End of August thoughts

.As summer begins to wind down, thoughts turn to "back to routine" sorts of things-- school, classes, gym passes etc:) For me I will be returning to teach art classes ( I will be emailing out a tentative schedule and will post it here on the Current Classes page in the next few days) in October after a trip to Europe in September (I will be painting for a week in SW France as part of the trip- yippee) --- but before that a couple of things:
Wet Paint Art Show and Sale was a great success- for the third year we set up in Lesley's back garden and welcomed all to see -and maybe purchase -our latest works. All eight artists all were pleased with the turnout,  the positive feedback on our art, and the sales. Here are a few pictures form the show:

Altered Spaces: i gave another workshop yesterday on the collage technique involving creating beautiful papers using National Geographic magazines and a strong citrus solvent- and then using them in small collages on wooden panels.  Lots of fun! For anyone interested in a future workshop I will have one at the end of October. Here are a couple of pictures-- I didn't get photos of everyone's "masterpieces":

Cold Wax - I have been experimenting with oil paint and cold wax medium, and really ejoyin git. As it is expensive to buy the CW medium (either Dorlands or Gamblin brand) I decided to investigate making my own.  I tried 3 recipes and liked the last one best . Here it is:

Cold Wax Medium: (for oil paint only)
1 part wax (beeswax, *purified beeswax or *microcrystalline wax)
1 part linseed oil
2 parts solvent (I used Gamsol; a low-odour solvent that can be easily found at any art supply store) but you can also use any solvent such as mineral spirits, or even rectified turpentine.
Note: varying the amounts of solvent and linseed oil will result in a harder or softer medium-- The more liquid means it will be softer. 
Method: 
Melt wax in a double boiler (or simply two non-rusted tin cans – one larger filled with water, and one smaller that will loosely fit inside (for the wax solution). The cans can go directly on the heating element.
Heat the wax in the double boiler until it becomes liquid. Add the solvent and oil (make sure you have a window open, or some kind of ventilation). The liquids will be cooler then the hot wax, so adding them will bring the overall temperature down, resulting in some of the wax to re-solidify in the liquid mixture. Continue to heat the mixture until it is completely liquified and clear. Once you achieve this, give it a quick stir and then pour in a glass jar or plastic container to cool and solidify. Once it is cooled, it is ready to use. The mixture should last for a decade or so, forever, if stored in a cool, dry place and properly sealed.

Here are a few experimental paintings using the cold wax and oil: