Creative Journeys

I never know where to start but always end up somewhere!

So how does it happen for me, how do I find myself on creative journeys I wasn’t even looking for but that somehow found me???? Well, I just go with and follow my curiosity. Like that one class about creativity I took one day in Montreal a few year back. Little did I know then that by simply signing up out of curiosity it would change my life, that I would go from enthusiastic art fan to actual art-maker!!! Talk about crossing the road!!!!

More recently, I gave encaustic another try. I am glad I did!!! It openened an entire new realm of creative possibilites for me. Although I must say initially I was a bit put off by the process of building layers. I did end up with images nice enough but the layering bothered me. It ran against the grain for me. Luckily, I was shown how to do encaustic monotype and I took to that like fish to water!!!! That started a brand new creative journey for me.

Here is my very first monotype to illustrate why/how I got into making encaustic monotype and in it found a creative voice:

The very first thing I took note of was that this was a process of dispersion and that I was going to have to let go of controling exactly where the medium went (blue areas in the picture). Surrender became essential. While going with the flow is the way to go, there is more than one way to bring some definition, by using pastel for example (white marks), or pencil, adding fiber (silk piece collaged near the bottom), adding layers of encaustic medium or paint with a brush (black marks on the right). I find the possibilities endless and love the fact I can put the painting aside come back to it and add to it if I want. It allows me to remain open to creative possibilities of what I am playing with. And I never loose the fluid quality of my work because I can just put the image back on the plate and make it move by melting. It is a process that works so well for me. It allows me to remain entirely open and playfull.