furniture when commissioned by clients. Her focus for the past month has been Moving her home studio into a new store front studio. June 27, 2014 Beespoke Studio will have it's grand opening! Becky contributes it all to the breakthroughs she experienced at Encaustic Camp in 2012.

Original Abstract Art by Becky Collins

Looking Back: Her favorite memory of Encaustic Camp was the afternoon the instructors told the stories of their art lives. These stories spoke to her soul and with every instructor's story Becky heard her own and sobbed. The connection that was made that day was life changing and provided her with the courage to "just do it" and she is. For that encouragement she will always be greatful.

Summers Coming! Becky will be studying with Patricia, Michelle and Crystal this year. She can't wait to get off the plane and make more connections with classmates and soak up as much as these wonderful women are willing to share!!

Let's Try This Again! Rockethub Campaign Continues: Ten for Fifty

**Sold Out in 24 hours! You guys rock- thank you! Stay tuned for part two of the campaign!**

**PayPal Buttons are now working and I've added two new works to the sale just to entice you to try again! But please contact me if you experience any problems with the check-out process**

You may remember my Rockethub Campaign, which ended back in April with 50% funding. A number I counted as a great start toward my goal of paying my booth fee and purchasing a booth panel system to enable me to participate in outstanding national fine art and craft shows such as the upcoming American Craft Expo in Evanston this August. And as promised at the end of that campaign, today I am furthering my efforts toward raising the funds I need by offering ten 6" x 6" works for only $50 each. This is a substantial savings of over $150 each! 

If you would like to support my efforts toward my goals and obtain one of my collage works in the process, all you need to do is click on the purchase button beneath the work of art you would like here on my blog. You will not find these prices offered anywhere else, including my website. 

Thanks for your support, encouragement, cheering me on, and dreaming with me!

**********************************************************************************

"YOLO (you only live once)" 6" x 6" collage by Crystal Neubauer

Sold
***************************************************************************************

"He Hears My Voice" 6" x 6" collage by Crystal Neubauer

Sold
******************************************************************************************************************

"Count It All Joy" 6" x 6" collage by Crystal Neubauer

Sold
**********************************************************************************

"Add or Distraction" 6" x 6" collage by Crystal Neubauer

Sold
**********************************************************************************

"My Soul Will Rest In Your Embrace" 6" x 6" collage by Crystal Neubauer

Sold

**********************************************************************************

"And He Went" 6" x 6" collage by Crystal Neubauer

Sold

**********************************************************************************

**Newly added!** "Travail" 6" x 6" collage by Crystal Neubauer

Sold

************************************************************************************************************

"Infinite Hope" 6" x 6" collage by Crystal Neubauer

Sold

**********************************************************************************

"On The Wings of a Prayer" 6" x 6" collage by Crystal Neubauer

Sold

**********************************************************************************

"Spirit Lead Me Where My Trust Is Without Borders" 6" x 6" collage by Crystal Neubauer

Sold
**************************************************************************************************************

"Forty Days in the Desert" 6" x 6" collage by Crystal Neubauer

Sold
**********************************************************************************

**Newly Added!** "Woman of Substance" 6" x 6" collage by Crystal Neubauer

Sold

Meet Shary Bartlett: The Many Faces of EncaustiCamp

Another edition in the continuing series designed to share with you the many faces of one of my favorite places to teach, EncaustiCamp. Held each summer in the Seattle area, this extraordinary retreat not only has captured many a student and teacher's heart, but also become the subject of a book featuring each of the instructors and a few of the camp VIPs. I hope to bounce around between teachers, vendors and former students (or "lifers" as they become affectionately known), throughout the series to give you a taste of the goodness from many perspectives. 

Today Artist/Instructor Shary Bartlett joins us to talk about her experience at EncaustiCamp last year as an instructor and what she is hoping to impart to her students when she returns this year. Shary joined us in my Found Object Friday series not to long ago, so I am especially appreciative that she agreed to participate in the EC series. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Shary Bartlett - Wax Sculpture and Printing at EncaustiCamp

What are you teaching at EncaustiCamp this year?

Be amazed by the remarkable three-dimensional forms, textures and translucence that become possible when encaustic meets Tyvek and Lutradur.  In this workshop, participants will learn how to print and distress spunbonded fibres, exploring how these can be shaped into sculptural surfaces which are waxed, coloured and highlighted to create unique works of art. (See more here) I am teaching how to create 3D wax sculpture and print photographic images onto spunbonded fabrics like Lutradur and Tyvek.  These new age fabrics include that lacy material you might find under your mattress. It is amazingly versatile and magical when distressed and covered in wax.  

Shary Bartlett - Workshop Instructor at EncaustiCamp

What is the number one thing you hope to impart to the students who take your class at EC?

I hope to impart a spirit of fun, inventiveness and anything is possible! Most of us have not worked with these new fabrics and they are enticing-  especially when married with the luminosity and depth of sweet-smelling beeswax!

Shary Bartlett - Workshop Instructor at EncaustiCamp

What will students get from your class at EncaustiCamp that they can't get from other classes you teach?

I get to be with students from breakfast till late into the evening!  I get to know them as people as we are "camping" together in this beautiful facility with breathtaking views of Puget Sound in Oregon.  We get to share our mutual passion for art all week. Yahoo!

"Opening" Encaustic Wax Sculpture by Shary Bartlett

What is your most memorable moment at EncaustiCamp?

Seeing students who have spent the whole day making wonderful art with inspiring teachers, reveling in the optional open studio at night and celebrating their own and each other's creativity.

Shary Bartlett, Artist, Workshop Instructor, EncaustiCamp Lifer

Bio:

Shary Bartlett is an artist and Fine Arts instructor at Capilano University and Langara College in Vancouver, Canada. She has taught art in the United States and Bali.  Her mixed media body of work includes encaustic, collage, acrylic, fibre arts, altered photographic prints and sculptural assemblage.  Find her on Facebook, Pinterest and her website:  www.sharybartlett.com.   

Found Object Friday with Guest Artist Robin Gordon

Found Object Fridays: We artists love our collections don't we? Even as a child I remember foraging through flea markets and looking for special trinkets that caught my eye. Going for walks, to this day I find myself scanning the ground looking for interesting bits of metal or unique rocks to add to my collections. Long before I knew what I would be doing with them, I collected objects that pulled on something inside of me. As an artist I was thrilled to find there are others who love and collect little oddities and curiosities too. 

Over the course of ten Fridays I am honored to introduce ten different guest artists who will share some of the objects they love. You may recognize some of these names, while others may be new to you, each one is somebody whose style I admire. Check out the photos of their found object-and in a virtual show and tell, read about how it caught their attention and what they plan to do with it. Then check out their bios and links to learn more about each artist. . .

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Robyn Gordon is actually my eleventh artist for the Found Object Friday series and it's an absolute joy to have her join us here! I may have stumbled on her work on Tumblr or another blog, I don't remember exactly when or where. All I remember is being absolutely enthralled with her wonderful carvings. Robin is an artist in South Africa and has found a way to incorporate the found objects from her region into her work that at once creates a sense of ancient tribal artifacts with a touch of modern aesthetics. Read on to hear about the treasure that Robin shared with us, but first, I can't help but show you an image of her outstanding work to illustrate the setting within which her found object might be used. . .

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Artist Robyn Gordon

What is it?

I think they are fragments from a Leatherback Turtle shell.

Robyn Gordon, Found Object

 

Where did you find it or purchase it?

My husband found a large pile of turtle bones on the beach when trudging back after a long day's fishing. He was laden down with heavy fishing bags and these pieces were all he could manage. He had hoped to find the skull but it seemed to be missing.

 

What caught your attention about it?

I love the jaggedness and the scrubbed, weathered surface of the fragments. It amazes me that several of these pieces would have interlocked  to form the underside of the shell.

 

How will you use it?

Initially I thought I could use them for tribal necklaces for my carved totems but I'm loathe to spoil them in any way. I might use one piece in a carved sculpture but the others are just lovely to look at .

Robyn Gordon, Found Object 

 

Bio

I am an artist living in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.  As a child, growing up on a farm, I loved to touch and feel nature in my hands. The smoothness of acorns and pebbles, the roughness of pine bark, the hollowness of birds nests .... anything tactile under my fingertips. At a  young age I commandeered my mom's unused carving chisels and I found that I could create many tactile qualities in the wood by chipping, gouging, whittling and sanding. Now I carve wooden totems and panels incorporating found objects.

 

My website: http://robyngordon.weebly.com/

 

My blog: http://artpropelled.blogspot.com

Meet Tracy Proctor: The Many Faces of EncaustiCamp

Another edition in the continuing series designed to share with you the many faces of one of my favorite places to teach, EncaustiCamp. Held each summer in the Seattle area, this extraordinary retreat not only has captured many a student and teacher's heart, but also become the subject of a book featuring each of the instructors and a few of the camp VIPs. I hope to bounce around between teachers, vendors and former students (or "lifers" as they become affectionately known), throughout the series to give you a taste of the goodness from many perspectives. 

This week artist Tracy Proctor shares an experience she had as a result of attending EncaustiCamp as a student last year. I simply love serendipitous stories like this, and especially when they are accompanied by the visual feast that is Tracy's art. Read on and be sure to check out her bio and links below!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seattle Installation by Buster Simpson

Before heading to Encausticamp last year, I had a wonderful weekend with my husband in Seattle to celebrate our second year anniversary.  We were walking through Pike Place and stumbled across some laundry hanging from buildings in Post Alley.  I was so inspired by the photo I decided to do an encaustic painting from the photos I took. I wanted to find out more about the laundry hanging behind the market, so I goggled it and found that it was an installation hosted by the Frye Art Museum: Buster Simpson//Surveyor the first retrospective survey of work by Seattle artist Buster Simpson, a pioneer in the field of urban environmentalism and art in public spaces.

A friend mentioned that I should email the artist a photo of my painting. I was a little nervous as Buster Simpson is a successful artist in the US for the past 45 years, but I decided what the hell.  I just received an email back to him and one of his collectors wants to purchase the piece! I guess I made the right decision by sending him an email.

"City Laundry" Encaustic Painting by Tracy Proctor

See more information on Buster Simpson

http://fryemuseum.org/exhibition/5096/

Tracy Proctor in her studio

Bio:

I have been working in Encaustic for the past eight years and teaching encaustic workshops in Alberta and BC for the past six years.  I have been to four encaustic conferences over the years but I am now definatly an ecamp lifer. I look forward to this year’s conference and will be spending the weekend before the conference in Seattle to celebrate my third anniversary!   

www.tracyproctor.com

I will be teaching this September in a Canadian Encaustic retreat in Penticton, B.C.  (email swirlfineart@icloud.com for details).

My Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/tracyproctorartist