New work on Artwork Archive

Online tools are great to keep you organized. Thank you AA! See new work posted here: https://www.artworkarchive.com/artwork/lisa-sisley-blinn.

Resources: Updated List of Suppliers for General Studio and Encaustic

I have been updating my list of suppliers for the general studio, and encaustic related tools and equipment. These are companies and individuals that I use, or have been highly recommended by other artists I know. I hope that your experience will be as good as mine, but as always with recommendations, “your mileage may vary.”

Prices and shipping varies, so be sure to read all the details to get the best deal. Signing up for an e-newsletter may result in a coupon later on. Be sure to check the online sale sections. I am often pleasantly surprised to find what I need there. A higher priced item may be made with better quality ingredients, an encaustic paint may be more densely pigmented, and a specialized tool may last longer. Only you can decide what is the best deal based on your research, need and budget.

If you have a favorite business or individual you would like to add to my list, just drop me a note in a comment!

Encaustic Art Supplies

Encaustic

Clairvoyant Encaustics. Encaustic medium.
http://www.clairvoyantencaustics.com

Custom Art Panels by Rodney Thompson
http://www.rodneythompson.com/panels/Panel_intro.html

Encaustic Supplies
http://www.encausticsupplies.com

Enkaustikos. Great videos.
http://www.encausticpaints.com

Evans Encaustics. Hylla’s amazing encaustic paints.
http://www.evansencaustics.com/
http://www.EvansEncaustics.blogspot.com

Fine Art Store. Enkaustikos encaustic paint, raw materials, tools, short training videos, Ampersand Encausticbords.
http://www.fineartstore.com

Kama Pigment Encaustic Paint
http://www.kamapigment.com/index_en.html

Miles Conrad Encaustics. Encaustics made by Miles Conrad.
http://www.custom-encaustics.com

Paula Roland. Hot Box
http://rolandworkshops.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=114&vmcchk=1&Itemid=114

R&F Handmade Paints. Encaustic and oil pigment sticks (the best). Workshops, blog, forum, …
http://www.rfpaints.com/

Wagner Encaustics
http://www.wagnerencaustics.com/

Wax Works Supplies
http://www.waxworksencaustics.com/

Beeswax

Dadant and Sons
http://www.dadant.com

Douglas and Stugis/ArtAtuff. Damar crystals, waxes, sculpture tools
http://www.artstuf.com

Strahl & Pitsch (best source yellow beeswax)
http://strahlpitsch.com/

Swans Candles LLP. Pelletized pharmaceutical  grade beeswax
http://www.swanscandles.com/store/encausticsupplies.html

Books and DVDs

Books

The Art of Encaustic Painting by Joanne Mattera
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0823002837/wwwjoannematt-20

Embracing Encaustics: Learning to Paint with Beeswax by Linda & William Womack
http://www.lindawomack.com/books/purchase.html

Encaustic Art: The Complete Guide to Creating Fine Art with Wax by Lissa Rankin
http://www.owningpink.com/lissa-rankin-md/lissas-books/encaustic-book

Encaustic Mixed Media: Innovative Techniques and Surfaces for Working With Wax by Patricia Seggebruch
http://gingerfetish.blogspot.com/2011/04/encaustic-mixed-media-innovative.html

Encaustic with a Textile Sensibility by Daniella Woolf. Book.
http://encausticwithatextilesensibility.blogspot.com/2010/05/and-now-book-is-here.html

Encaustic Workshop Book by Patricia B. Seggebruch
http://www.amazon.com/Encaustic-Workshop-Patricia-B-Seggebruch/dp/B006LNJLUK

Mysterious Fayum Portraits by Euphrosyne Doxiadis
http://www.amazon.com/Mysterious-Fayum-Portraits-Euphrosyne-Doxiadis/dp/0810933314/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1327675207&sr=8-2

DVDs

Encaustic +Paper taught by Wax Works West, Wendy Aikin, Judy Stabile, Daniella Woolf. DVD: 155 minutes.
http://waxworkswest.com/products/dvds.html

Encaustic Monotypes: Painterly Prints with Heat and Wax by Paula Roland. DVD: 145 minutes.
http://www.paularoland.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=63&Itemid=119

Encaustic with a Textile Sensibility by Daniella Woolf. DVD: 120 minutes
http://encausticwithatextilesensibility.blogspot.com/2009/11/dvd-is-almost-for-sale.html

Wax Twist: Advanced Encaustic Techniques by Cari Hernandez. DVD: 110 minutes.
http://www.waxtwist.com/WAX_Twist/Home.html

Damar Resin Crystals

Douglas and Stugis/ArtAtuff. Damar crystals, waxes, sculpture tools
http://www.artstuf.com

Utrecht. Paper, damar crystals, brushes, general art supplies.
http://www.utrecht.com

Metal Leaf

Sepp Leaf
http://www.seppleaf.com 

Sinopia Pigments and Materials
http://www.sinopia.com/index.aspx

Metal Hot Press Foil

Crown Roll Leaf
http://www.crownrollleaf.com/foils.html

Texas Craft
http://www.texascraft.com/hps/home.php?cat=272

Paper

Graphic Chemical and Ink. Paper, inks, rollers and brayers, everything printmaking related.
https://www.graphicchemical.com/Default.asp

Hiromi
http://store.hiromipaper.com/

Mulberry Paper and More
http://www.mulberrypaperandmore.com

OAS: Oriental Art Supply
http://www.orientalartsupply.com/

Pigments and Inks

Earth Pigments .“Non-toxic pigments, mica powders and mediums”
http://www.earthpigments.com/index.cfm

Faust Ink
http://www.faustink.com/store/productslist.aspx?CategoryID=24&selection=2

Graphic Chemical and Ink. Paper, inks, rollers and brayers, everything printmaking related.
https://www.graphicchemical.com/Default.asp

Kama Pigments
http://www.kamapigment.com/store/index.asp?lang=1&catpage=500

Sinopia
http://www.sinopia.com/

Printing: Post Cards, Business Cards, …

iprintfromhome.com
http://www.iprintfromhome.com/

Modern Postcard
http://www.modernpostcard.com/

Moo. Mini-business cards, stickers, …
http://www.moo.com

Overnight Print
http://www.overnightprints.com

Shipping Materials

Foam Board Source
http://www.foamboardsource.com

Talas. Silicone release paper. Bookbinding, conservation and restoration supplies.
http://www.talasonline.com/

Uline. Shipping and packaging supplies, storage, safety and more.
http://www.uline.com/

Software

Business

Bento. Organize events, track projects, … (Mac)
http://www.filemaker.com/products/bento/

eArtist. Business management tool. (PC, Mac)
http://www.artscope.net/eArtist/

GYST: Organize your inventory, projects and more. (PC, Mac)
http://www.gyst-ink.com/

Working Artist. …”Manage the business side of art”… (PC)
http://www.workingartist.com/

Tools

The Complete Sculptor
http://www.sculpt.com

Dolan Tools
http://www.ceramictools.com/

Georgies Ceramics and Tile Co.
http://www.georgies.com

Kemper Tools
http://www.kempertools.com/

Krueger Pottery.
http://kruegerpottery.com/

Polymer Clay Express
http://polymerclayexpress.com/

Sculpture House.
http://www.sculpturehouse.com/

Other

K&J Magnetics. Neodymium magnets
http://www.kjmagnetics.com/

Lidded Tins

Specialty Bottle
http://www.specialtybottle.com/metalcontainers.aspx

Best Containers. Metal lidded tins
http://www.bestcontainers.com/derosetinse.html

Treenway Silks
http://www.treenwaysilks.com/?mid=551

General Art materials and Supplies

Artist & Craftsman Supply. Wooden painting panels, general art supplies.
www.artistcraftsman.com

ArtMart. R&F product line. Ampersand Encausticbords. General art supplies.
Local, St. Louis.
http://www.artmartstl.com/

Art Supplies Online
http://www.artsuppliesonline.com/search.cfm?terms=encaustic

ASW Express
http://search.aswexpress.com/search?keywords=encaustic

Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff
http://www.cheapjoes.com/search/?keywords=encaustic&x=21&y=9

Daniel Smith Art Materials
http://www.danielsmith.com/

Dick Blick. Panels, encaustic paints and supplies, general needs.
http://www.dickblick.com

Jerry’s Art Arama
http://search.jerrysartarama.com/search?keywords=encaustic

Metropolitan Picture Framing
http://www.metroframe.com/

Pearl Paint
http://www.pearlpaint.com/shop_search.htm?keywords=encaustic&Submit=Go

Utrecht. Paper, damar crystals, brushes, general art supplies.
http://www.utrecht.com

Hope you find what you need! Add your go-to supplier in a comment!

Online : Readings and Inspiration 8-24-2011

Like many, I use the Internet for information gathering, sourcing, and inspiration. I read news articles, find new art blogs, follow leads, and look at a lot of images. Here is a short list of what crossed my monitor this week.

Today my searches for information have centered around how to find support to sustain being an artist. This may take the form of grants and residencies, or advice on how to work with a gallery. Below are some of the most interesting sources I found this past week.

Resources

• Alliance of Artists Communities
  

  Even Google can help you if you have the time and endurance!

  “The Alliance of Artists Communities is a national and international association of artists’ communities and residencies — a diverse field of more than 1,000 programs worldwide that support artists of any discipline in the development of new creative work”

• Res Artis
  “We are an association of over 300 centers and organizations in over 50 countries. Our members are dedicated to offering artists, curators, and all manner of creative people a time and place away from their every-day life, an experience framed within a unique geographic and cultural context.”
• Creative Capital
  “Creative Capital is a national nonprofit organization that provides integrated financial and advisory support to artists pursuing adventurous projects in all disciplines. Our pioneering approach combines funding, counsel and career development services to enable a project’s success and foster sustainable practices for our grantees.”
• CAA Opportunities (College Art Association). Nice long list.

• Art Contests, Competitions & Shows Where You Pay Up Front. Time waster, scam, or true opportunity. You only know for sure after you do your homework. Don’t take it for granted that the exciting offer you received is real until you sort out all the details. Good article from ArtBusiness.com.
• Artist Pay-to-Play Galleries, Exhibitions, Publications. A short article from ArtBusiness.com. Provides 32 resources to look into thoroughly before committing:  “a partial list, in no particular order, of publications, venues, and other situations where you have to pay to expose your art, and that you should fully research– before you pay– in order to understand exactly what you’re getting for your money…”
• For more great information, take a look at the list of over 100 interesting topics on the ArtBusiness.com site, Articles for Artists. Here are the newest topics-inspiring and informative. Worth the time to read:
  • Common Artist Misconceptions & Realities
  • What to do When You Damage Your Own Art 
  • Facebook and Social Networking for Artists
  • How to Self-Publish a Book or Catalog of Your Art
  • What Makes Good Art
  • Make Effective Use of Your Studio Time
  • Hopeless Artist Emails-And How to Make Them Better (This article is about using emails to contact a gallery)

What are your strategies for finding the best venues, competitions, and related artist opportunities? Post your ideas in a comment!

In the Studio: Iwatani Torch Burner Professional

Yes, I am a tool junkie. Can’t help it. Good tools just make life easier, unique and unusual tools make it exciting. Tools that you have been lusting over for a year are precious.

New to my studio is the Iwatani Torch Burner Professional, $34.00 plus shipping at the time of my purchase. I know, this is not new to many of you, nor is it huge, but it is a step up for me from my 10-year-old 5″ tall crème brûlée torch.  I will gradually make my way to the “Rambo” sized propane canister with wearable holster and torch on a flexible hose, but for now, baby steps.

As described on the Amazon.com site, it has the following features:

• “Built-in pistol type piezo ignition
  

  Iwatani Torch Burner Professional

• Use with Iwatani Cassette Gas
• Easy to use Push’n Twist gas cylinder attachment
• Built-in Flame Size adjustment
• Air regulating knob”

The pistol ignition is as easy as advertised. The flame size adjustment and air regulating system is also as easy as described.  Just gently turn the gray knob on the back to start the fuel flow (you will hear it fizz a bit), and squeeze the trigger. Instant flame! The gray ring around the front metal barrel adjusts the flame from a very small and soft glow to a billowing flame. Between the fuel flow and the flame control you can adjust the amount of heat and surface area affected by the flame quickly. To turn the flame off, rotate the gray knob on the back until the fuel is no longer flowing, and the flame dies out.

The Iwatani Cassette Gas cylinder is recommended for this torch  (as shown in the picture). It has a special coupling ring, that has a 1/4th” notch that allows the torch to mount to the canister. Many canisters do not have this notched ring, so be careful when you make your purchase.]

GasOne Butane Fuel Canister

Instead of the Iwatani Cassette Gas cylinder, I purchased the GasOne Butane Fuel Canister, 12 pack for $19.00. It has the notched ring, and was less expensive than the recommended brand. The torch fits perfectly. Now that I have the set, I can cheerfully work on larger encaustic pieces, and the electricity in my home studio, or class room at the St. Louis Artists’ Guild, doesn’t set off a circuit breaker when a hot plate cycles on or more than one student turns on a heat gun! The product features are described as this:

• Net Weight: 8oz (227g) per cartridge
• Height: 7.25″ Diameter: 2.6″
• Cartridge has a Notched Collar providing easier alignment in portable gas burners!
• UL Listed (1st available UL Recognized Safety Container for butane fuel)

For those that are not ready for a big torch, and want to get started with something bigger than the tiny standard kitchen torch, this is a nice size. It fits in your hand and is not too heavy. It is good in the studio on medium-sized work, and great in a class room. It is easy to transport, and is not too scary for  beginning encaustic students. The main negative is that you do have to keep buying the fuel canisters.

What am I coveting now? Well, for fine work I’m now thinking about the Blazer PT 4000 Pen Torch …

What torches and fuel are you using? Leave a comment.

Online: Readings and Inspiration 7-19-2011

Like many, I use the Internet for information gathering, sourcing, and inspiration. I read news articles, find new art blogs, follow leads, and look at a lot of images. Here is a short list of what crossed my monitor this week.

Artist

• On ArtNet: “Cy Twombly: The Writing on the Wall” by Peter Plagens. Well written.
  

  “It’s difficult to make a calibrated and semi-nuanced case in favor of a prominent artist who’s just died. Opinions at that moment — and we have one here with the passing of Cy Twombly — tend to fall emphatically either in the direction of praise (Twombly was one of the greatest American artists of the post-World-War-II era) or bah-humbug (Twombly was a late-to-the-game Abstract Expressionist who tarted up comparatively vacuous paintings with references advertising his erudition). For me, the two extremes are both true, but in a way that leaves my estimation of Twombly not in the middle, but way over — albeit not all the way over — on the positive side.” Read more.

• Soledad Salame: Works on Paper. Beautiful mixed media prints that combine various image making methods and painting.
  

  Atmosphere in Gold I,II,III. Monoprint, Silkscreen, Solar Etching. 20.5

• Brian Dettmer, had created an amazing library of sculptural altered books. Truly beautiful (no wax required)!
  Brian Dettmer: Remixed Mediavideo on Vimeo from Alfred Aponte
  

  The Volume Library, 2010, Altered Book, 11-1/4" x 10" x 7-1/4"

• Flame Painter. A free web-based Java application for creating multi-tonal flame-like forms. View short YouTube video to learn about using various controls. Make a screen capture and use in other digital works. “Flame Painter Online application can be used for personal, non-commercial, or non-profit activities. If you would like to use the application for commercial or for-profit activities, purchase a full featured Flame Painter standalone version.”
• Nicole Donnelly. Painter and sculptor. Subtle, transitional tones and shape. Ambiguous figure and ground.
  

  Yadir Quintana This Ship. Oil on Canvas

• Yadir Quintana at Standpipe Gallery
  

  Yadir 2011 Gold and silver leaf, oil stick on panel 11" x 14"

• Lenore Thomas, as shown at Kathryn Markel Fine Arts, combines diverse materials and processes such as Xerox transfer, screenprint, acrylic, graphite on panel, intaglio, and wax.
  

  Passive-Aggressive Marshmallow, 2010 Screenprint, intaglio, acrylic, stencil, wax, graphite on panel 15 X 15 inches

Art Resources

• 6 Exceptional Web-based Image Editors, short descriptions at Six Revisions

• Selling Your Work in New York Galleries: An Insider’s Story
  “Guest blogger Rhonda Schaller is an artist, gallerist, and the Assistant Director of Career Development at New York’s School of Visual Arts.”

  “So, this is what I have discovered in my research and in my life, about how the commercial art world works, at least for now. Is it for you? Lets dive in.

  • Setting career goals
  • Dealers vs. self-producing
  • How NOT to get a gallery
  • Steps to build your career”

• USA Projects: Great art starts here.
  “Welcome to a new era in personal philanthropy. At USA Projects, you can discover the best artists in America and, by supporting their projects, help them transform their creative visions into reality. Browse the full list to find and fund the next amazing work of art — and the next.”
• If you haven’t seen it yet, take the time to view the Encaustic Art Institute New Mexico  free online magazine.
  This is a beautiful magazine, easy to scroll through with lots of information. A great start for this endeavor!
  

  EAINM Magazine

  What are you reading and looking at today? Leave a link and a comment!