Studio work is not all directed toward completed pieces of art – sometimes the best part is experimentation without expectations. Whether it works or doesn’t work, the results add to the body of knowledge about the subject at hand. I got to play a bit at my studio yesterday, and learned a few things.
I’ve been doing a lot of mixed media sculpture lately, and I wanted to play with beeswax on textured fired unglazed clay (bisque). The video camera happened to be set up above the work table, so you get to see what I was playing with.
This is not a tutorial at all – it’s just me, fooling around and making comments 🙂
I learned a couple of things from these experiments:
- White clay is a better match for beeswax than red clay
- Eucalyptus might be a better shade of walnut ink for this process because it’s not as intense as Terra Cotta
- Heavily textured clay surfaces don’t take the beeswax as successfully as lightly textured surfaces
- Photo-transfers on clay are not particularly beeswax-friendly because they are not porous enough due to the transfer process
New things I want to try because of these experiments:
- Using the same technique on paper clay to test its absorbancy
- Doing more intricate scoring and carving into the beeswax surface once it’s cooled on the clay
- Heating the beeswax with a heat gun to “drive it” into the clay surface to see what happens to the finish
- Adding metallic wax to the beeswax surface aft it has cooled.
I’ve filed this information away until I need it – probably at one of those “Aha!” moments when I realize that this technique is exactly what I need to complete a work in progress. Or maybe not! But everything you learn doesn’t have to be put to practical use – it’s OK to play.
Hi, Lyn. Thanks for sharing your playtime. Just to clarify, you are using plain beeswax and not an encaustic wax, right?
Exactly. Beeswax without damar resin is best on clay in my experience. Great question.
Amen to playing with “stuff”! Thank you!
you have a great “pantry” of stuff to work with … love seeing you stretch the materials beyond typical uses
One question: am I assuming correctly that the transfer image was from a toner copier (as opposed to an inkjet)?
It was actually inkjet, Liz.
Working with literary archives, I learned a great deal about writers and their works by reading unpublished drafts of published works. Have you kept a record of your own experiments? Knowing your finished work, I am inclined to say that not only do they have much to say about your finished work but are also interesting and with real significance on their own.
Great question, fk – I do keep photographic records of all of the experiments.
Luv you, Lyn! Thx for reminding me that experimentation is part of the process!