Original artwork description:

This encaustic abstract has a biomorphic aspect to it, reminiscent of small calcified sea creatures, thus the title. Because I'm painting in layers of pharmaeuctical-grade beeswax (strengthened by damar resin), there's depth to this, so that some of the white "creatures" appear to recede and others float forward not the current. The dominant colors are rose madder, quinacridone red, cerulean and manganese blue, cobalt violet and white. I've added powdered pigment and oil stick, and the floating "creatures" reveal their complex structures as the paint is blown open across the underlying darker paint. One paints hot with encaustic (the beeswax, pigment and resin mixture heated to about 190 degrees F), and each layer is fused. I use a heat gun, a small propane torch and a heat lamp, the combination of which allows me to manipulate the surface in different ways. 24x24x2 inches (61x61x3.8 cm), this is painted on a cradled birch panel and does not require framing. Signed and dated on inside the wooden cradled, I ship my work with a digitally-registered Certificate of Authenticity, which permits the collector (for investment purposes) to maintain evidence of increased value over time. Since this is such a complex and intricate image, let me know if you'd like to see close-ups of the details.

Materials used:

encaustic paint, powdered pigment, oil stick, cradled birch panel

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