Encaustic Conference Part 1

I'm safely home from Boston and the 2nd Annual Encaustic Painting Conference is a sunny memory. I've been 6 hours on the plane so you'll forgive this short post. The Conference was extraordinary in many ways. My vision is clearer. My world is larger. As the graffiti on the bathroom wall said, "I'm not who I was yesterday".

This is my beloved room mate who shall remain un-named because I didn't get permission. She saved me from the first day when the rain poured down and she outfitted me in the proper clothes which I did not bring. She was endlessly cheerful and fun; we stayed up late and partied just as I love to do; getting to know another person well is a wonderful tonic. Thank you, Miss A. for making my experience deep and wide. We will meet again.

These are the women I said good-bye to this morning and then quickly walked away from with a lump in my throat. They were beyond kind, especially Ruth who showed several of us all over Boston and deepened the experience by recounting wonderful stories as we took in the sights. The east coast experience is very different from the west coast experience it seems to me and I felt stimulated and fascinated by the contrasts.

This is the spartan room I shared with A. At first it was spartan. Later on it was filled with art conversations and laughter. There were 6 of us upstairs sharing 2 bathrooms, a living and dining room, and a kitchen. We gathered several times to compare notes and admire each other's work. Laptops were passed from hand to hand as we shared websites.

This is one of the demonstrators, Paula Roland, teaching monotype encaustic over a hot box. All I can say about the technique is "wow" and "let me at it". Combined with my printmaking experience I think I am off on a new tangent in the coming days.

I attended around 10 sessions of either demonstrations, presentations or panel discussions in the 3 days of the conference. The teachers were luminaries of the encaustic community. Kay Walkingstick was the keynote speaker and Joanne Mattera, author of The Art of Encaustic Painting, was the organizer of the conference.

More reportage in the coming days. But for now, rest.

I'm a little delirious right now but filled to the eyeballs with new ideas and wonderful memories.