A Few Art Techniques I'd Like to Try (If Only I Were an Artist)

We spent some of today looking at art, both in the New Mexico State Capitol—which, an information desk volunteer proudly told us, has some $6 million worth of original art in the halls surrounding the Senate and House of Representatives chambers—and up the hill in Tesuque Village, at a gallery and sculpture garden called Shidoni. I was taken by so much of the original art, and wished once again that I had artistic talent. And thought, once again, about maybe trying?

I took photos of two pieces that I would love to try to recreate—pieces that look somewhat possible to make, if not exactly the same way (why would I want to do that?)—or at least use as inspiration.

One was a "silent wind chime" made of silk:

The other was a photo collage:

There was also an encaustic collage that I loved (but that wouldn't photograph because of glare). It reminded me that I've always liked the look of encaustic, and I've always wondered how difficult it is to do. That has spurred me on to investigating the technique online—for future reference. Here are a few links to technical instruction:

Encaustic Basics Part I: FAQs
Encaustic Basics Part II: Preparing Substrates, Fusing, Adding Color
Encaustic Basics Part III: Adding Collage and Embedding Objects
All Things Encaustic: A Blog for Artists Painting with Beeswax—A Beginner's Guide
 
Here are a few encaustic pieces I've plucked off Google images, that I like. (There are plenty, believe me, that I don't like.)

Sarah E. Rehmer

BG Mills

Giselle Gautreau

Jill Skupin Burkholder

Jill Skupin Burkholder

Jeff League

Joyce Gehl

Andrea Bird

Nancy Crawford

Raven Voss

2021 update—here is a YouTube video demonstrating the technique, using a kit, which are readily available, as here: