Creation Soup and ……..Dots

I’ve been creating work for a show that opens tomorrow night in the Chicago Arts District on the 1800th block of South
Halsted. Instead of a traditional gallery, the spaces are called ‘Show Pods’ and are small store fronts that allow the artwork to be seen 24/7.  The show “Dots” is the work of 14 artist members of  FUSEDChicago. Much of my work, encaustic monotypes on paper, is subtle and intimate. So my challenge was to work in encaustic on board, creating a bolder look that would show well in these illuminated windows.

To begin, I started with what I call ‘creation soup’. I use a tray and put paper or board down first. Then I use various papers (lots of circles like coffee filters in this case) and pour watercolor, ink or dye through the papers to create patterns on the papers and boards. Instead of letting all of that luscious dye go to waste, I add layers of dry silk and other papers on top to soak up the excess. This gives me a color coordinated stash of fabric and papers to create my mixed media encaustic work.

Here is a quick photo of the tray as it is drying. The hardest part is leaving everything alone so that the wonderful patterns dry into the fabric and paper.

I created my first video to show you the layers as I pull apart the dried papers and fabric.

And here are two of the final encaustic paintings utilizing the colored silk for background and the coffee filters as ‘dots’.