House No. 119: Traditional Japanese Gassho-Zukuri House
encaustic on paper
18 in. x 12 in.119/365; 04/29/11
Day two of encaustics. I started with the cookie sheet, but I moved up to a foil-covered pizza stone because it holds the heat longer and it is so hot that I can get the wax to really pool. Check it out in these close-up detail shots:
The trees were my favorite part to create, and I love the waxy surface they created. I worked into those parts of the image for a long time, wiping and reapplying and scraping.
I think those two details work as little abstract compositions in their own right, don't you? Here are some more details so you can see the wax application:
I also used carry-out chopsticks to scrape and spread the wax, which seems sort of appropritate, considering the Asian architecture.
These thatched roofs are strong features of my childhood memories of growing up in Japan. I remember someone telling me that snakes loved living in the straw roofs... I adore Japanese architecture with a passion but that image always gives me chills.
ReplyDelete(FYI: I would love to see you create a miniature Chashitsu!)
OMG, Beth. Now I am petrified of thatched roofing!
ReplyDeleteIt is similar my aversion to palmettos because my grandfather told me when I was a child that snakes liked to hang out in them. Since I lived up North, this was only an issue when I visited my grandparents in Florida once a year. Now that I live in the South, and I actually see the occasional palmetto, I give palmettos a wide berth.
Miniature Chashitsu is now officially on the list!