Post-National Steinbeck work

My work is currently hanging at the National Steinbeck Center until November 2nd has left me craving the creation of another large scale painting. I was working on that piece for 10 to 12 hours a day. My life revolved around that project. It seemed that everything I did and read was related to "The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights" I immersed myself in the book, went for walks that had me viewing Castle Rock. I would think about the knights and damsels and their interactions in the forest. It is always exciting for me to start on a new large project. The process of the work is dependent on the project itself. This project was about 280 hours, packed one day after the next, up with the sun, working all day, putting on sunscreen, making simple fast foods to throw into my mouth, so my hands are free to work again. I lived and breathed this work for a little more than a month straight.


















In contrast my mural at the Aquatic Center took a little over 300 hours of pure painting but it was a year long project. I was learning the ins and outs of policies on a university setting. I jumped through political hoops and revised my ideas, worked with the Aquatic community, researched heavily at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Labs and did sketches and water colors of what the work would look like on the wall. My spring break as a student comprised of early mornings with a sack lunch and off to the pool to paint for the day. The other days during this process found me coming in and out of classes, coming to and from a graphic design job I was working at the time about 20mins away from CSU, Monterey Bay. I had a large wall to cover and a definite time line to keep. I would paint any chance I had. Two hours there, 5 hours here. I was able to use some of my painting classes to work on that project which would help. I worked and painted that wall everyday that the rain was away. When the project was finished I was pleased with the work. I can still go there today and check it out remembering the whole process and how naked that wall was before the kelp forest was planted near the Otter Tank.







Well this work I created for the NSC is still alive and well and you can go check it out any day of the week at the NSC. I was feeling a sense of loss when the paintings left my home. I had created a bond with the NSC work. I would move the 6 panels in the morning, paint and work with them during the sunlight hours and then when the night arrived I would place them in their little spots and smell the beeswax as I dreamt of the characters and their lives from Steinbecks book. I painted, created the work, and brought it to its new home. After that, I went back to my little house on the hill and sat. I felt like i just gave my newborn baby away. I felt a sense of loss, detachment, anxiety and felt like my work and I got in an argument and it left town. After the project I still had two more 2x4ft panels and so, away I went. I started to paint them I believe two days after I installed the work at the NSC. I was not quite sure what I was going to paint, but I knew I needed to paint. Here are some images of the work I created after my Steinbeck work. I worked in a variety of sizes and demolished a lot of my work I had from over the last two years.

This work expresses my color palette and ideas I had been gathering during my large scale painting for the Steinbeck but was unable to incorporate it into that body of work, for a variety of reasons. All of this work is for sale and can be seen in person in Sand City at the Monterey Mattress Company Showroom located at 1714 Contra Costa St. The work will be on display for the next few months. Below are a few of the paintings that are showing.

"And There She Goes" 24x24in encaustic on wood panel

"Carmel Valley Abstraction" 4ftx2ft encaustic on wood panel


"Despair of Winning" 24x24in encaustic on wood panel

CLOSE UP

"Free Falling" 2ftx4ft encaustic on wood panel

"When You Were Young" 11x14in encaustic on wood panel

"Laureles Grade View" 10x10in encaustic on wood panel

"Penelope's Raven" 6x6in encaustic on wood panel

"Seaweed Abstraction I" 8x10in encaustic on wood panel

"Seaweed Abstraction II" 8x10in encaustic on wood panel

"Seaweed Abstraction III" 8x10in encaustic on wood panel

Sand City's West End Celebration

This was my fourth year participating in the West End Celebration. This was my first year giving encaustic demonstrations. I had a great time talking about the encaustic process with my art gal, Allyson. We are both showing in the Monterey Mattress Company for a while. The first event that kicked off the West End was the Guitars not Guns event where the White Ensemble Album played. This was my first time listening to Beatles music live by amazing musicians. It was, mind blowing. The lights, energy, dancing, singing and the energy all around. Just amazing. After that it was time to gear up for an all day education extravaganza. Below are a few photographs from the event.







West End :: I was in a different spot this year and also giving a demo...





Nick Leonoff : Glass and Yves Goyatton : sculpture


Todd Kruper and his space.


Kris Cowen and his found object sculpture.


Steve and Deirdre dancin' with the music. They put together a great event. Thank you!

Inside Fine Art Base with print maker Marilet.

And on ward to the after party with friends, food, and once again amazing music. I danced all night! I put the camera away so I could dance the night away. If you are ever in town during August this event is a must.

Rolling Sweet Grasses in Her Tight-Woven Cloth to Make a Rich Soft Pillow.

The month of August has been full of adventuring. I shipped five small paintings to Atlanta, GA. Bid farewell to a member of the Octopi Collective as she goes to UCONN, celebrated my largest body of encaustic work showing at the National Steinbeck Center with the Octopi Collective, juggling my relationship with my family, making new connections with people, preparing new work for show at the West End Celebration and the NSC "What the Deck" exhibition.

If you are following my work and progress you know the ups and downs I battled while making this body of work for the National Steinbeck Center. For a quick history here we go:: The Octopi Collective was given the task to read John Steinbeck's 'The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights' and much like Steinbeck to the work of Malory, the Octopi was to take Steinbeck's book and interpreted it in a 21st visual form.

This body of work was challenging in a varity of ways. I have recently moved out to Steinbeck Country where my morning run and color palette absorbing walks incorporate a view of Castle Rock.

I am in a simplifying and minimalistic stage in my life. From the supplies i had at hand I was able to create six 2'x4' wooden panels for this project. I was not exactly sure what i was going to be creating after I set up my first outside studio, but I knew my journey through the book and new landscape would have ample inspiration and ideas to feast on.

One of my favorite parts of the book is about the characters in the forest. I love the interaction of the characters with each other as well as the interaction they have with the land. I titled my piece, "Rolling Sweet Grasses in Her Tight-Woven Cloth to Make a Rich Soft Pillow." This title is from the book and directly relates to what the characters did in the book and what I did to make this body of work. This work spans 12' x 6'.

The work will be showing until November 2nd. The work is for sale and a portion of the sales goes directly to the National Steinbeck Center. This is a GREAT opportunity to support the National Steinbeck Center. This work looks great on a large wall.

Here are a few images of the opening reception and of my new work. Email me for any questions.


The Octopi Collective female artists.






Artist Statement

This work was inspired by John Steinbeck’s “The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights.” My work focuses on a continuing scene in the book, the forest. In the setting of the forest there is a constant unfolding of human interactions and emotions. My personal setting parallels the setting in this book in addition to the setting of John Steinbeck himself.

I utilized three different heating tools and varies techniques to create this large scale body of encaustic work. I use the heat gun, blow torch and iron to achieve my surfaces and fuse the wax. I use a masking technique to create the hills and valleys in the background. I embed natural materials into the wax and fuse. I then use the iron to create the milky sky. I discuss this work as having three different elements. There are skies, hills and valleys, and dirt or land sections to the work. Since most of the story in the book takes place outside I use those stories and descriptions in the book. The sky piece incorporates many descriptions about the milky blue sky and the cloud formations as knights prepare for a duel. The hills and valleys portion uses Steinbeck's descriptions of the rolling green hills and the golden valleys that the knights and damsels could see in the distance as they adventure. Some characters spend many days and nights in the forest sleeping on the land. The dirt or land piece of this work incorporates strong knightly elements. There are sticks, rocks and tough seeds that are embedded into the wax. One of the characters finds some grass near by and fastens a pillow together with the natural material found in the forest area. Although the forest is never the destination it is where all the adventuring happens. I invite you to engage with the work from afar taking in the green hills and golden valleys feeling the wind blow the grasses. Walk towards the work and look at the detail of small found objects placed in the wax.

This work was created in Steinbeck Country.

A Little of This and a Little of That

So tomorrow is the big opening reception at the National Steinbeck Center and I can hardly wait to show you the images that will be taken and the new work that is on display there. As of now, I have been prepping for this exhibition, shipped my first set of paintings out to Atlanta, GA, mailed out cds to potential showings, and I'm staying productive in the studio. After my learning experience from the National Steinbeck Center work, I have taken to working larger in encaustic. I love it! I love being able to play with scale and have large energetic movement sweeping the panel.

Aside from my painting there have been many different things going on in and around Monterey and here are a few shots of the moments, people, and feelings that I take in, think about, process and create work from.
















hey, J.R. good luck at UCONN. You are a great source of magical wondrous.