Encaustic paintings complete

Johnson Creek Studio by Cheryl D. McClure

Yesterday I finally decided that I was finished on the two 30 x 40 x 2 inch encaustic paintings. As I mentioned before they are painted on cradled wood panels. My goal with these works was to be able to get gestural drawing into the mix with all the beautiful surface that encaustic paint brings to a work.
This is probably more drawing than I usually use in my acrylic paintings since I spent a lot of time concentrating on the drawing aspect over the shape aspect. When my other paintings it is more the opposite.

While these are considered fairly large for work with encaustic, they are not large compared to my other work. SO, this was also a goal of mine to make larger paintings. It is not as quick a process as with application of acrylic or oil since you are working with heavy panels and a medium that will run all over everything if you pour it on………I ended up not doing any pouring. I do think I will continue to use India and Sumi ink in some of my work. It lends a watercolor like quality to the work that I like. I think I need to go see if there are other colors of India ink though as not always will I want it to be this black.

There is something to be said for the slowing down of the process. You can get really lost in the process. Although you can get lost in other media as well, this is somewhat different in that I am mostly painting horizontally and having to put the panel up at the end of the session on the wall to come back later to see what I have. Working between the two panels therefore took a good bit of time. A LOT of viewing and determining if there was a need to add or  subtract more. I’m hoping that I have edited out enough. When I got to the point where I didn’t want to take anything out, soften something or add something then the painting is done.

With my next paintings I plan to use the hot pen to see where it will take me mixed in with the ink and wax………Stay tuned.

The titles are not set yet………. These remind me of my work called “Johnson Creek Summer” but they also make me think of the one called “Beneath The Surface”.

UPDATE:   I am considering the title “Efflorescence”, although efflorescence is more of a white or pale growth…for my purposes, black and gray can do……………