Waxing again....

Thought Process:


I have loved painting the figure over the years and for me the figure has become a symbol of life to me. I have simplified it with every painting in an effort to strip it bare and find the deeper essence of life. I once painted all the details in the face and anatomy but have successively grown less attracted to the details and more infatuated with the shape as a whole. The breaking down and finding the lines of separation and dissection that work to give the figure action and life without limiting the ability to be universally intriguing. As a small child I used to love seeing my shadow, in a diverse and complicated way I see my figurative work serving the same purpose for me today. I could make my shadow take the shape I wanted it to take; but often, it would surprise me and elongate or curve over a surface and create some new form that was foreign at first, but still recognizable as me. The figure represents an open door to possibilities to me, it is a metaphor of not only who I am, but possibly what I would like to be and also what I wished I were not etc.

Fish Nets
Encaustic on wood panel
24 x 24 inches
Cathy Hegman

Technical Process:

I started the Fish Nets with just the wood board with a charcoal gesture mark on the wood. I next coated the piece with clear wax. I knew it would be a figure, so I began planning the amount of space the figure would cover and masked it out and applied many more coats of pigmented wax, fusing between each layer. I then carved the figure out a bit more and added wax to the shape.



detail of netting effect

I took net from a wine bottle and pressed it into the soft wax to create even more texture. I next applied burnt umber oil paint and wiped it off in places, in order to bring out the texture of the net. I kept adding layers of wax in places to finish off the piece, fusing with my heat gun between each and every layer.

Between Good and Evil
encaustic on wood panel
12 x 12
Cathy Hegman

In the second piece I began it with a collage of found papers on the wood. I adhered the papers with matte medium and let them dry. I applied the wax over the collage and carved into the wax to highlight the shapes of the figures. It is graphic and simple but it evolved this way and I like the fact that it is so simple and the foundation of collage was so complicated. I think it is a fitting finish for the thought behind the painting, Between Good and Evil. The textural surface of the layers of beeswax and oil paint simply add to the integrity and interest of my figurative works. I am amazed at the build up texture that can be achieved with the wax. Take care and have a great month!

Cathy Hegman
www.cathyhegman.com
email: hegmanart@aol.com


All artwork and text included in this blog is copyright protected by Cathy Hegman and should not be reproduced in any form or fashion or used without the written permission of Cathy Hegman. All text and artwork included in this blog are solely the thoughts and original art of the artist, Cathy Hegman, unless otherwise noted, and are meant only to be guidelines and thoughts for others to read.

Winter.....Snow and Hot Wax.....February 2010

Above photo is of the Methodist church in Holly Bluff. It is old and quaint, we go there every Sunday and worship. This church was built by the Sharbroughs, descendants of my husband.



Snow in the Delta....the most snow in 25 years. It is a beautiful site.
The most significant characteristic of snow is the quiet that occurs when it snows. The everyday din comes to a complete stop and the snowflakes pile in silent mounds covering the world with colorless cold. The world becomes a warm comforting place in the bitter cold of the snow blanket. I am so fond of finding oppositional things in life and this is truly a highlight of winter for me.





This is a photo of the downtown area of the small town of Holly Bluff, where I live and paint. Normally I don't notice it much but with the shawl of new fallen snow it becomes much more impressive. A photo of the trees in the pasture in front of our home. I see this view from my studio windows.



Enough on the snow, let's get to the wax! I attended an encaustic workshop in Dallas, Texas, at the Encaustic Center, in January 2010 and had a lot of fun. I stayed with my fellow artist friend, Cheryl Mcclure.(http://johnsoncreekstudio.blogspot.com/). We enjoyed spending the time together and waxing at the workshop. Cheryl is an accomplished artist and does spectacular non objective abstracts. I have become entranced by hot wax painting and the textures and layers of the beeswax and oil pigment. There is something earthy about it, painting with a gift from nature and forming and carving into it, gives one a closeness to nature that is difficult to explain. Below are a few of my encaustic pieces of late.

Lines of Humanity VI
by
Cathy Hegman AWS,NWS, MSWS, MoWS, SW, SAA

This one is based on the series titled Lines of Humanity which explores our connectedness to each other and how we form a strong and solid line by our connections. I like this series as it gives me a feeling of belonging to the world, it reiterates that we have a purpose here and we all fit into the grand puzzle of life.

Solitude

by
Cathy Hegman AWS,NWS, MSWS, MoWS, SW, SAA

This piece is one based on my series of figurative works. I usually put the figure in as a solitary figure to show the strength that I believe exists within each of us. There is power in solitude, it forces us to look inward and find reasons and beliefs that keep us moving and growing.

Emotional Chaos

by
Cathy Hegman AWS,NWS, MSWS, MoWS, SW, SAA

This figurative encaustic is called Emotional Chaos. I believe it depicts the essence of how our emotions can be at work inside us and the way that we try to cloak it with layers of deception all the while thinking that we have concealed it ;but somehow, it shows through to the world. I painted this piece by making marks in charcoal on the wood before adding any wax and then layering the wax and carving out the figure shape. I like to dissect the shape of the figure in my work, it seems to give the shape more movement if I place the pieces at odd angles. The texture of the nonpigmented beeswax is often all that is needed in an encaustic painting, as the wax is translucent letting the color and some of the wood grain show through. In this piece I used the charcoal, a bit of wax with yellow ochre pigment in it and the plain nonpigmented wax. It is almost a monochromatic piece. Lately I am finding myself more drawn to this type of palette. There is something very dignified in the simplicity of the monochromatic palette.

Black Skirt

by
Cathy Hegman AWS,NWS, MSWS, MoWS, SW, SAA

The last painting in this blog is called Black Skirt, it has many symbolic references included in it that have appeared in my work in the past. I find when I look back over the years of my work that some symbols appear to be in all of them. I have attached my own meaning to them and have found new ways to incorporate them into my work. I believe that in a way they are the defining elements of my life in art. This piece was done in much the same way as the one above it, only in this one I did not rely on the plain wax as heavily, as this one is about the way in which our clothes give us much more than just coverage and warmth, they are often our disguises and our sometimes our cry for help. I disconnected the body shapes again in this piece, you will notice the angle is not as active as in the Chaos painting, this is a much more subtle and quiet piece.


Take care and have a great month!

Cathy Hegman
www.cathyhegman.com
email: hegmanart@aol.com


All artwork and text included in this blog is copyright protected by Cathy Hegman and should not be reproduced in any form or fashion or used without the written permission of Cathy Hegman. All text and artwork included in this blog are solely the thoughts and original art of the artist, Cathy Hegman, unless otherwise noted, and are meant only to be guidelines and thoughts for others to read.