The Creative Process
Developing painting ideas on the canvas is such a rich experience. There are times I might sketch out an idea, but these ideas are normally very loose. They also morph into other ideas along the way, adding or changing it up all together depending on how I feel, the images in my mind translate onto the canvas. It's not always easy, but it's always heartwarming, when it comes together. As long as I have a painting in my studio, on my walls or in the gallery, until it is in the hands of a customer, my work is ever changing, and always evolving as is Life.
Review My Creative Process and come along for the journey, as I share this experience. Pour a glass of wine, a cup of tea or coffee, whatevery you like to savor and let your mind take in what my paintings have to say.
My journey in Etching Copper has just begun in 2026. Wow I love to experiment and try new things. I'll be working with Etching and the Patina process to add to my Encaustic and Resin works. I learned a lot with this first piece. Love how it turned out, but it was very unexpected :) Happy accident.
Letting my copper dangle with a tall vase of Ferric Chloride for Etching. Works quickly from 1 to 3 hours you get a good etch. If you leave it in longer and there is no resist on the sides it will eat right through, if not crumble completely to nothing!
Layering with a Palette Knife, with Acrylic white paint is my first step. Then oil is pushed into nooks and crannies without a thought of imagery. Noticing the details along the way is so enjoyable. Squeezing gobs of oil paint onto the dried acrylic textures and Pushing it into the cracks with Paper Towels, then Wiping it off and leaving it to dry. Labor intensive but well worth the work it takes for this initial step.
My journey in Etching Copper has just begun in 2026. Wow I love to experiment and try new things. I'll be working with Etching and the Patina process to add to my Encaustic and Resin works. I learned a lot with this first piece. Love how it turned out, but it was very unexpected :) Happy accident.
Some paintings take only a step or two, and others many more*
The most labor intensive portion, is beginning my paintings. With Oil paintings using white acrylic paint with a palette knife, letting it dry, then gobbing on oil paint to be pushed into the nooks and crannies only to be wiped away. This leaves a sort of staining process and defines the strokes of the palette knife. It's very satisfying seeing all the details come to life. And then the imagery begins ~ With Encaustic painting it's layering 10 thin white and clear layers, sandwiched to have depth, then developing imagery on top after heating between all the layers. Each piece ends up with 25 - 50 layers before I finish. With Resin It's the base layer that will give the mood of the finished piece. I really have to think about what I want the end phase to be before I begin, then figuring out how to get there. 3 to four total layers for most pieces. This is completely the opposite for my Painting Process with Oil and Encaustic works. So there is a real SHIFT in thinking when I switch working with these media. All said I'm currently experimenting with is ETCHING COPPER to add to my Encaustic and Resin works ;) LOVING the experience ~ Wow it's exciting! Totally different than anything I've done so far.