Archive for 2010

More Nature, More Squares

Nature Squares, 6" x 6" each, Encaustic & Photo Transfer

Loving the simplicity of high contrast photo transfers on a bed of wax! I have a total of 15 squares and 4 rectangles. The counting of which led me to wonder the amount of paintings that I made in 2010. Well, folks, I completed 36 paintings! (plus a few that I'm still on the fence about being finished) That's definitely a record for me.

And thinking back to my days in college, especially my senior year, I had a battle with making any paintings. But having inspiration all around you really changes the game. I went to college in Boston and being in a city inspired my drawings and my photography, which I wound up being prolific in those years. But paintings? Yeah, I didn't do much. I did spend my senior year really studying color and mixing oil paint like crazy on my palette. But that doesn't make for finished pieces. I do think that it helped me in my profession, for sure. I'm happy to have spent the time focused on that (although I know my professor thought otherwise).

Anyway... Living in Maine, being surrounded by nature, having a studio space... it keeps me inspired! Looking forward to what the new year brings.

Nature Squares


On this wonderful winter's snowy day in Maine I'm taking some me time to update my Etsy shop and share my new work!







Each painting is 6" x 6" on cradled wood and is painted with encaustic. The images are transfers of my digital photographs done using the Xerox and water transfer method.


Cottage studio


click for larger pic

I've been having some creative blocks and I think the solution may be to change where I'm working. I love the studio inside of my house but I really do love the idea of moving outside---but into a covered area. We have a one room cottage in our yard and I'm very excited to start thinking about transforming it into a real studio. I want a place that I can paint and not worry about the smells lingering. And a studio that I can work LARGE and hang my work on the walls.

So this is the BEFORE photo. This is what we have to work with. It's just filled with some random junk and needs insulation and some simple walls. But I think it's going to be fabulous!


This is a shot showing the loft space up top. I can even take a nap in my studio if I want to! haha

Art in the Barn-- starts tomorrow!


THREE ARTISTS COLLABORATE IN CUSHING SHOW

A wood-carver, a painter, and a jewelry artist will join efforts to produce a show of their work at the Cushing Historical Society Friday - Sunday, July 16 - 18, another of the Arts in the Barn summer exhibition series. The show will open Friday evening, 5 - 7 p.m., at the Society's barn on Hathorne Point Road, and will continue Saturday and Sunday, 10 - 4 p.m.

Cushing resident Bob Matus, boat-builder, carpenter, and lobster fisherman, is a wood-carver in his spare time. As he works he keeps an eye out for interesting wood scraps and pieces of driftwood that have the potential to become such things as mermaids, eagles, or elegant ladles, spatulas and spoons. He markets his carvings under the name Heron Cove Wood Carving, and is represented by several Maine galleries.

Painter Jamie Ribisi-Braley earned a BFA in painting at Boston University. She now resides in Manchester, Maine, where she operates Sweetland Retreat, a retreat for artists, with her husband and sister. She specializes in encaustic painting, a medium that she teaches and uses in her own work.. Her paintings have been shown in galleries nation wide and the State House in Augusta.

Deb Hanson is a part-time Cushing resident who will present her jewelry, and acrylic and oil paintings in the show. Hanson says that she incorporates what she calls the "Colors of Cushing," the unique colors of the St. George River fishermen's buoys, in her work. Her jewelry is fashioned with handmade beads and silver accents that have been inspired by the reflections of the sea.

Admission to the show is free. For more information call 354-8219

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If you're in Maine, please attend our Artist's Reception to kick off our Art in the Barn Weekend!
Friday July 16th, 5-7pm. Free local wine and cheese will be served.
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Encaustic exhibit opens today!

I'm so excited for the opening of the Luminous Layers exhibition! Even though I can't be there in person, I am there in spirit and in paint :) Two of my painting were accepted into the juried show and I'm so proud to see one of them at the bottom of the postcard that they sent out (pictured above).


I really do wish I could be there-- there are tons of demos and talks. Mostly I would have loved to meet the other artists in person! The online encaustic world is always buzzing with excitement (pun intended) and I feel like I already know everyone but it would be so nice to actually meet them.

Another time, I'm sure!

a little peek




A little peek at what I was working on today. These are 11x14" canvases that I repainted over (failed attempts from long ago). These are made from oil paint, oil bars, and oil pastels.

Looking down a parallel path

I've been in a sort of rut for a while. Thinking of where to go next, artistically. The imagery hasn't totally shown itself to me and I've been wondering how to coax it along.


I recently won a gift certificate for art supplies through Dick Blick and took the opportunity to get some new art supplies and venture into a new realm. I started with Gamblin Oil Ground to prep some large wood panels with. I also ordered some wide masking tape to keep the edges of the panels clean. Then I got a mix of black, white, & gray oil sticks which I've been dying to experiment with for a long time. I also threw in some charcoal powder and graphite powder. this is going to be fun!

I have a vague idea of what I want to do but I'm really excited to just start working and see where it goes. Using the Gamblin oil ground is pretty sweet. I've never used it before but was looking for a ground that could be used with encaustic, if I
decided to add that as a medium in the future of these pieces (acrylic gesso doesn't jive with wax). What I really like so far about the oil ground is the application. It only takes 2 layers-- the first can be slightly thinned with Turpenoid and applied with the side of an old credit or gift card! Yes-- exactly what I needed-- more household items to use as art supplies!!! This layer goes on so thin but is a very vibrant white. The
next layer, which I plan on doing tomorrow, is applied as-is from the can and takes a bit of time to dry but I think overall will be much nicer than acrylic gesso.

I'll be sure to keep you updated on the progress; hopefully the new materials will inspire me!

You can watch a really great video tutorial on the Gamblin oil ground here.

Student work

These wonderful paintings were created at the Intro To Encaustic Painting workshop that I taught last week at Sweetland Retreat. I love watching artists work and this group of 4 women worked so well together. They were constantly looking over to see what the next person was working on and giving each other ideas. I love the variety of techniques and materials that they used and wanted to share them with you!


(she used gold and silver leaf in her painting!)

The mermaid painting is done using layers of blue tissue paper.

I've been framed...


I'm so happy to have made the decision to have these two paintings professionally framed. They have both been shipped cross country for the Luminous Layers encaustic exhibition in Oregon at the Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts.

Although these paintings are a decent size on their own (12" square), I really wanted them to stand out and look finished so I brought them over to a friend of mine who does framing. I am so impressed with the outcome, I know I'm going to keep going back to them!

They have their working studio, Artifacts, on their beautiful farm in Farmingdale, ME and also have a showroom in Topsham. You can visit them online and see other examples of their framing & guilding here: http://www.artifactsmaine.com/






Hooray!


I was just selected to be Dick Blick's Artist of the Month! You can see more on their Facebook page. I've been awarded a gift certificate to spend on art supplies...what more could a girl ask for?? :)



New encaustic painting


The Tree Is the Real Thing
Encaustic & Mixed Media on wood
24" x 24"
April 2010

title from the quote: "Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing."
-Abraham Lincoln

I started this large encaustic painting in June of last year and I finally finished it today! What a great feeling to get this monkey off of my back :) Seriously though, I've had a good time trying out some new techniques and color schemes and trying to make it all meld.

I had known that I wanted to use this image but I wasn't sure where I wanted to go with it. It went through many lives, as I posted in an animated gif last year, and I finally pared it down to the elements that I thought it really needed. This was supposed to be another in the series of "Ghost of the Past" but it definitely has a different story than the others so I'm letting it into the world on its own.


Passage - small Encaustic Painting

Passage
Encaustic on cradled wood
6" x 6"
February 2010

Exploring more ghosts, the afterworld, and communication with the beyond!

This is a small painting-- sort of a study for some larger pieces I've been stewing about for a while. I'm thinking about pattern, carving, and multiple figures. Trying to work out these visions in my head that are a bit foggy. Will hopefully have something started on them soon.


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Teeny Tiny Paintings...

The art opening was a huge success! What a beautiful show filled with wonderful people and glorious artwork. It was very inspiring to see so much tiny art! I even purchased a teeny tiny acrylic portrait on wood of a lumberjack :) There were actually two shows, both in Portsmouth, NH. Mine was at Three Graces Gallery and was the Teeny Tiny Art Show and down the street at Nahcotta was the Enormous Tiny Art Show. I saw many friend's work at both shows and that was so exciting for me!


Three Graces now has my encaustic paintings from this exhibit for sale on their website-- you can see my new series "Speaking in Tongues" there-- first place they have been on sale! And one of my favorite new pieces "They Were Standing in the Shadows (Watching) #1".

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A big box full of paintings...

Yesterday I packed up 16 small encaustic paintings to ship for the Teeny Tiny Art Show at Three Graces Gallery in Portsmouth, NH. I'm so excited to go to the opening next Friday! It's going to be so much fun to see all of them up together and amongst other teeny tiny work! I can't recall ever seeing so many of my pieces hung at one time. How cool?


If you're in the area, come on down 5-8pm on Friday February 5th, 105 Market St, Portsmouth, NH.

I'll be the one buying up everyone else's work! I'm not sure what I'm more excited about, showing my work or buying other's work!

I'm updating my website as we speak with these new pieces-- I'll share once it's uploaded.
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Color Swatches for encaustic paint!








I just added these color swatches to my website so that customers can now pick from the pigment that I have available. I can always custom mix any color from these, too, as I love to do! I've been wanting to add this to my website and I'm so glad that I have because I love looking at it--- I'm such an art supply junkie!!!



Studio Clearance Sale!

I'm cleaning out my studio for the New Year! Below are some paintings & drawings that I'm looking to find a happy home for way under price :) I'm also up for trades so just contact me if you're interested! jamieribisi{at}gmail.com

Prices below include shipping within the USA


Self-study, 11x14" Oil on canvas $40

Only You #2, 10x10", oil on canvas, $40

Blood & Smoke, 6x6", oil on canvas, $20

Nesting, watercolor on paper, 5.5x8.5", $20

Warmth, watercolor on paper, 5.5x8.5", $20

Jesse, Charcoal pencil & conte crayon on brown recycled paper, 24x18", $55

Table, Oil & charcoal on canvas, 11x14", $55


Reclining male #1, Sum-i ink on sketch paper, 8x9.5", $20

Arched male #1, Sum-i ink on sketch paper, 8x9.5", $20


Small reclining male #1, Sum-i ink on watercolor paper, 4x6", $10


Reclining female #1, Sum-i ink on sketch paper, 8x9.5", $20

If interested in purchasing/trading please comment here or email me at jamieribisi{at}gmail.com

First come, first served! :)

New year, new work

I'm hoping that in this new year I will allow myself more time to paint and focus on my work. I've been accepted to a new show in February and am creating some new small works for it. I have some plans to create large pieces and get my work out into the public eye a bit more. Here's to 2010!



(top-bottom: Speaking in Tongues 1 & 2, 5 x 7" each, Encaustic on cradled wood

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