Weekly Buzzzz………..
A look into the hive.
Meet Michele Maule
Tell us a bit about yourself:
Well, let’s see…where should I start?
I live in Pontiac, Michigan, just outside of Detroit, with my boyfriend and my Boston Terrier pup, Chloe. However, I am from Portland, Oregon and I plan on moving back when my boyfriend is done with grad school. I have a degree in art from Portland State University, and I became a full time artist last year.
How did you begin working in encaustic?
I have been working with encaustic for about 4 years.
I started playing around with wax in college. At first I was using it in sculpture pieces, and I really loved the smell and the color of it. Then I had an instructor who did lovely encaustic work, so the class got her to demo it for us, and I loved it instantly!
What do you find most rewarding about working with encaustic?
I love the colors that you can get with encaustic work. They are so rich and deep.
There is also this surprise factor that comes with working in encaustic. With my collage pieces, I am never really sure how the wax will react with the colors of the papers…and it is always so cool to see what happens.
Where do you find your inspiration for your work?
Honestly, most of my inspiration comes from myself and my surroundings.
Lately my inspiration has come from feelings of loneliness and missing my home in Portland. I try to find inspiration in those quiet moments when I am at home waiting for the next step…
Do you plan your pieces before you start?
Sometimes I do. Lately I have been coming up with ideas in my head, photographing them, and then planning on how I will use them on the surface. However, usually I just sit down with my panel and start drawing then painting.
Explain a bit about your process of creating with encaustic.
I use beeswax as my final layer on a painting. I feel it brings the entire painting together as a whole. So I brush a layer of wax over the painting and I use a heat gun to make the surface even.
They work really well for me. I have tried using just the panel, without the cradle, and the result was warping and bending. So it’s really important to me to have some sort of support on the back.
What is your favorite technique and why?
Well, my favorite technique would have to be collage.
Collage has been one constant in my work over the last 7 years.
When I am making a collage I feel like I am organizing my thoughts, and the outcome is a small history of what is going on in my head.
Tell us a bit about your studio and the atmosphere when you create. Do you have a ritual or something you do before you begin or while you are creating?
I work in my apartment…I hope to have a studio when I move back to Portland.
I don’t really have a ritual or anything. I have to turn on music, and once I do that I kinda get into it…sometimes it takes awhile…but it’s there.
Oh! and coffee…I have to have a large mug of coffee.Do you have a favorite artist? If so, who and what do you like about them?
Well, I have many…but one of my recent favorites is Jane Hammond.
I just saw her speak at the DIA, and she said some things that I really related to.
She loves to collect images and work from this collection of images, which I tend to do as well. She also said that when she graduated from graduate school she felt that there was this need for her work to take on a sense of similarity. That she had to hone in on one technique, or one style, and go with it making slight changes and perfecting it as she went. However, she didn’t really feel like that is what she wanted to do. That there are so many things that she wanted to try or experiment with, and that zoning in on one way of making art wasn’t really for her. I could really relate to that.
Do you have any advice for an artist that is just starting to use encaustic medium?
Be patient! It can be really frustrating at first, but once you get the hang of it, it can be a lot of fun. Experiment a lot before you start in on one painting. Get the feel for it before you decide to make your first masterpiece. Also, remember to work in a well ventilated area!
Do you have some advice you can give us on having a successful ETSY store?
Etsy is such a great place to sell art, and to be inspired.
Some of the most important things you can do to have a successful Etsy store are good photos and promoting yourself. Promoting yourself in the fourms, or with your blog. I think that having a blog is such a great way for people to become familiar with your process as well as yourself. People really love getting to know the artist behind the work, and having a blog is a great way to do that.
If you enjoyed this interview, please leave a comment!
To learn more about Michele please visit her blog or website.
Bring on the comments
Thursday, October 23 12:24 pm
Loved reading and learning all about Michele! Thank you so much for sharing. It always amazes me to see the diversity of encaustics! Love your work.
Pat
Saturday, October 25 1:39 pm
LOVE this interview. As a successful full-time Etsyier, Michele is a great one to speak on promoting yourself on Etsy! I’ll have to check out Jane Hammond’s work. Thanks for sharing Michele!
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