Spring has sprung! Rearranging furniture, Fake Birds & Commissioned Paintings...

This is my living room found object - "over the couch" art.  I gathered these branches last spring in the neighborhood and painted them...I hang ornaments on it at Christmas, and apparently- now I can't help attaching fake birds to them in the spring. she's got a little of the mother in her...

I finished the painting from an earlier post and hung it up as a pseudo-headboard above the bed.  I move all the furniture around when seasons change.  I don't know why.  I think it has less to do with convenience and more to do with just proving to myself that I own all-this-stuff and I can move it around if I want. I'm allowed.

I have started the first of three 2"x4" panels I am making for a friend in Australia.  I thought it would be cool to document the stages. 

Stage 1: I built the frame from masonite and pine, painted it with a gesso medium and white acrylic paint.

Stage 2:  I added texture with plaster.

Stage 3:  I started adding the encaustic wax on top of the plaster. My color palette is below.  I heat these up in a electric skillets.  The big block is pure beeswax.  If you are interested in reading more about encautic the R&F website is here.

Stage 4:  In this stage I started making the transition much more subtle.  Still working on the last few stages...I'll keep you posted.  Thanks for checking it out.  Any comments you have are great.

stage 5: scraping...

Stage 6: Finished!