Tracey Grgic Potter: Last Week in the Studio.

Last week was a busy one, as they almost always are. I worked on the presentation of some paintings, ones that were heading off to new homes, ones that were going to The Collective Store for Wynnum Up Late and I also did some further investigation into painting with wax.

Last week I bit the bullet and made some coloured hot wax to paint with, up until now I was just using medium (Beeswax + Damar). I'm really enjoying the translucent quality and sheen of painting with beeswax and Damar. Painting with coloured wax is quite amazing, I can't really describe what it's like, but its so immediate, yet can be reworked with heat, it can be scratch into and buffed, the possibilities seem endless. It's unlike anything I've worked with before.

To colour the wax I'm using oil paint which is added to the hot medium. I found a dutch pancake maker at the op. shop which makes a perfect palette. It does not have a temperature control, but I've worked that if I turn it on for 20 seconds that the plate gets hot enough to melt the wax but not too hot to create fumes, this lets me work with the wax for a while. Once the wax starts to thicken and set I turn the heat back on for another 10 seconds.

I received a comment last week about my studio work space being so tidy. I'm an artist that usually has things everywhere, items placed on top of other items, in the past I have not kept my working space all that tidy. But working with wax, I decided to take charge and make a place for everything in the bookcases and at the end of the day I put all my things away, so I can have a nice fresh start the next day. It seems to be working well. I'm hoping to keep this practice up.

Here are some closeups of my work with wax: I really like how the texture of the linen is showing through the wax. I also like how the wax melts together and blends in areas.