At the Desk Week 1

A little sneak peek at behind the scenes this week.  I always love seeing how artists work.  So here's my behind the scene!  Woohooo!!

Hot wax is such a yummy medium.  I realized when pulling the wax out that I just use them once a year around this time.  Must be my hibernating medium of choice!

Once I set up for this medium I start painting and can... not....stop.  It's addicting.  The canvases just fly out of my head and into the wax.  I love it.  And then just like that, the tap runs dry.  I neatly pack it all up and put the cold bricks of wax away.  It's crazy how my viewfinder brain works.

Oooooo... look at my cutey patootee studio helper!  She kept trying to get in my lap.  Since I was using a heat gun she wasn't allowed which really hurt her feelings. (On a side note, somehow I stuck my toe in the dang heat gun....OUCH!!...The story:  I put it in the seat beside me until I need it.  I also sit with my left leg bent up under me, always.  Evidently the heat gun is hot inside the mouth when off.  I tucked my leg in and stuck my toe into the mouth of it while still toasty.  Seriously I think I am the only human being that can burn her toe in a heat gun while sitting in a vintage desk chair.)

Working in the wax is amazingly fast.  Mostly due to the medium.  There are drawbacks that only I see, and thus why I don't always paint with the wax.  But the end results are dreamy. Basically you start with layers upon layers of wax medium that I personally heat in a vintage crock pot.  After coating the board and fusing the layers I move to my art desk where I have the wax bricks neatly set in muffin tins, brushes and an electric skillet.  I melt the wax bricks onto the hot surface to make the color melted enough to coat the brush and move to the canvas.  You have to move quickly since it dries immediately.  All layers have to be fused as you go with the heat gun.  My favorite stage is carving all the outlines and doodles with a clay tool.  Last I fill the lines with oil stick and rub like the dickens to get it looking like it does above.  The hat was collaged paper and a tiny pearl button attached with glue.

To see more of this medium be sure to check my regular blog...I've got a dozen made for an upcoming show!