PORTRAIT Jaquelyne

Strong, smart, and sassy yes STUNNING too. When Jackie reached out to me for some professional shots  for college I was thrilled, I have photographed her before and it's always a day of creative fun she is so gracious to allow me artistic license and she brings the best outfits! Since she also takes photography classes she is quite comfortable with what is going on behind the camera - it's great. I'm already planning for next time!

encaustic photography

The Arte Department 

Encaustic is an art form that dates back to 800bc.  It is a technique that uses beeswax and resin as a medium. The "caustic" part is because heat is used to fuse the layers of wax. Hot wax painting. I discovered this art by seeing a photo on Elizabeth Messina's IG feed. I dreamed of learning how to create photos like the ones I was staring at. My wildest dream came true when Leah MacDonald had a workshop at The Arte Department in Carpinteria hosted by Elizabeth Messina.

 Beautiful items in the gallery/boutique at The Arte Department.

 Hot wax, tools, and stencils for painting the wax on photos. 

I will remember Leah's words about how she creates her art to keep it intuitive and with no judgement. She is a master at teaching and her art is extraordinary.

 Leah explaining the best types of paper to use.

 Oil sticks to add color to the wax.

 My first photos. We were given Elizabeth's photos to use.

the season that awakens my soul

I'm not usually this anxious for fall but this was an extremely hot summer so I'm loving the beautiful 80 degree weather we have now. Even though the weather is warm there are hints of fall in the leaves and flowers. Zinnias doing amazing right now.

 Double exposure of cosmos blooming like crazy.

 Heavenly bamboo looking lovely with leaves changing to red.

 The heros of winter the daffodils and paper whites coming in.

The holly has berries!

Not everyone thriving right now but I still love photographing these roses.

Hibiscus blooming so beautifully.