With the turn of a new year, like many others, I take time to reflect on the year that has past and to set goals and to dream for the year ahead.
Reflecting on the Past Year
This year, instead of sitting down to write out my reflections on 2017, I painted.
Encaustic Paper Scrolls
Here is the exact process I followed to make encaustic scrolls and adhere them to a board.
- I began with the pages of our 2017 fridge calendar and worked one month at a time.
- I spritzed some of the pages with walnut ink
- I coated the paper with encaustic medium – you can brush on the medium or dip the paper into a tin of molten wax medium.
- I then ironed the paper. I suggest working on top of parchment paper to facilitate clean up. The wax made the calendar papers really beautiful, I have saved some of the scraps to use in other works.
- I rolled each month up into a scroll, lightly fusing with an embossing heat gun as I went.
- I collaged scraps from different months onto the board.
- I wasn’t sure if medium alone would hold the scrolls in place so I posted the question in the encaustic critique Facebook group. I followed the advice of Joyce Watts Coolidge and drilled holes and tied the scrolls on. I liked the idea that the months were all tied together.
- I further fused the scrolls, twine and the panel
This little painting is filled with a lot of powerful feelings. This process was a good way to reflect on the past year, to wrap it up and make peace with it, to clear the way as I start a new year.
- Encaustic Carving & Incising Tools - June 2, 2018
- Venting your Encaustic Studio - April 27, 2018
- Cold Wax is not encaustic - April 20, 2018
- Encaustic Monotypes Painterly Prints with Heat and Wax | Paula Roland - March 16, 2018
- Using Ceracolors with Encaustic | Water-Soluble Wax Emulsion Tube Paint - February 16, 2018
- Using Stencils in Encaustic Painting - February 2, 2018
- Happy New Year! Encaustic Scrolls with Calendar pages - January 4, 2018
- Encaustic Ribbons | 3-D Strips of Wax - December 27, 2017
- Encaustic Diptych | Painting on two panels - December 15, 2017
- Encaustic Photography Tutorial | Painting Photographs - October 31, 2017
Ruth
A lovely idea. A lovely result.
Thanks Dee 🙂
Are you able to show me what the calendar page looked like before you started waxing and rolling? I am interested if they have any graphics on them, or are they just the standard numbers in boxes.. hope this makes sense!
Hi Judy, Here’s a link to the calendar. I also used walnut ink to colour the papers.