Segment Collaboration with Sunshine Vekas – Part 2 – Process: Waxing

SC #5c © 2009-2010 Sunshine Vekas

Did I hook you yesterday with this picture or my list? I do hope so!

If not, that is okay. Here is more to whet your appetite for process art.

As I said in Segment Collaboration - Part 1 – Establish your system, my cohort Sunshine Vekas and I are doing a unique art experiment where we work separately on each other’s art pieces therefore making it a collaborative art piece without actually working together in person.

We are both process-oriented artists, so this leads to exploration with materials that we normally wouldn’t chose for ourselves.

In this post, you get to peek into inside my head and my studio to see how I changed Sunshine’s piece above “SC #5c” into Fiber, Rubber and Encaustic sculpture “SC #5d.” This post is part one of the process.
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Before we jump into the process, I need to make a note about the naming system of this collaboration.

Sunshine has developed a system to track the progress of these process pieces. She assigns each piece Segment Collaboration with a number and a letter.

This piece as started in her possession as SC #5a. Each major modification has been assigned with the next letter.

When I received the piece, it was entitled SC #5c. My modification will change it to SC #5d.

I love scientific nomenclature.

The nerd in me cannot resist the twist of taking this fiber and rubber piece, and assigning it a technical, scientific name. It expands it from the realm of art into art as exploration. Onto the process...

Segment Collaboration with Sunshine Vekas – Part 2 – Process: Waxing

After much fighting with my inner critic and self-doubt about myself as an artist, I finally got started on my half of the collaborative project, SC #5d.

The piece has a history before I got to it that (if I can convince her that you readers are interested in it) Sunshine has documented via personal logs and photo documentation.

SC #5c © 2009-2010 Sunshine Vekas

SC #5c © 2009-2010 Sunshine Vekas

SC #5c © 2009-2010 Sunshine Vekas

For now, this post will consider the pictures above and the beginning of this project.

As with many of the fiber creations I make on my own, the first thought for this piece was that it "needed some wax." On a Wednesday afternoon, I heated up my griddle and set up my video camera and camera to document the process.

My encaustic griddle was melting two loaf-sized containers of mixed natural yellow and white beeswax, R&F's transparent Rose Madder, Indian Yellow and Sap Green encaustic paints, all undiluted with medium, so that they are in their richest, creamiest, most potent state.

Encaustic Palette © 2010 Jaime Lyerly

This photo is not exactly the same palette I used, but it is similar enough to give you an idea of my set-up.

I dipped the first little tuft of fabric. I loved the way the beeswax clung to the transparent cloth, making it more and less transparent at the same time.

I dipped the second tuft into Rose Madder encaustic paint. It was so thick it looked shocking on the transparent cloth. "Oh no, I ruined it!," I gasped.

But I let it stay and trusted in the process to develop.

In Progress, the first two tufts of SC #5d © 2010 Sunshine Vekas and Jaime Lyerly

After dipping each piece in beeswax, I was enjoying the process. However that blood red piece needed to be connected to the rest of the segment. I lightly brushed the Rose Madder encaustic paint, catching only the tips of some of the pieces.

In Progress, detail of SC #5d © 2010 Sunshine Vekas and Jaime Lyerly

I used my heat gun to soften the edges of the red color, fuse the wax, and shape the tufts. The heat helped to melt the wax which had covered the rubber at the base which looked sloppy compared to the tufts.

In Progress, detail of SC #5d © 2010 Sunshine Vekas and Jaime Lyerly

Excessive manipulation of the piece with my hands and the heat led to a few tufts at the end of the segment to loosen from their glued rubber holders. What to do now?

In Progress, detail of SC #5d (in the mess of my studio area) © 2010 Sunshine Vekas and Jaime Lyerly

The removed the loose tufts from their rubber gaskets, and rearranged them on the segment. I connected the ends together which formed a traditional feminist icon of the V shape.

In Progress, detail of SC #5d © 2010 Sunshine Vekas and Jaime Lyerly

At this point, I took some photographs and let the piece cool for the day.

In Progress, detail of SC #5d (in the mess of my studio area) © 2010 Sunshine Vekas and Jaime Lyerly

Waxed! Want to see what happens to it next? Come back for Part 3 next time!

Your turn:
Am I being a tease by only showing part of the process? Maybe, but the posts are detailed which should make up for it. The process of documenting while it is being made and blogging with critical thought is exciting for me. But I have to ask you...what do you think of the process so far? I would love to hear your comments!

Happy Collaborating! ~ Jaime Lyerly