Can I just blow off a little steam?
I’m really tired of hearing the downright bad information out there in regard to encaustics and photo encaustics in particular.
Normally I get really excited when students tell me what a wonderful teacher I am, but this one got me going.
“I just attended a weekend workshop that was BAD. I stopped listening and just used the studio and supplies. It ended up that there was a steady stream of people at my workstation, asking me questions. I kept thinking……”Thanks Clare, for all of your valuable insights!” I was just sharing what I had learned from you.”
I didn’t go to art school. I’m a self-taught artist and instructor. And I know there is a contingent of people who say that I have no business teaching since I don’t have my Master of Fine Arts (MFA). (Yes, I have been told that several times). My response is usually to tell them that I have a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and they have no business selling/marketing their art if they don’t have an MBA. Because, of course an MFA isn’t what makes me a damn good teacher or artist.
I pride myself in teaching students how to think about this process. We have three hard and fast rules to abide by, 1) fuse each layer so it becomes one, 2) don’t use anything that will create a barrier to rule #1, and 3) know how to work safely so as not to cause problems for your health.
It’s pretty simple. 1, 2, 3. That’s it.
Everything you do should pass through those 3 filters first. What products are you using? Are they harmful if heated? Will they create a barrier to the wax fusing?
It’s all about critical thinking. I have my undergraduate degree in biology and loved my chemistry and physics classes. If your substrate is cool, the wax on the brush will solidify faster and won’t go on as smoothly as it would a warm board. That’s simple physics. One way isn’t better than the other, it’s just different.
Say, you want to use a repositionable spray to adhere tissue paper to a carrier sheet. My questions to you are…..how thick is the tissue paper? Will any of the spray seep through the tissue paper? How will this affect the feeder rollers in your printer? Will they get a build-up of gunk on them? What is the spray made of? If there is residue on the tissue, will that residue create a barrier to being able to fuse each layer together? Is that residue harmful if heated? Lots of things to think about.
There is a ton of misinformation out there and you can’t believe everything you see online, especially on YouTube, the wild west of the internet.
But I’m also finding that plenty of instructors are providing misinformation as well.
I recently had a private student who came to my studio. We were talking about her process and was shocked to learn that she had spent a large sum of money learning from an instructor who had her putting a layer of Liquitex Clear gesso (an acrylic) over her images so as the encaustic had tooth to grab on to. (Clear violation of rule #2, acrylic is made of plastic and creates a barrier to each layer fusing, and rule #3, harmful vapors are released when gesso gets above 300 degrees.)
Now I don’t know who this teacher is but she clearly ill-advised on the basics of encaustic. The problem is when you are a beginner, how do you know?
You can’t. I wish there was something I could say that would help you figure this out. I can’t tell you to only learn from those with an MFA, because I don’t have an MFA and I’m a great instructor.
That’s why it’s so important for me to teach you to think critically.
I also find that when it comes to photo encaustics I see some clear differences in those who come to it from the encaustic side and those who come to it from the photographic side. Most of the misinformation I find about photo encaustics comes from those who think adding a photo is just collaging. They haven’t invested in high quality ink jet printers, archivalness isn’t top of mind, and it’s never crossed their mind to think of it as an alternative photographic process.
Most common is the idea that you can only do photo transfers with laser prints. I’ve had other teachers proclaim that to be the case and that ink jet prints don’t work for transfers.
And I believed that too when I was just learning. Until I gave it a try one day with a print from my photo quality ink jet printer. It was beautiful. Better than any laser transfer I had previously done with the added advantage that ink jet photo printers use archival ink. Laser prints are not archival.
And since archivalness is important to me, I’ve added it to my list as rule #4 to working with encaustics.
My best advice is to know your materials and what they are made of. How will these materials react to heat? My first exhibition I ever did (20×30 images) were mounted to foam core with a double-sided tape that didn’t stand up to the heat of fusing. The bubbles created were huge and horrendous. It was disastrous.
Ask questions of your instructors and learn to think things through. Don’t just take what they say as gospel truth.
OK, rant complete.
Let me hear from you. Do you have any thoughts on the this? I’d love for you to join the conversation.
Be well….be creative,
Good one Clare, thankyou
Yes! I agree with constantly learning and doing research. When first starting out (which I’m still in that phase😳😉…… I accept that not everything will be a finished piece of displayable art. Practice practice research experiment……… love it.
Sure do miss y’all.
YES. Practice, practice, practice…..learn and experiment…..and think it through!
Miss you too….Eatons’ is still ‘a go’ this year with physical distancing in place. Would love to have you come!
I still do so much just the way you taught me years ago…and thank you very much.
You are so very welcome Kay! I’ll be the first to admit I don’t know every single technique, but I have an analytical mind that is able to break it down and determine if it fits my criteria of archivalness.
Nicely presented Clare
Thank you John!
Well said Clare. The classes I have taken from you and Nancy Crawford have been essential in laying down a strong foundation in encaustics. When creating our encaustic pieces we must understand and abide by the rules of its structure. This doesn’t mean I can’t experiment. I do experiment, but I do so with confidence because I understand the fundamentals of the process. I know where I can stretch my freedom, and I know where to place the limits. Just understanding gives me the freedom to let my mind explore this bewitching art process!
You are so right Andrea. Experimentation is so important in this process. It’s part of what makes it so magical. You have said this so eloquently:)