February blues have set in and I’m trying to get back on track. It’s always a really hard time of year for me. I get really sluggish and done, oh so done, with Minnesota winters right about now. I’ll be honest I’m having a hard time finding the motivation to get into the studio. But… Read More »Rekindle your Mojo
I’m exhausted from the steady stream of negativity coming from what seems like a topsy-turvy world. I image some of you are too. Every time I read something that seems crazy, I hear myself saying—it’s time to challenge myself to create more art. Right here, right now….there isn’t a better place to start. I often… Read More »Challenge Yourself to Create
Tips for Printing + Mounting an Image for Photo Encaustic. There are three ways to incorporate photography with encaustic medium, one of the most common is to mount your image to a hard substrate and layer the encaustic on top of the image. Paper Selection The first thing you have to think about for this… Read More »Printing + Mounting a Photo for Encaustic
The Shipping Question……. Shipping comes up time and time again. How do you ship an encaustic piece? There is a fragility to what it is that we make. So for good reason we should be concerned. The work can be vulnerable to cracking, chipping, or flaking. Heat and cold play a role. I’m sure we… Read More »Shipping Encaustic Artwork
Meet Frank. My brother owns this image and has it at his cabin in Northern Wisconsin. This past summer when I was up there I turned the corner and found it hanging in a new spot. I stopped and took time to think about Frank and my days photographing Ireland. I spent years traveling Ireland… Read More »The Story Behind the Image
It’s Done! Now How Do I Photograph It? If you’ve ever tried to photograph your finished encaustic artwork, you know how tricky it can be. The surface, the shine, the texture—getting it all right in a photo feels like chasing light itself. Let me walk you through my process. When I finish a piece, I… Read More »Photographing Encaustic Art: Tips for Capturing Texture, Color, and Shine
It’s done…..now what? Clean the edges of all drips—I’m a firm believer in properly finishing my pieces and for me that means that the edges are nice and clean of any drips and drops. I know that some artists love that organic feel of showing the process, but generally buyers like clean and finished edges.… Read More »Finishing Details
Why photograph horses? I’ve been thinking a lot about this recently as it became incredibly obvious when spending a week at a dude ranch that I’m not a horsewoman. I didn’t grow up around horses. I didn’t obsess about them as a child. My only real experience with horses was going up to see my… Read More »Horse as Muse
I love my job. I’ve just returned from a week teaching my photo encaustic equine workshop outside of Sheridan Wyoming. Nine of us gathered in this amazing location at the foot of the Big Horn Mountains and spent the week photographing horses and working in the studio. It’s the first time I’ve done a workshop… Read More »Doing What I Love
What Images Work Best for Printing on Tissue Paper? This seems to be the hardest concept for students to grasp. My guess is because when photographing we rarely shoot images against white backgrounds (unless we are using a white backdrop or a cyclorama wall for commercial purposes.) But before we start I need to talk… Read More »Printing on Tissue Paper