Gulf began as a demonstration in Peg Sjogren’s painting class at SOU in 1996. The demonstration was to show my encaustic techniques. I had a blank panel already built, perfect for pouring wax, pushing it around with a heat gun, placing hot items on it and generally just going crazy to show how versatile wax can be.
price: $3000
11″ x 17″ x 3″ oil, wax, pencil, toner transfer on board. Click for larger image.
Once I brought it home, and saw what a mess it was, the real work began. I gently heated the wax, pushed it around, all the way to the original surface in some places, until this interesting shape emerged that reminded me of a globe. I designed the word “gulf” with bent, globe-like perspective, and then added the antiquity of the Nike of Samothrace image by way of toner transfer to complete the composition.
The image became the show card for an exhibition in Los Angeles the following year. Original title: Divided Landscape No. 04.
