Adventures in mixed media with the author of the Embracing Encaustic book series
Hey friends, I took a much longer break from blogging than I intended to during the pandemic, but I’ve finally started again. I’m posting on a different platform that is connected to my new website, so I hope you’ll join me there: https://www.lindarobertsonarts.com/blog
My beach commission is done and on it’s way to a very happy new owner in Santa Fe, New Mexico! This is Lanikai Beach in Hawaii, where I grew up, and this place holds many fine memories through college and beyond. I posted earlier about finding the perfect color but there’s even more to that story.
The palette in this scene is so vibrant in real life that I turned to a special paint from Enkaustikos in order to capture it. Their interference pigments were new to me, but they were exactly what I needed to get the sand and water just right. Because they are transparent these pigments are influenced by the color of the surface below. Colors mixed with interference medium will change (“flip”) when viewed from different angles. Over a white or light background like the sand, the color is subtle and the “flip” more obvious. Over a black or darker background like the water, the color is more obvious and the “flip” less noticeable.
Using these paints gave me the shimmer I wanted to really make these areas stand out. It’s really tough to photograph the results, so I hope you’ll get to experience it in person sometime.
I thoroughly enjoyed every step of creating this commission! This is one of those paintings I will think of often. I already miss it, so I may just have to make another one for myself.
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Linda Robertson is a painter and the author of the Embracing Encaustic book series. She offers live encaustic workshops in her Portland, Oregon studio as well as online encaustic classes.
WAX WEEK REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
My 5-day intensive encaustic workshops are open for registration. And OOOOH, wait until you see what I have for you this year!
Give yourself dedicated time to explore your creative photography, surrounded by other artists in a professional studio. I’ve reimagined my popular Photo Encaustic Wax Week workshop to include an emphasis on textured elements and hand coloring, plus I’ve also added more time for experimentation to find your own unique style.
I’m also very excited to offer my new Expressive Landscapes Wax Week class, where you’ll go beyond painting with encaustic and mixed media by incorporating travel sketching, stream of consciousness writing, and some exciting collaborative exercises with your fellow artists to create expressive landscapes that represent much more than an idealized postcard version of a place.
I hope you’ll join me in Portland this year! (Space is limited. Only 6 spots available in each class.)
CREATING ARTFUL SACRED SPACES
What do you do with the ticket stub to the show where you met your sweetheart? Or the heart shaped stone you picked up on your birthday hike? These items hold more history than the objects suggest, and are worthy of being honored. This class will introduce you to the idea of gathering personal objects and creating sacred spaces for them as a practice of self-discovery, storytelling, and meditation.
When we gather objects that have significant meaning to us into places of honor, their power to ground our intentions, to inspire us, and to encourage our gratitude, rises above the noise of the everyday. Join us to create an environment of music, poetry, sharing, and mindfulness experiences.
Learn more and register here: Creating Artful Sacred Spaces, a weekend workshop with Linda Robertson and Fred Swan on March 14 – 15, 2020. Portland, Oregon.
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Linda Robertson is a painter and the author of the Embracing Encaustic book series. She offers live encaustic workshops in her Portland, Oregon studio as well as online encaustic classes.
Last time I headed off on an adventure I invited you to join me on my trip by following my posts on Facebook and Instagram. I invite you to do the same for my upcoming painting journey in Ireland, but I’ve added a new twist. Check out the 3 ways you can join me on my adventure which begins on September 4!
Find out more about my Irish Adventure!
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Linda Robertson is a painter and the author of the Embracing Encaustic book series. She offers live encaustic workshops in her Portland, Oregon studio as well as online encaustic classes.
Is your studio so full that you can hardly work? Grab those items you’ve always intended to use but haven’t, and swap them for something you love!
Hosting an Art Supply Swap can be fun and easy, and I’ve got a few suggestions below. I hosted one recently and not only did we clean out our studios, but we all went home with new inspiration and made some of new friends in the process. Here’s are some tips for hosting your own event.
Keep it simple. The first time I tried this I only invited a few good friends so we could figure out the best way for everyone to get something they really wanted. This works best with friends, but if you invite strangers too you’ll need a few rules. If it’s your first try, keep your guest list small.
Be specific. Be clear about the materials you’ll accept. I said: “Please only bring quality supplies in good condition so that everyone can go home with something inspiring” and everyone brought really interesting materials, especially great art books.
I also made clear that Read the rest of this entry »
Invisible Forces, 12 x 9, encaustic/mixed media by Linda Robertson
I’m excited to announce that my work will be included in the 50 States | 200 Artists exhibition, opening this Saturday at the Museum of Encaustic Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico. After the exhibit, it will remain as part of the Museum’s permanent collection.
July 20 – Sept 15, 2019
50 States/200 Artists
Museum of Encaustic Art
632 Agua Fria, Santa Fe, New Mexico
This painting, Invisible Forces, is a favorite and I’m thrilled to have it included in the museum’s permanent collection. I created it while I was feeling overwhelmed, with too many commitments and requests for my time. As an artist I need time to consider what I’m making and need too be able to explore and refine my work. It’s important for me to protect myself from too much input and cultivate enough quite time to be truly creative.
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Linda Robertson is a painter and the author of the Embracing Encaustic book series. She offers live encaustic workshops in her Portland, Oregon studio as well as online encaustic classes.
Thanks to all of you who (virtually) followed me on my trip home to Hawaii. I had a great time and I hope you enjoyed it too! If you missed it, you can still find photos and video on Instagram and Facebook.
Before I left I was commissioned to make a painting of this place, Lanikai Beach, which holds special meaning for me. It’s one of the beaches where I grew up and it’s always my first and last stop when I am back. And why not? I mean, look at it!
I love painting water, and doing it with encaustic makes it especially exciting for me. I envision building up the layers, one over the next, and pushing the translucency to capture the special feeling of this place. For this painting color will be the key. I’ve got to get it right so I came prepared.
I started some of the under painting before I left and made some color samples to bring with me using the colors I thought were most likely to work well in the painting. That sweet little necklace was given to me by the friend who commissioned the painting, because the color reminded her of this beautiful water. I brought that with me too and she was absolutely right! It was a perfect match.
I had a great time checking my colors as I visited different areas of the beach, looking for just the right match. Now that I’m back in Portland it will be satisfying to bring Lanikai Beach to life again in my studio.
I’ve just started blocking in the colors at this point, but I’m already liking the look. I’ll add an image of the finished painting here when it’s done. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
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Linda Robertson is a painter and the author of the Embracing Encaustic book series. She offers live encaustic workshops in her Portland, Oregon studio as well as online encaustic classes.
I have some amazing summer classes coming up, most with only a few spots left. Don’t miss them!
Sun, August 4: Spectacular Shellac (last one this year)
Sat, August 10: Colorful Wax Scrolls (last one this year)
Sun, Aug 11: Beeswax Wraps
Sat, August 24: Oil & Cold Wax
Sun, August 25: Wax Transfers (last one this year)
View project photos and register here:
http://www.LindaRobertsonArts.com/books/workshops/
Don’t miss my Spectacular Shellac class, offered only once a year!
Expand your approach with Oil & Cold Wax
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Linda Robertson is a painter and the author of the Embracing Encaustic book series. She offers live encaustic workshops in her Portland, Oregon studio as well as online encaustic classes.
I had been posting about the Jasper Johns show at the Broad Museum for a while, encouraging anyone able to get there to go see this excellent retrospective in Los Angeles. I’d had it on my calendar for over a year and yet somehow still hadn’t made plans to go. One morning I woke up and decided enough was enough.
I called my travel buddy Kimberly and told her I wasn’t having nearly enough fun lately and proposed we make this happen. She was all in. Thank goodness for friends who love a spontaneous travel opportunity! Last year Kimberly traveled with me to paint in Hawaii, so we could already imagine having a great time in LA. After a few false starts we got our flights and were on our way.
The show, called Something Resembling Truth, did not disappoint. I didn’t realize just how many works there would be and was excited to discover each new room in the exhibit.
This is a detail of one of Johns encaustic paintings of numbers, a portion of 5. I love the movement, layering and texture going on here.
Sometimes my students bristle when I suggest that what they’re trying to do isn’t best done in encaustic and maybe they should consider another medium. This show was a perfect visual representation of this.
Since I’m most familiar with his encaustic work, I was happily surprised at how many mediums Mr. Johns has worked in throughout his career. At one point I was looking a a huge painting and thinking about how talented he is in making encaustic look like aluminum and then I realized it WAS aluminum. From then on I read every tag and was excited to find paintings, sculpture and prints in many different media. One of my favorites was his work in ink on plastic (above) and it left me thinking that I’ll have to give that a try.
In this painting you stare at the flag on top for a few seconds then look at the rectangle below to see the afterimage of a red, white and blue flag.
We also got to see Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room thanks to our AirBnB host’s knowledge of the Broad Museum at Downtown Los Angeles. It was incredible, even at only 45 seconds per person! There was a smaller installation by here that you looked into instead of stepping into, but it was no less impressive.
This trip is just what I needed to break out of my routine and get inspired again. I’m so glad I went!
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Linda Robertson is a painter and the author of the Embracing Encaustic book series. She offers live encaustic workshops in her Portland, Oregon studio as well as online encaustic classes.
This month I had the pleasure of hosting two customized workshops in my private Portland, Oregon studio.
The first, a group from a retirement community, joined me for my beginning Encaustic Painting class. We talked about the mediums they work with now and how encaustic can be combined with so many of them including watercolor, oil, fiber and glass. They have a small studio at their facility and enjoyed the class so much that they asked me to consult on how to reconfigure their space so they can continue working with encaustic. I’m excited to help make that happen!
The second event was requested by an artist who attended my Encaustic & Collage class last month and was so excited that she gathered her friends to come back with her for more fun. They even brought their own wine and snacks and made a real party of it! My classes are small enough that people get to know one another quickly, but if they are already friends there is a special support that emerges immediately and that’s what happened here. It’s pretty magical.
Each group came with open hearts and ready to experiment, so we had a great time! Some who hadn’t created for years left ready to continue and explore new ways to express themselves. This is a BIG part of why I love what I do. If you’d like to plan a customized workshop for your group give me a shout and we’ll work it out.
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Linda Robertson is a painter and the author of the Embracing Encaustic book series. She offers live encaustic workshops in her Portland, Oregon studio as well as online encaustic classes.
It may be cold outside but it’s warm in my studio! The more art I create the more I have to show so I have a few new events coming up:
Saturday, April 21, 2018
from 1 – 6 pm
FREE Encaustic Demo at 2pm
12717 NE Clackamas St, Portland, OR
Just south of NE 126th & Halsey
I’ll be showing my latest encaustic paintings plus smaller originals, framed reproductions and note cards that make great gifts. You’ll also be able to register for my studio classes and buy gift cards for your friends and family. There is no charge for this event and as always, kids are welcome. Bring your friends too!
April 4 – May 26, 2018
Reception: May 4, From 6 – 9 pm
140 SE 28th at Ash, Portland, Oregon
Sidestreet Gallery has evolved (and expanded) into Sidestreet Arts, a collective of 12 local artists. I’m honored to be included in this upcoming show in their small works gallery. They have a huge variety of styles and prices, making it easy to treat yourself or a lucky friend to the gift of original art.
I hope to see you at the opening reception May!
October 13/14 and 20/21, 2018
I just got word that I’ll be part of the 20th anniversary tour for Portland Open Studios! This will be my 6th year showing my studio and my techniques with encaustic and Mixed Media. More details soon.
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Linda Robertson is a painter and the author of the Embracing Encaustic book series. She offers live encaustic workshops in her Portland, Oregon studio as well as online encaustic classes.
I have new work headed to the 10th Annual Love in Print Show opening this Friday, Feb. 2 at Bite Studio, 2000 SE 7th Ave. in Portland, Oregon. Join me there at 6 pm!
I’m looking forward to seeing all of the great work at the opening which is a benefit for p:ear, creatively mentoring homeless youth.
This piece is called Love Nature (She will never fail you). It’s an encaustic Monotype and Gelli print, 10 x 8 matted/framed to 16 x 12.
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Linda Robertson is a painter and the author of the Embracing Encaustic book series. She offers live encaustic workshops in her Portland, Oregon studio as well as online encaustic classes.
Every year I hear from students who want to take my encaustic workshops but either live too far away to fly in for just one or two days or prefer a more immersive environment where they can learn many techniques in a short time. With this in mind. I offer 5-day intensive workshops that combine some of my most popular classes with some brand new techniques that will keep you creating new work for years to come.
I’ve just opened registration for my 2018 Wax Week classes:
Wax Week: Photo Encaustic
June 9 – 13, 2018. Sat – Wed (5 days!)
My private studio in Portland, Oregon
We’ll focus on combining encaustic with photography while focusing on hand coloring with pastels, pigment sticks and artist crayons, layering photos with encaustic collage, adding depth to your work, pouring wax over your photographs and finding your own unique look for these creative processes. All levels welcome. Learn more and register here
Wax Week: Mix it Up!
July 18 – 22, 2018. Wed – Sun (5 days!)
My private studio in Portland, Oregon
In this class we’ll focus on combining encaustic wax with different media like collage papers, pastels, stencils, watercolor, inks, foils, custom stamps and much more. All of my Wax Week workshops are easily accessible for someone with little or no experience in working with encaustic, but will also offer rich, personalized instruction for those who have more experience. All levels welcome. Learn more and register here
I’ve also opened registration for some of my 2018 single day classes. I only accept 4 – 6 students per class so we’ll have plenty of time to work together, and all supplies are included for most classes. Look for classes in Collage, Mixing Media, Wax Scrolls, Shellac and even Cold Wax & Oil (pictured at right).
Looking for a community to create with on a regular basis? Check out my open studio classes for more experienced artists.
View my web site for more options. I hope to see you soon!
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Linda Robertson is a painter and the author of the Embracing Encaustic book series. She offers live encaustic workshops in her Portland, Oregon studio as well as online encaustic classes.
I’m so excited to be participating in this sale, along with 20 fabulous artists! Join us for this twelve day event opening on December 16, 2 – 9 p.m. in conjunction with a 2nd opening of the Big 500 show.
Artist Studio Clean-out Sale
Pioneer Place, 700 SW 5th Ave, Portland, Oregon
December 16 – 26, 2017
In addition to art there are many one-of-a-kind objects, artists are offering art from current work, previous styles and series along with art supplies, creative objects, and reference materials they’ve discovered while readying their studios for the new year. In addition to art work, prints, cards, books, modeling accessories, and treasures ready to be included into your next creative project will abound – think cow skulls, new canvases, new jars of Golden gels and paints, art books – still life objects, and so much more at savings just in time for gift giving and building a stock of products for your studio.
Note: No pre-sales – All work and items available only upon December 16th opening. Organized by Fred Swan in collaboration with Chris Haberman.
A donation from the sale of art work sold in the show will be made to the Nursingale Program, an in-home nursing program for medically fragile children.
More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/1239547186146494/
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Linda Robertson is a painter and the author of the Embracing Encaustic book series. She offers live encaustic workshops in her Portland, Oregon studio as well as online encaustic classes.
A big thanks to curator Chris Haberman for once again inviting me to be in The 10th Annual Big 500 Art Show, which is back at Pioneer Place this year.
More than 500 artists were invited and each given 5 – 20 wood panels. Then they let us loose to create whatever we like. Do that math…that’s at least 5,000 paintings! I usually make 10 but Read the rest of this entry »
 Embracing Encaustic: Learning to Paint with Beeswax
By Linda Robertson
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Embracing Mixed Media 