SOEWN EARTH

The Earth Reliant Artist



Trace Willans All Natural Mixed Media







Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Painting with Cold Wax

Cold Wax Medium
This is a wonderful painting medium, a bit like painting with butter

 The safest way is to add your pure gum turpentine or citrus solvent to the wax in a glass jar and leave for a couple of weeks to dissolve. I have not had a great deal of success with this method.Or my preferred method is to heat the wax ( You can use either premade encaustic medium or straight beeswax) and then remove from the heat and add the pure gum turpentine stirring till well mixed and allow to cool. Begin with a 50/50 mix and adjust until you have a mix you like. Remember it can always be thinned by adding more turpentine when cold to make a glazing consistency
For a quick alternative to try but some beeswax based furniture polish


I mix my cold wax medium with dry pigment and a little walnut oil on a glass plate
you could use a white ceramic plate 

This is the beginning of some pieces of cold wax painting 
on watercolour paper covered in traditional gesso
some lovely red oxide to begin


then yellow ochre

indigo blue
I use raw natural indigo powder
This is a painting done entirely with
cold wax medium,
walnut oil,
and natural pigment 




Here it is finished with scratching 
and rubbed with indigo and walnut oil

And second piece before

and after




Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Pics from the Still Life Exhibtion

still
remaining in place or at rest; motionless;stationary: free from sound or noise, as a place or persons;silent:
subdued or low in sound; hushed:
free from turbulence or commotion; peaceful;tranquil; calm:
at this or that time; as previously:
up to this or that time; as yet:
in the future as in the past:
to calm, appease, or allay:
to become still or quiet.
life
the animate existence or period of animate existence of an individual:
a corresponding state, existence, or principle ofexistence conceived of as belonging 
to the soul
the general or universal condition of human existence:
any specified period of animate existence:
for or lasting a lifetime; lifelong:
My Art is all about walking lightly on the earth. I am exploring process through mixed media works utilizing selected natural art materials chosen for their sustainability and low environmental impact.  These have been developed through a series of experiments with traditional/historic mediums such as casein, egg, starch resists, natural dyes and earth pigments.
This series of work explores the nature of grief and the loss of people close to me. Looking at birth, life, death, and the possibility of rebirth - where something positive can hopefully eventually arise from the experience.
I have interpreted the concept of Still Life through the deconstruction of the concept into two separate entities, Still and Life. I hope to convey both a sense of stillness and the sense of a life that still lives on - the still point in a storm of grief, where waves of emotion wash over me.
The base of all the pieces is made from recycled bed sheets. This represents the lived experience as well as the winding sheet (or shroud) and the cloth that binds a new born infant. This fabric is coated in traditional gesso made from rabbit skin glue and whiting (calcium carbonate) and then embellished with naturally occurring substances including beeswax, natural pigments, charcoal, ink and walnut oil. As a final coating all the pieces feature the use of Xanthorrhoea resin which comes from the Australian Native Grass Tree and is only available after the plant has been through a fire.

 

Mending the Unthinkable
 55.5 x 112.5 cm

Traditional Gesso (Rabbit skin Glue & Whiting),

Ink, Hand Stitch in Cotton/Silk thread

Xanthorrhoea Resin and Methelayted Spirits

Cold Wax Medium (Beeswax & Pure Gum Turpentine)

Now for sale in my Etsy Shop




detail



Stillness of Being
54.5 x 114 cm

Traditional Gesso (Rabbit skin Glue & Whiting),

Starch Paste (Flour, Milk, Soy Milk)

Xanthorrhoea Resin and Methelayted Spirits

Cold Wax Medium (Beeswax & Pure Gum Turpentine)


Xanthorrhoea Resin and Methelayted Spirits
Now for sale in my Etsy Shop



The Return

Traditional Gesso (Rabbit skin Glue & Whiting),

Ink, Egg, Natural Pigment

Xanthorrhoea Resin and Methelayted Spirits

Cold Wax Medium (Beeswax & Pure Gum Turpentine)

rgin-bottom: 0cm;margin-left:14.2pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center'>Cold Wax Medium (Beeswax & Pure Gum Turpentine) 1pt;text-align:center'>Xanthorrhoea Resin and Methelayted Spirits
Now for sale in my Etsy Shop



Fragments

81 pieces

Each 12 x 18 cm

Traditional Gesso (Rabbit skin Glue & Whiting),

Charcoal, Ink, Natural Pigments,

Egg, Encaustic medium (Beeswax & Damar Resin)

Cold Wax Medium (Beeswax & Pure Gum Turpentine)

Hand Stitch in Cotton/Silk thread

Xanthorrhoea Resin and Methelayted Spirits

On Recycled Cotton Sheeting

These will be available in Etsy shop soon
Please let me know if you might be interested 
in any of them $50 ea + postage
I can do a better price for multiples

These are the pieces from the exhibition I am currently taking part in
It is up for another week
Opening night was fabulous
Thanks to all who joined me

Home again now and just settling into the routine
Enjoying the cool change
though the swamp around the house
is a little hard to take
Grampians Textures and time spent with 
Velma Bolyard
a truly wonderful experience
I am now looking forward to some teaching
first up in the Blue Mountains for 

Here I am doing a 2 day Natural Dye Mixed Media Workshop
and a 4 day Plaster Books and Wax Workshop
Hurry for this one as it is next month

Closer to Queensland
In June I am off to Rockhampton for
5 day Plaster Books and Wax Workshop
and in August 
Wendy Bailye's Studio
Brisbane
for a 4 day Natural Dye Mixed media Workshop

Hope to see and meet lots of people
at these workshops
x te