Pamela Caughey
Pamela Caughey
Pamela Caughey grew up in Wisconsin, where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from UW-Madison in 1983. After moving with her family to Hamilton, MT in 1986, she began her serious study of art, and in 2010 received her MFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of Montana School of Art. Her work is in the permanent collection of several museums and public buildings nationally and internationally and also appears in the newly published book by Rebecca Crowell and Jerry McLaughlin, “Cold Wax Medium: Techniques, Concepts, Conversations”. After teaching foundations courses at the University of Montana, Bitterroot College, Montana, she is now a full time studio artist and teaches workshops from her Hamilton, Montana studio and around the world.
Website: pamelacaughey.com / artandsuccess.com
Facebook: facebook.com/pcaugheyart
Instagram: @pamelacaughey
Classes with Pamela Caughey
Working in a series
Did you ever wonder how to truly find your personal voice? Do you sometimes feel you paint in many different styles? Pam Caughey will demonstrate how working in a series can lead to a cohesive collection of paintings that share harmony, unity and your personal voice. She will share her "anything goes" playful beginning as well as discuss how a firm foundation in color and design help her complete this series of 9 paintings. Increase your momentum, productivity and cohesive voice by "Working in a Series" along with Pam!
There are many benefits of "working in a series". Whether your boards are connected or separate, it is helpful to have them all the same size and shape, especially if you are not accustomed to working in this way. By working on several panels at the same time, you will find that each work will inform the others. Use repetition and variation of favorite shapes, marks, colors or texture, etc in your series. Repetition leads to unity, so use these design principles to create cohesion within your series! Have fun!
Supplies:
6 - 9 wooden panels that are the same size and shape (any size, cradled or flat). (*You could also use 20 ply illustration board if you choose)
Encaustic medium
Encaustic paint:
Beginner: Choose 2 - 3 colors (Opaque and Transparent) plus black and white
Intermediate/Advanced: Any colors - to harmonize, consider glazing or combine the colors of your palette as a "harmony mix" that can be added to each color in your palette to help unify them.
Dry media to experiment with (Optional, but super fun!): Graphite powder, Woody crayons, Neocolor II's, Saral transfer paper, pan pastels
Brushes
Texture tools
Oil paint (optional; used to enhance textured areas)
Optional:
Tape and a webbed strap: If you are using small cradled panels, you "can" use tape on the backside to hold them together. This is what I do in this video -and in addition, I used a webbed strap along the perimeter to further hold the panels together.
Process:
You will see in this video that I work on all the panels at the same time "as a whole", paying no attention (in the beginning) to the boundaries of each panel. This is possible IF you choose small - scale, cradled panels but not very easy if you are using flat or large panels - so don't worry if you can't synch them together like I did; this is not always possible and is not necessary to create a series. The main idea is to choose some parameters that will be constant across the whole series. There are many things to choose from, but choosing the same size/format for each painting in this series is an excellent start. From there, think about shape, pattern, texture, your color palette, ie, whatever are you most passionate about, to determine the unifying "theme". The more things each painting has in common with the others, the more cohesive your series will be! If you have a favorite palette, use the same palette for the whole series. Or, if you have certain shapes, symbols or textures you enjoy, use these as the unifying "thread" throughout the series. Allow each painting to inform the others; cross pollinate between the panels so they will share "something" in common - and know that just starting with panels that are the same size and shape will be a great start to a cohesive series of work