A View From Above - Encaustic

This is the third encaustic that I've done since I took that one day workshop in October and they are so much fun.  This one is the largest one so far.  It is 10" x 10" and my first two were 6" x 6".  I have a few supports that are 18" x 18" so my next ones may be even bigger.

On this one, I used encaustic gesso to prime the wood.  This time, I didn't put a layer of clear wax on first and I was much happier with the result.  When I had the clear layer of wax as my first layer, it made the colors I put on top do weird things.  I had much more control this time.

For me, the fusing is the fun part of encaustics.  Trying to get the wax to level out without moving it where is shouldn't go is a challenge.  On my next one, I think I will pick a subject with more detail to see what I can accomplish.

The finished encaustics have such a wonderful finish.  They can be buffed to a beautiful sheen and have a very unique look.

A View From Above
Image Size 10" x 10"
Encaustic

Category › beach paintings , encaustic paintings , Heisler Park , Laguna Beach , nancy goldman , seascapes

Costa Brava Cliffs I and II - Oil and Encaustic

I played around with some more encaustics this week.  I painted a seascape in the wax and then did the same scene in oil to see how different they would look.  Here's the oil painting:

And here is the encaustic:

So far, two people (who have seen them in person) have said that they like the oil painting better.  I think I like the encaustic better because it is more loose and wild looking and I like the brighter colors.  Also, it was really fun to paint which probably enters into the mix.  I also really like the shine on the wax after polishing it.   I must admit though, looking at them in person, sometimes I do like the oil better.

These are both small.  The oil is 6" x 6" and the encaustic is 6.5" x 6.5".  I'm anxious to try a larger painting in the encaustic but I should probably continue working small until I learn the medium better.

Costa Brava Cliffs I
Image Size 6" x 6"
Oil

Costa Brava Cliffs
Image Size 6.5" x 6.5"
Encaustic

Category › Costa Brava , crashing waves , encaustic paintings , nancy goldman