I've recently been wanting to change things up in the studio a little, and had a wee experiment where I adhered an encaustic monotype to a canvas!

Fittingly I called it, 'Leap of faith'...see above.... it worked out beautifully!

As I usually and primarily work on board this was a simple yet new direction for me and is opening up a plethora of possibility, not least in easier access to canvas but also in changing out how I might incorporate my encaustic monotypes into collage based mixed media works.

With that in mind I purchased a large canvas, well large for me... At 75cm by 100cm. I started to cannibalize my monotypes and adhere them to this canvas with gel medium, as the canvas was already primed I then proceeded to get busy with my favourite asemic mark making approach before laying in colour and quickly I realised I need to knock it back a bit!

To my mind the delicate tones used in my monotype sections was fast becoming overpowered by the use of paint medium... so diluted gesso to the rescue, I used the gesso as a paint medium, rubbing it over and scraping it back from the painted pigmented sections, and it gave it a wonderful softness that successfully knocked the strength of those pigments right back for me.

I finished the piece with more mark making and the use of oil sticks and oil pastel and have decided to call it 'Longitude and Latitude'.   (See the finished piece below).

This may well have been inspired by all the recent trips we've had as a family to our Irish coastline, visiting both the beautiful wilds of glorious Donegal and the astounding rugged peninsula of west Cork in recent weeks, or my husband's ongoing obsession with outdoor swimming... But either way it has the tranquil quality of water and is a very restful non objective abstract, full of subtle energies and gentle  calm.

I most recently invested in a wonderful app called #artrooms, which has at last given me the opportunity to show in-room images of my works without (thank jaysus) having to be a tech wizard or have a PhD in the wild wooly ways of the internet!!!.... a marvelous tool not just for the stunning room options that work so well with my contemporary works but also because it gives me a chance to show you what the pieces look like framed with several different options to suit each taste or interior...I'm loving it!

Check it out... http://artroomapp.com

Hi there Friends,

It's been a very busy few months here between my usual run of classes and workshops, including my 101 masterclass in encaustic at my home studio. A tailor made package for 2 people where I introduce participants to the joy of encaustic painting on panel, including, medium and paint making, incising, accretion techniques and transfer...a great fun day out with lots of materials to play with..I have two weekend dates still available prior to the Christmas period, so drop me a line if its a day of exploration and experimentation you think you might enjoy.

​ artistniamhoconnor@gmail.com

Its also been a busy time for exhibitions as I showed a number of works from my "hidden...Out Loud" series at Hambly and Hambly at Dunbar house in Enniskillen as part of their summer solstice celebrations during their event happening as part of the amazing Fermanagh Live festival.
L'art Pour L'art, was a magical happening event as an opening reception for the exhibiting artists with the most spectacular music provided by Maeshine a Bangor based duo, namely Inge and Anna who fuse Folk with cetic, world and new age genres...soulful stuff and a terrific showing of available works from yours truly and many others.