Feel the Original Work with Texture

I would like you to feel the soul and texture by viewing the original artwork.

When I prepare images for presentation in computer or online, I feel that the images have different feeling from the actual work. I wish I could show the actual pieces to everyone in person. Even jpeg images of photographic work feel very different from the actual printed original fine art photographs – they do not fully capture the subtle texture of the surface, the level of gloss, mat or pearl, tone of the color, the contrast and brightness of the images on paper and the scale, etc.

How you mat the work and frame it make it look different as well. I like metal or wood black frames for my original gelatin silver prints. Some of my works, however, such as the Lambda print version of the Blue Fire Fly series are finished with plexiglass (in the installation shot at the gallery: 36×26 inch).

Some encaustic artists prefer to frame around the art piece. So far I have enjoyed creating unframed encaustic work. I cover the four sides of the artwork, which are normally 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) deep, with encaustic paint. Those sides are a part of my artwork, so I take care to paint them carefully. I have to infuse the sides with a heat gun to fix the layers as I do to the main surface of the work. You can see the basic technique in the separate posts #1 and #2.

Beyond Time & Space: “Cry for LOVE 9-#80c (left) and #80a (right)”, detail, Misako OBA.

Some encaustic artists strive to make a smooth surface. However, I make a rough texture; sometimes the combination of smooth and rough. It feels right to do it in most works. I crave texture in mixed media* work, perhaps because for a long time I have been using the photography medium which is flat and two-dimensional.

At the Icon exhibition, you can have a close look at some encaustic mixed media from the series Beyond Time & Space, Cry for LOVE. With or without reading the concept behind it, enjoy the viewing and experience to feel your emotion.

The show is until this Saturday, September 28th, 2013.

*Mixed media: In visual art, the use of more than one medium in the creation of an artwork. In my work in most cases I use encaustic paint (I make my own medium), oil paint, Japanese rice paper and archival pigment ink (for photo transfer). It depends on the series and work.

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