Rachel Harper, Encaustic and Sketch Artist from England.
Rachel Harper as submitted 4 "AMAZING" ACEO cards to the SAFTH exhibit created with Bees’ wax! (we are giving you a sneak preview of 1 of the cards ). Rachael is a self taught artist from Worcestershire, England. She has been painting in ...bees' wax for about 10 years now. Encaustic art (the term means "to burn in") was used by the ancient Egyptians centuries before oil paint was invented. They used melted wax to hold onto ground, natural pigments to paint incredibly realistic portraits. This method has been updated and now we use electrically heated tools and strong, color fast pigments.
Although it is entirely possible to paint with bees' wax using traditional brushes (the trick is to work quickly before the wax cools or to paint while the paper is being heated on a hot plate), the method she uses requires an ordinary, everyday traveling iron and a heated stylus (something like a soldering iron). The beauty of this method is that the tools do most of the work for you. What may look like a forest of mythical trees, is actually page of dribble! The most intricate foliage, which would take an age to paint with a brush, can be created in a couple of seconds with an iron! Because wax is a soft medium it can also be scratched into, revealing the color of the card beneath. Because of the unpredictability of this method, it is best suited to abstract or fantasy landscapes. Although she has painted bigger pictures (up to A4), she prefers to keep to ACEO size because painting with an iron can get pretty tiring after a while. The wax used to create this art melts at 65 degrees C or 149 degrees F, so there are no worries of melting in typical controled indoor environments. You can catch her encaustic ACEO’s (and her pencil sketch cards) on ebay. Simply search for her user name - rachar64
Although it is entirely possible to paint with bees' wax using traditional brushes (the trick is to work quickly before the wax cools or to paint while the paper is being heated on a hot plate), the method she uses requires an ordinary, everyday traveling iron and a heated stylus (something like a soldering iron). The beauty of this method is that the tools do most of the work for you. What may look like a forest of mythical trees, is actually page of dribble! The most intricate foliage, which would take an age to paint with a brush, can be created in a couple of seconds with an iron! Because wax is a soft medium it can also be scratched into, revealing the color of the card beneath. Because of the unpredictability of this method, it is best suited to abstract or fantasy landscapes. Although she has painted bigger pictures (up to A4), she prefers to keep to ACEO size because painting with an iron can get pretty tiring after a while. The wax used to create this art melts at 65 degrees C or 149 degrees F, so there are no worries of melting in typical controled indoor environments. You can catch her encaustic ACEO’s (and her pencil sketch cards) on ebay. Simply search for her user name - rachar64
Jeff Gagliardi, Professional Etch-A-Sketch® Artist
website: http://www.etch-a-sketchartist.com/Jeff resides in Lyons, Colorado. With over 35 years experience in Etch-A-Sketch Art, Jeff Gagliardi is one of the original, and one of the best known Etch-A-Sketch artists. Jeff’s Etch-A-Sketch Art has been displayed at the Denver Art Museum and the Berkshire Museum in Massachusetts, as well as galleries around the country. He’s been a guest on several ABC and NBC news shows (watch some recent interviews here) including Good Morning America, and his Etch-A-Sketch work has appeared in many publications including People Magazine, The USA Today, Omni Magazine and Ripley’s Believe It Or Not. Select Etch-A-Sketch Art prints in ACEO art card size of 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" will be featured in the 2012 SAFTH exhibit.
Accepted by juried competition for Best of Worldwide Artists 2009 - 2010 glass publication. Liza has created a special piece for the SAFTH 2012 exhibit titled "Max" (photo to the left). Max is an authentic original micro mosaic containing 500+ hand cut glass mosaic tesserae designed and constructed to ACEO size of 2 1/2" x 3 1/2".
Artist Statement:
During design graduate school, my interest in producing fine figurative art increased each year. After graduation, I began the search for an art style and medium that would be most gratifying. In 1995 I joined a team of mosaic artists working principally in spiritual surroundings, largely producing icons and murals. I soon realized that this was the art form for which I had been searching, as it incorporates most major art forms, bringing a little of each into each mosaic. The years of inspiration and training received from some of Europe’s most talented mosaic artists and masters taught me that by joining glass tiles, varying effects and illusions could be created by their selection, cut and placement, bringing life to a creation through the lines and reflection of light. During the past several years in an effort to make finer mosaics resembling renaissance era, micro mosaics, we are cutting glass 1 mm to 3 mm in width, which are joined very closely and often include precious and semi-precious gemstones. With the use of light weight substrate, also reducing transport damage risk and cost.