Moving

Dear Friends,

In an attempt to bring more simplicity and order to my life, I'm consolidating all of my art ventures in one place. Please find me at: www.phaedrataylor.com. You can view entire portfolio at this site, including liturgical design projects, and new works.

Thank you!

Encaustic Workshop: August 5th and 6th

Guess what? It's time for another Encaustic Workshop! It's been a while and I definitely want to fit in one last encaustic workshop before our little girl comes along in early September. It certainly won't be the last workshop I do, but I plan on taking a little break in the fall to figure out how to take care of our baby girl. The exciting news is that I have a new studio mate who is also an encaustic artist and she will be offering workshops in my absence. She will even be expanding the kinds of workshops we are offering to include weekends where you can learn more advanced techniques and explore the exciting world of encaustic sculpture. 


I'll be back teaching in November, but I would love to have you in this next beginning encaustic workshop so you can get started with beginning techniques. If you are at all interested in painting with hot wax a workshop is the best way to learn the basics. After you take an initial workshop it's easier to add techniques to your knowledge base from a book or a video. Here's the scoop:

Description:

10 instruction hours with plenty of studio work time to experiment and make complete pieces. Instruction in buying supplies in an affordable way, making encaustic medium and colored waxes. You will learn many varied encaustic techniques, some color theory basics and composition direction. All supplies provided for your use in the studio: wood panels, heating tools, carving tools, paper, colored wax, encaustic medium, blow torch, brushes, tins for color, oil pastels, string, yarn, found objects.  You will take home multiple pieces from your work time.

Location:


Golden Belt 
Building 3, Studio 103
807 E. Main Street
Durham, N.C.
27701


Schedule:

Friday August 5th         

6-8pm - Introduction to encaustic, applying medium, 

preparing your panel, fusing, and first tries at the technique

Saturday August 6th   

10-12pm - Using color with colored wax and oil pastel, embedding paper and objects. 

Studio work time

12-1pm - Lunch Break

1-6pm - Transfers, carving and incising instruction. Studio work time. 

Cost:

$300

All supplies provided!

Registration:

4 spots available only! !

To register please email me at: phaedrajean AT gmail DOT com

Tuition in full is required to hold your spot in the workshop.

What to bring:

A great way to add personality to your pieces is to collect collage material that you are drawn to. Paper, found objects, sticks, buttons, cloth, string, ribbon, photographs, flowers etc... You can also bring photocopies of photographs, text or images to transfer into your wax. Please only bring Xeroxed or laser printed images, not ink-jet. Color or black and white both work wonderfully. It's also wonderful to collect and bring old pieces of wood to paint on. Coming with a stash of things you've collected will mean your pieces will be more interesting and more you!

You may also want to bring a lunch on Saturday. There are not many places to eat near by, but there is a microwave that you can use to heat food if you wish.


Extra supplies will be for sale. If you are interested in starting your own Encaustic set up we will have encaustic medium, wax, tools, panels, and oil paints for sale. Because we buy wax in bulk we are able to offer encaustic medium and wax at a significant discount from what you will find in any art supply store in the area.  Bring some cash if you want to take advantage of the chance to build your own supply and keep working after you go home!

Do you know someone who would  be interested in learning how to paint with wax? Please share this information so we can be sure to have a full class! 

Hope you can join us!

New work!

My studio pretty much always looks this crazy these days! 

The internet connecting in our house has decided it wants to live in the stone age, so I'm way behind on anything that happens online. But I'm taking a few moments, while at a coffee shop catching up, to post some pictures of new work completed and in progress.

I'm excited about starting to work more sculpturally again. If I can ever find the time, I have ideas for large pieces along these lines. I've also been obsessively collecting old pieces of wood, as I'm in love with the way it looks against the wax. I sort of want to cover an entire wall of my studio with old wood and wax!

Here is a little peek at what's been going on.....

I've been doing some simple drawings of organic forms to try brainstorm ways that sculptural work can take on similar forms. It's been a great exercise. 

These are all done on watercolor paper that I  used to make mono-prints. I love the smokey, watery colors against the tight and clean drawings. 

The drawing is done with colored pencil and my favorite gold paint pen. 

This one has some red thread sewn into the drawing. 

These are some of the pieces that have come out of the drawing exercise above. I have plans for at least 3 more of these 16x20 pieces. I'm enjoying working with naturally bleached beeswax. The milky skin color is perfect for these piece which are about the body, fragility and containers.

The color in these is made by applying oil paint into places that have been incised. The 3-D elements are cast paper forms that I've been creating using glass medical vials and test tubes as my molds. 

These are two door lintels pulled from an old home. I'm planning on using a little wax in the crevice to attach the paper forms. I'm also thinking of adding some gold leaf to this to play up the rough and decaying texture of the old door frames against the clean and bright gold. My favorite things about this piece are all the rusted nails in the top and bottom. 

This pair of diptychs started me using the old wood without covering it with any wax. I really like how it breathes out the dense color and texture of the wax panel. 

These 6x6 collages are the beginning of a collaborative project that will soon be announced! 

I created this commissioned gold leaf and acrylic piece for a couple who asked me to design/decorate several spaces for their wedding.  It is 20X42 on a wood panel with a 2" cradle. 

Encaustic Workshop April 29th and 30th! *FULL*

* This workshop is now full! The next workshop is in June, please email to be put on the waiting list! Thanks! *

It's time for another Encaustic Workshop! I had a great time sharing my obsession with wax with some eager and creative students when I taught a workshop in January. I was again impressed by how easy it is for people to make beautiful things right off the bat. If you are at all interested in painting with hot wax a workshop is the best way to learn the basic. After you take an initial workshop it's easier to add techniques to your knowledge base from a book or a video. Here's the scoop:

Description:

10 instruction hours with plenty of studio work time to experiment and make completely pieces. Instruction in buying supplies, making encaustic medium and colored waxes. You will learn many of the basic techniques, some color theory basics and composition direction. All supplies provided for your use in the studio: wood panels, heating tools, carving tools, paper, colored wax, encaustic medium, blow torch, brushes, tins for color, oil pastels, string, yarn, found objects.  You will take home multiple pieces from your work time.

Location:


Golden Belt 
Building 3, Studio 103
807 E. Main Street
Durham, N.C.
27701


Schedule:

Friday April 29th         

6-8pm - Introduction to encaustic, and first tries at the technique

Saturday April 30th   

10-12pm - Using color, embedding instruction. Studio work time

12-1pm - Lunch Break

1-6pm - Transfers, oil pastel, carving and incising instruction. Studio work time. 

Cost:

$300

All supplies provided!

Registration:

4 spots available only! !
*Workshop now full! Next one in June! *

To register follow this link:  Encaustic Workshop Registration

You will receive a pay-pal invoice for a $50 non-refundable deposit to hold your spot. The rest of the workshop fee is due Friday when class starts. 

If the class is full the registration link will be closed. Please email me to be put on the waiting list for the next workshop! The email is: phaedrajean at gmail dot com

What to bring:

A great way to add personality to your pieces is to collect collage material that you are drawn to. Paper, found objects, sticks, buttons, cloth, string, ribbon, photographs, flowers etc... You can also bring photocopies of photographs, text or images to transfer into your wax. Please only bring Xeroxed or laser printed images, not ink-jet. Color or black and white both work wonderfully. It's also wonderful to collect and bring old pieces of wood to paint on. Coming with a stash of things you've collected will mean your pieces will be more interesting and more you!

You may also want to bring a lunch on Saturday. There are not many places to eat near by, but there is a microwave that you can use to heat food if you wish.

Do you know someone who would  be interested in learning how to paint with wax? Please share this information so we can be sure to have a full class! 

Hope you can join us!

ArtMachine Classes in January!

Here is some information on two new kids classes beginning in January. If the class you are interested in is full, please ask to be added to our email list. Email me: artmachinestudios at gmail dot com.

**If you subscribe to my ArtMachine Studios Newsletter please note that the Encaustic for Kids class has been moved to Wednesday at the same time. **

This year I'm changing the model of classes to offer more technique based classes. I realized that so many of my students are already confident artists and what they really loved were chances to explore media and new techniques. So, to that end I have reduced the time spend on art history and basic art ideas, and increased the technique exploration opportunities. 

The format is also changing a bit, instead of an on going class that you can jump into at any time I'll be offering shorter blocks of classes on specific techniques. Each class will go for 5 weeks. When the 5 weeks are over I will start two new classes in a different technique. You can sign up again if your child is interested in the next class subject, or take a break for those 5 weeks.

Classes for the 5-8 age range will always be on Tuesdays, 8-12 year olds will always have class on Wednesdays. Classes will always be from 4-5:15.

Tuesday Class -Mixed Media Exploration: THIS CLASS IS FULL 

Tuesday afternoons for 5 weeks starting January 25th and going to February 22nd.

4pm - 5:15pm

All kinds of 2-D mixed media techniques with a heavy emphasis on collage. We will be using lots of papers, encaustic (wax), acrylic paints, coloed pencils, markets, etc... We will work on paper, wood, and canvas. 

Age: 5-8

$100 plus $25 supply fee per student. 

5 spots available only

Class located @ Golden Belt Studio 103

Sign up here: Registration form (this link is closed)

Wednesday Class- Encuastic for Kids: (The only encaustic class for kids in the area!)

Thursday afternoons for 5 weeks starting January 26th and going to February 23rd, no class on February 16th.

4pm-5:15pm

Basic encaustic (painting with wax) techniques including, painting, carving, embedding, collage, and drawing into wax. We will work on wood panel. 

Age: 8-12

$120 plus $50 supply fee per student

Students must be able to respond well to instruction, have good attention skills, and be able to be responsible with hot items and heating tools. Please make sure you child is prepared to work slowly carefully with items that could be dangerous if not handled in the right way. We will work with wax at 150 degrees and use a heat gun (highly supervised). 

5 spots available only        

Class located @Golden Belt Studio 103

Sign up here: Registration form

Registration:
If you would like to register for a class follow the registration link under the description for each class. Once I have received your registration information I will send you a pay-pal invoice for the amount of the classes. Once you have paid for you classes you are officially signed up and no one can take you spot.

If you don’t have a pay-pal account it is very easy and quick to set one up. If you have concerns about paying by pay-pal please contact me to talk about it.

Classes are filled first come first served. Please contact me to be added to the waiting list if the class you are interested in is full.

Golden Belt:
Golden Belt Studios is a large studio complex east of downtown Durham. Over 40 artists are currently working at Golden Belt and it is a great creative environment for your kids to learn in. 

Please make them aware that because other artist will be working in neighboring studios while we are holding classes, they will be expected to work calmly and quietly just as they would in their classroom at school. For directions and more information please follow this link to the Golden Belt website: Golden Belt.

Adult Encaustic Workshop in January

Exciting news! I'm offering an Encaustic Workshop January 28th & 29th at my Golden Belt studio (studio 103). Come learn how to paint with hot wax. It's sure to be great fun. Here's the scoop:

Description:

10 instruction hours with optional open studio time on Sunday. Instruction in making encaustic medium and colored waxes, and basic techniques, color theory basics and composition direction. All supplies provided for working in the studio: wood panels, heating tools, carving tools, paper, colored wax, encaustic medium, blow torch, brushes, tins for color, oil pastels, string, yarn, found objects.  You will take home multiple pieces from your work time.

Schedule:

Friday January 28th         

6-9pm - Introduction to encaustic, and first tries at the technique

Saturday January 29th   

10-12pm - Using color, embedding instruction, studio work time

12-1pm - Lunch Break

1-5pm - Studio work time, transfers, oil pastel, carving and incising instruction

Sunday January 30th       

 2-5pm - OPTIONAL open studio time (additional $50 fee)

Cost:

$275

$50 fee for additional Sunday open studio time

Registration:

6 spots available only! 

To register follow this link:  Encaustic Workshop Registration

You will receive a pay-pal invoice for a $50 non-refundable deposit to hold your spot. The rest of the workshop fee is due Friday the 28th when class starts. 

If the class is full the registration link will be closed. Please email me to be put on the waiting list for the next workshop! The email is: artmachinestudios at gmail dot com

What to bring:

A great way to add personality to your pieces is to collect collage material that you are drawn to. Paper, found objects, sticks, buttons, cloth, string, ribbon, photographs, flowers etc... You can also bring photocopies of photographs, text or images to transfer into your wax. Please only bring Xeroxed or laser printed images, not ink-jet. Color or black and white both work wonderfully. Coming with a stash of things you've collected will mean your pieces will be more interesting and more you!

You may also want to bring a lunch on Saturday. There are not many places to eat near by, but there is a microwave that you can use to heat food if you wish.

Do you know someone who would  be interested in learning how to paint with wax? Please share this information so we can be sure to have a full class! 

Thank you!

New stuff in the shop!

The light is fading much earlier around here. That early darkness, along with some nights in the 20's, makes me want to cozy up in my house, drink hot things, and listen to christmas music. I love how still the air gets when it's dusk on a cold night. I hope you are able to find some quiet moments in this busy holiday season!

Just for fun here are some photographs to entice you to take a look at some new things in the Ambrosium etsy shop. Perhaps you'll find something special for someone you love.

"The way a crow

Shook down on me

The dust of snow

From a hemlock tree

Has given my heart

A change of mood

And saved some part

Of the day I had Rued."

-Robert Frost, Dust of Snow