Tag Archives: Encaustic Wabi Sabi

Encaustic Shakudo

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Linda Lenart McNulty-Crying Saint Shrine II (721x800)

Linda Lenart McNulty – Encaustic Shakudo

Here is a technique I have developed, called Encaustic Shakudo. It entails every type of Metal Leaf, used together on Encaustic wax, mellowed with a blue-black patina.

Shakudo is a Japanese metals technique historically used in the making of swords for Samurais, which, once the Samurai class became obsolete, showed itself in jewelry. A gold and copper alloy was used to make a black patina, which was then engraved upon to create intricate design work.

As you can imagine, approaching Shakudo with Encaustic wax and Metal leaf is a much simpler approach! Like any great “invention”, Encaustic Shakudo was really just a product of a lot of playtime in my studio. Each of my Encaustic Shrines incorporate this new technique to some extent, and some of my favorites use it the most.

In the Encaustic Shrine above, named, Saint with Tears, the sunlight connects with the different colors of the metal leaf, while the dark pigments offset the sparkling metals with just the right amount of aging. It’s a beautiful Shrine, and within it’s beautiful frame of aged metals, our beautiful heroine, the Encaustic Shakudo Saint, has her back turned to the viewer, so we actually look through her eyes along with her, and into the night sky. Her tears fall like rain. She holds the pain of our pasts for us, so we are free to move on.

I made this piece after my artist sister, Cheri, died of cancer. My heart was broken, but I could move on knowing my little heroine was holding up the sky for me, so to speak. It’s powerful for me. I hope you connect to the piece as well.

– Linda

Encaustic Wabi-Sabi Shrines

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Linda Lenart McNulty-Encaustic Wabi-Sabi Shrines (800x225)

 

Since taking a break from the travelling/teaching circuit, I have had more time just to play in the studio, and have been experimenting with many encaustic techniques, yet my favorite by far has been Encaustic Wabi-Sabi, especially as it applies to my Encaustic Shrines (you remember Wearable Encaustic Shrines? Well, these aren’t wearable!

The Encaustic Wabi-Sabi Shrines I’ve been making are larger, and have swinging doors, and glass windows. I have more space to play and explore the interior and exterior spaces because of the larger size. To me, they are just like making tiny encaustic paintings, only I also get to include my love of sculpture and encaustic casting!

As I create each Shrine, I enjoy the rich colors of the pigmented metal leaf, especially because here in the Midwest, my eyes get a bit color-starved this time of year! As I build up the patina and layer intense color, it emits to me a warmth; a spark of life. It gets my juicing flowing, and feeds more creativity into me. One shrine begging the question of the next shrine; each one speaking in different notes of the same song…a bright crisp song, in a place far from here, perhaps Thailand…Mexico…or the Caribbean.

The shrines themselves are very special to me, since my sister, Cheri, who passed to the other side a year ago, loved shrines of all types. We collaborated on some Shrine workshops in the few years before she passed, but we had meant to do more – in fact, we were working on two Shrine books together. One, on casting techniques for encaustic, glass and resin, and another on the history of Santos, which we both had an affinity for, with our Catholic childhood, and our traumatic memories of large religious icons hovering over us, showing us the variety of ways in which a Catholic girl could choose her martyrdom!

In a way, I feel like Cheri is in the studio with me, collaborating with me now, guiding my hand, or at least hanging out and enjoying the process. Well, Cheri, we’re finally doing a few collaborative pieces!

And with that, I’m off to the studio! Shrine-making awaits!

If you would like to check out what I’ve made so far, here is a link to my Encaustic Shrine Gallery and to my Etsy shop where you can purchase your own little burst of Encaustic Wabi-Sabi: 

Linda Lenart McNulty-Encaustic Shrine-Promise of Abraham-Detail Interior (595x800)

Linda Lenart McNulty-Crying Saint Shrine II (721x800)

Have a blessed day and stay warm!

-Linda 🙂

Encaustic Wabi Sabi Workshop – Warm and Wonderful

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Encaustic Wabi Sabi-Linda Lenart McNulty (640x385)

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Last Saturday the art room at Oberlin’s historic FAVA building was transformed into an encaustic paradise, when ten artists from the Cleveland area took my Encaustic Wabi Sabi workshop!

The students felt like kids at a candy store, only the candy was stained tea bags, onion skin and mulberry bark paper, dead flower heads, petals and leaves, small twigs and porcupine quills!

There was an overflow of oil paints, encaustic medium, smiles and laughter as the students shared colors, visions and surprises on their waxy griddles.

Every student found their own approach and their own voice in their color and textural choices they made, and no two artists’ work looked alike!

After demos and a good three hours of play, the students packed up their goods and we all enjoyed looking at and sharing in each others’ work. I was truly amazed what the students invented and developed in their short time together and I am looking forward to running this workshop again.

Actually, in the approaching 4 week long series of encaustic classes I am facilitating at FAVA, beginning next Saturday, first thing on the agenda is to show the students how to turn their beautiful Wabi Sabi Collages into Paintings. There are still a few seats open if anyone is interested in signing up. In the class series, all of your questions will be answered on encaustic art and process, and there is plenty of time to stretch out and find your voice, so to speak. It’s a good place to start your encaustic journey. Maybe I’ll see you there!

Thanks for stopping by!

–Linda

Encaustic Wabi Sabi

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I have begun playing around with Encaustic Wabi Sabi and I love it! The process is very loose and energetic. I have been drying out Tazo tea bags and have discovered that tea bag paper is exquisite to use with Encaustic Wax. Also, you can see I have been using the tea labels! Since I am a colorist, I have decided my new body of work will focus on the powerful use of one color (of course this one color will have many complex undertones, underpainted layers, etc.) and the forms I paint will be simple, scratchy, overworked areas of dense color and layered tea paper. I hope you like it – I really do, and I have begun to save all my tea bags, religiously drying and emptying them for my future students to play with.

I am teaching an Encaustic Wabi Sabi one day workshop at our local arts center, FAVA, right here in Oberlin, Ohio, on Saturday, March 1st, 2014. Right on the heels of that workshop will be four Encaustic Workshops (Saturdays) where I will guide my students through anything our collective hearts’ desire! Take one or all! Really, shoot out to Oberlin, Ohio if you like! I’ll be here conjuring up a world of discovery in wax!!!!!

Thanks for checking in!

–Linda