I'm Ahead of Schedule!

Open studios is this weekend and I wanted to finish three more paintings by Thursday night for the event. I started all three of them on Saturday. I am happy to say that I finished the painting portion of all three pieces TODAY! I am way ahead of schedule! I still need to wax them, in addition to 3 other paintings, tomorrow, and I am not looking forward to that.

I "varnish" every piece with 8-10 layers of encaustic wax in order to add that antique feel to my work. It's a great look and feel to my paintings but boy is it a pain in the ass to do. Applying the wax isn't too hard. It's super hot and liquidy, which makes it easy to apply. Blow torching it smooth and even is the part that I hate. Making sure there are no pock marks or bubbles isn't fun and usually makes my wrists and hands hurt. That blow torch can get pretty heavy after awhile and in order to get it smooth, you need to blow torch it a lot. Most of the time I don't get it perfect, but I spend a lot of time trying. I am not looking forward to tomorrow.

Once the waxing is done, I just need to clean my studio and I am ready for this weekend! I have a TON of older work on sale and really good prices. I also have one painting that will be raffled off. Please stop by if you are in the Bay Area! If you aren't, check out my website and blog in the next few days for my new work.

Open Studios Reception: Friday, Oct. 8th 7-11pm
Open Studios: Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 9th and 10th 11am-6pm
Art Explosion Studios
2425 17th Street @ Potrero
San Francisco, CA