Artsy Theology: True Meaning

Doing art journaling with encaustics is an excuse for a mixed media experiment which encompasses multiple layers and materials. First, of course, encaustics "should not" be used in an art journal because they require a firm, porous surface. However, I figure that the same experimenting with mixed media in a journal ought to be extended to this media as well. I prepped the pages with encuastic gesso and am dedicating the right side of each spread to encaustics and the opposite/left side to generic mixed media (so the pages won't stick together wax-to-wax.

It is particularly challenging for me NOT to use words in my journal reflections because I am quite simply a "word person." The wax paints limit the amount of writing that can be included which has made it a helpful tool for me to "do" art without (very many) words. This spread began with exposed words "True Meaning" which became the (internal) reflection during the art process. I masked the headline area and used Pan Pastels to add orange.

Because I cannot use encaustic paints on both sides of the page, this spread became an experiment in "what do do on the left" compared to the encaustics I planned to use on the right. To tie the pages together visually, I used the same rug craft product (Hobby Lobby) with acrylic paint on the left and encaustics on the right. Once the rug fabric was removed, I added more layers of acrylic to the left and more layers of encaustics to the right.

Pretty papers which are somewhat porous blend well with encaustics. Once layers of clear wax have been applied, I used a wooden tool used to scrape clay to lift out the wax in the leaf pattern. This gives depth to the image and provides an easy play to add color back in with a gold oil pastel. I also added tiny seed beads in the top portion; use a heat gun to soften the wax and then gently push the beads to embed them in the wax.