art

Connections: lines, circles, spaces between

Posted by Janet Fox
Image of an encaustic and ink painting by Janet Fox titled "Connections."
Connections | encaustic, watercolor, ink

Connections hold us together

With so much us-vs-them energy in the external world, I needed a reminder of our many complicated, beautiful and often unseen connections. Whether I like it or not, I’m part of a fantastic web and an action in one spot ripples throughout in mysterious ways.

When I am upset, I can unwittingly pass the upset energy to someone else through my attitude. Or with acts of kindness, I can hopefully pass on some brightness and light. Not only can I pass along my energy, I must also be mindful of what kind of energy I receive or pick up from others.

Fascia connections under our skin

Under our skin is another internal web. According to AnatomyTrains, “Fascia is the biological fabric that holds us together, the connective tissue network. You are about 70 trillion cells – neurons, muscle cells, epithelia – all humming in relative harmony; fascia is the 3-D spider web of fibrous, gluey, and wet proteins that binds them all together in their proper placement.” Read more about this amazing system in this intriguing AnatomyTrains’ article describing our fascia system. There’s also an awesome descriptive video, “Tom Myers – Fascia like Non-Newtonian Fluid.”

About Connections

September is traditional “back to school” time and I’ve been exploring some new materials to use in my encaustic paintings. In this piece, I started with watercolor paint and waterproof ink on watercolor paper. After the media dried, I mounted the paper on a rigid board. Then, I added encaustic medium, embellished the painting with more ink, and fused.

I really like how the painting turned out. The underlying pigments interact and flow into each other, creating lots of interesting tones while the encaustic medium intensifies the colors with a smooth finish. The circular spots… hmm, what are those about?

How do you experience connections?

⇒  For information about purchasing this artwork, contact Janet Fox.ave

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Hoppin’ Around Kensington

Posted by Janet Fox
Image of an encaustic painting by Janet Fox titled "Hoppin' Around Kensington."
Hoppin’ Around Kensington | encaustic (sold)

Hoppin’ Around Kensington

The 2016 Kensington “Paint the Town” Labor Day Weekend Art Show is September 3-5, 2016. One of the requirements for artists participating in this annual show is to create a painting inspired by is Maryland town. The town co-sponsors the event with the Montgomery Art Association.

In recent years, I painted the town clock across from the Kensington train station, the carved wooden eagle statue in Veterans Memorial Park and the old millstone in Flynn Park. I used encaustic for each of these paintings, realistically portraying the subject. This year, however, I decided to take a more abstract path.

About Hoppin’ Around Kensington

My 2016 “Paint the Town” entry is based loosely on a map view of the streets around the Kensington Town Hall / Armory, at 3710 Mitchell Street. I fused several layers of green and yellow shapes, in paper and encaustic representing street blocks in a map view. The green and yellow mirrors the colors on many of street markers and signs around town as well as the town clock.

This painting will be at the MAA’s “Paint the Town, 2016” Labor Day Weekend Art Show. If you’re in the area then, stop on by. I’m also showing 5 other encaustic paintings and many new pieces in my black art bin. Plus, you’ll find many other artworks by artists from the Montgomery County, Maryland region.

⇒  For information about this artwork, contact Janet Fox.

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Squound Hole, Rare Peg

Posted by Janet Fox
Image of an encaustic painting by Janet Fox titled "Squound Hole, Rare Peg."
Squound Hole, Rare Peg | encaustic

Squound seeking rare

Sometimes I feel like a square peg trying to fit into a round hole. Other times, I feel like a square hole, seeking a round peg. In both situations, the fit just isn’t quite right. When I can stretch myself in the direction of something where I don’t usually fit, I feel like it also gives a little and meets me somewhere in between. And when the squound and rare come together, it feels like magic.

Perfection

Finding “perfection” is often a matter of adjusting my expectations, attitude, and seeing a different point of view. Is that yellow dandelion in my yard a weed to uproot? Or is it a delicate yellow flower that will be in a child’s bouquet? Is the painting finished by a gut feeling, or does my brain tell me I need to add one more spot of paint? Is that pain in my back a curse that torments, or a gift reminding me that I can feel sensations? As in many things I’ve experienced, is it really some of both, rather than one or the other.

Good enough

Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good enough. I’ve heard this many times before. Sometimes adding another small detail would be nice, but I need to stop to do other things. Prioritizing can help, so that I can do what is crucial first, then I can add less important items as time allows. I’ve found that practicing painting with a timer can also keep me from over-thinking things. I’m also practicing “listening to the painting,” letting it tell me when it’s finished.

Now for fun, try saying “squound hole, rare peg” five times fast – it doesn’t have to be perfect!

About Squound Hole, Rare Peg

My encaustic painting, Squound Hole, Rare Peg is inspired by the same dream as was my Dreamers Orb painting, where molten iron was thrown over the edge of a roof, forming a square-round ingot as it rained down. I used my favorite complementary colors, turquoise and rust, highlighted in gold. And creating that perfect fit felt kind of magical!

⇒  See this painting in Gallery 209, located upstairs in the large, third floor gallery at the award-winning Artists & Makers 2 complex, at 12276 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852. The exhibit runs from February 28 – March 27, 2018.

⇒  For information about purchasing this artwork, contact Janet Fox.Save

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Wise Man

Posted by Janet Fox
Image of an encaustic painting by Janet Fox titled "Today With The Wise Man."
Today With The Wise Man | encaustic | 12″ h X 12″ w | 1st Place, Abstract & 3-D, Montgomery Art Association’s 2016 Creative Expressions

Finding the ageless wise man

On this day, and especially with June and a focus on Fathers Day ahead, I’m focusing on the ageless wise man. In my recent companion post about the Wise Woman, I noted that I often awaken in the morning, lie still for a few minutes, and try to set an intention for the day. So today, I’m thinking of and looking for the wise man. Where can I find him? If and when I find him, what questions will I ask?

Characteristics of the wise man

Who is this wise man? He is the one who knows all things from a masculine perspective. I don’t think there is such a being within one person, but I try to look for core characteristics in the many people, male and female, who I will meet today. When I think of male energy figures, I think he is a provider, protector, resourceful, a teacher. He knows how to work hard and work smart, and can show me how I can also do the same.

When I ask him to do something for me that I’m not quite sure of, he might ask me if I can spell the word “able.” When I spell it correctly, he might then say, “If you can spell it, you can do it!” In saying this, he is telling me he has confidence in me and I should try it myself. Or he might encourage me to reach for that apple out on the limb of the apple tree, giving me confidence to overcome my fear by allowing me stretch out while he stands below, ready to catch me in case I slip.

Other wise men I think of are steady in the midst of chaos. They don’t easily get rattled by insults and don’t get into fights… unless it is the last resort. He has a sort of power and knows how to use it to make the world a better place. I recently attended one of the most beautiful weddings I’ve every witnessed. The groom teared up during the ceremony as the emotions swelled… and it was quite moving and powerful!

You might like what a few others have to say about the wise man:

About Today with the Wise Man

Image of an encaustic painting by Janet Fox titled "Today With The Wise Woman."
Today With The Wise Woman

With June’s celebration of Fathers Day in mind, I created this encaustic mixed-media painting in honor of the many wise men in the world. Since it is a companion painting to Today With the Wise Woman, I also used my favorite colors, but in the opposite way with rust color surrounding the male symbol (also the symbol of the planet Mars) with turquoise highlights. The wires originating from the center follow a path pouring outward through the arrow. The short poem encircling the symbol leads to the bigger note: “Today With the Ageless Wise Man.”

⇒  For information about purchasing this artwork and/or its companion art, contact Janet Fox.

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Wise Woman

Posted by Janet Fox
Image of an encaustic painting by Janet Fox titled "Today With The Wise Woman."
Today With The Wise Woman | encaustic | 12″ h X 12″ w | 1st Place, Abstract & 3-D, Montgomery Art Association’s 2016 Creative Expressions

 

Seeking the ageless wise woman

Today, I’m thinking of the ageless wise woman. When I wake up in the morning, I often spend a few minutes lying still, listening to my body and thankful that I’m alive for another day. Most days have a schedule. But on days that don’t, I like to choose an intention and see if I can work on it throughout the day. Some days, I think of who I might see and what question I might ask of them.

Characteristics of the wise woman

Who is this wise woman? She is the one who knows all things from a feminine perspective. I don’t think there is such a being within one person, but I try to look for core characteristics in the many people, female and male, who I will meet today.

Business woman, author and broadcaster Lynne Franks’ presents wise women traits in this TEDxWhitehallWomen video. In it, she notes traits of responsibility, connection, laughter, creativity, leadership, teaching, nurturing, confidence-building, mentoring, integrity, courage, and bridge-building to generations of the future. I’m also reminded of the Hindu goddess Kali, who is a creator but also known for being a destroyer of what is no longer helpful, especially the dark forces.

I’ve been fortunate to know many wise women. They show strength, vulnerability, compassion, humility, respect, love. They use their smarts, experience, and hearts to make the world a better place.

Here are a few other ideas about the wise woman:

Which energies do I need most today?

Hmmm. Is it laughter, creativity, leadership, mentoring, courage, letting go of something… or something else I need today? When the opportunity is here, will I serve as a mentor to another? How will I make the world a better place for the generations of the future? What can I contribute? How does my purpose today fit into the purpose for my life?

About Today with the Wise Woman

Image of an encaustic painting by Janet Fox titled "Today With The Wise Man."
Today With The Wise Man | encaustic | 12″ h X 12″ w

With May’s celebration of Mothers Day, I created this encaustic mixed-media painting in honor of the many wise women in the world. I used my favorite turquoise to surround the rust-colored feminine symbol, which also happens to be the sign and the color for the planet Venus. The tiny round glass beads fit nicely with the larger copper staff with the carved bead. The short poem encircling the symbol leads to the bigger note: “Today With the Ageless Wise Woman.” It’s companion painting, Today With the Wise Man, is my next post.

⇒ For information about purchasing this artwork and/or its companion art, contact Janet Fox.

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Run With the Tiger

Posted by Janet Fox
Image of an encaustic painting by Janet Fox titled "Run With The Tiger."
Run With The Tiger | encaustic | 12″h X 12w” (sold)

Connecting with tiger energy

Many days when waking up, I marvel and am grateful that I’m alive and present for another day. While setting my intention, I often wonder what lies ahead and how I might respond. I pray for guidance that my actions and words will be a force for healing and for making the world a better place. A while back, I read a great book about healing. Peter Levine’s “Waking the Tiger,” focuses on trauma, its impacts, and how to find healing. He presents examples of how animals in the wild naturally release the energy of a trauma after the threat has passed. As humans, though, we’ve learned to hold that intense “tiger” energy inside, where it can wreak havoc and cause pain. Levine presents ways to revisit old traumas and to safely release the buried and stuck energy. In practicing many of these techniques, I’ve come to understand difficult experiences in a new light. It can also feel really great to growl like a tiger, feel the vibration in my throat, and hear the roar come from my own voice.

Tigers in the wild

How are tigers living in the world today? According to Wikipedia, tigers are generally solitary although social animals requiring large areas of territory to support their prey. But due to conflicts with humans, including reduced habitat and poaching, they are endangered with fewer than 4,000 in the wild. This beautiful National Geographic video gives a rare look into the lives of several wild tigers in India and their cubs. It’s fascinating to observe how they relate to each other. I’m also amazed that the videographer could get close enough for filming!

A tiger as a dream symbol

Dream images often inspire my art so I researched a tiger from a Jungian perspective. A Knoji.com article about lions and tigers in dreams describes how a person’s associations to these powerful animals is important to understanding the dream’s message. Is a dream tiger ferociously chasing? Or is it soft like a stuffed toy? Is it in a cage, in an effort to keep it safely contained? Am I engaging with it or watching from afar? I imagine running with a tiger kind of spirit requires speed, cautious fearlessness, and a sort of instinctual trusting that I have the ability to stand my ground, protect myself, or flee.

About Run With The Tiger

Reflecting on those morning questions, past traumas, dreamtime images and the glimpse of real tigers inspired me to write the poem. After building it into the painting’s foundation, I fused several layers of encaustic paint, while combing into the orange, yellow, light and dark fur areas. The music line fit perfectly out of my reflections. Although life’s traumas can feel all-consuming, going through them can result in a greater appreciation and counting my blessings of what remains.

Looking as honestly as possible at something traumatic takes courage. Courage to face fear, which is perhaps what it might feel like to look a tiger in the eye. Facing down danger. Facing down death. By facing death, I can perhaps experience life more fully.

How do you perceive the tiger?

⇒  For information about purchasing a similar artwork, contact Janet Fox.

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