Playing with Encaustic

We've been recovering from Hurricane Irene.  We were without electricity for about 3 days, but suffered no real damage.  What a blessing!
 Before the storm I had been reading a "how to" book, The Encaustic Workshop, by Patricia B. Seggebruch.  This is a wonderful book about a method I have been so intrigued by.  I began by reading it cover to cover.  Patricia makes the process seem so easy.  It really isn't complicated, but I am finding the wax clumping a bit.  Perhaps I don't have it hot enough... I am using a crock pot, and I didn't splurge on the bee's wax.  I will go ahead and take her advice and get a hot griddle to set the temperature correctly, and purchase some bee's wax (much more expensive than the alternative).  Love the ability to lay in layers floating between wax.  You can lay in paper, writing, and all kinds of goodies.... I found my muse!  If only I could find a bit of time to play!!!!!

Little boat from RI

It would be hard to determine just how many days I spent at the beach or near the ocean, listening to the sound that only the ocean can make. I spent some afternoons sailing on it, with friends who were fortunate enough to have sailing boats, of varying sizes... What wonderful memories! I made this little painting years ago, the actual size is only 1.5 x 1.5. It was made for my mother who was in this seniors tennis tournament, and she wanted them to have sachets and pins with the teams name on them. So this was the rough painting for those items...