8th International Encautic Conference

I have been invited to attend the 8th International Encaustic Conference and Symposium in Provincetown, Massachusetts, in the States, after winning one of only 3 International spots to gain a scholarship. I think I can be justifiably stoked! The event happens in June 2014 and I have been awarded one of three international scholarships that cover the cost of the 3 days of talks and classes. I wanted to thank everyone involved in this event, particularly Cherie at Truro Art Center, who struggled through my accent and gave me all the info that I needed including what whales to see while I am there. I'll also be having a show at the same time in Provincetown, and then a show up in Toronto. Its going to be a busy month!

Preparing of Balga Resin for use in paintings

On the weekend I was painting a canvas, as I often do. Even after 14 years as a professional artist I am still experimenting and trying to build a better mousetrap; I imagine I'll still be doing that when I'm 90+!

One of the materials that I specialise in and am constantly exploring is balga resin, which is hardened sap from a grass tree (Xanthorrhoea preissii, aka X. pecoris or X.reflexa) indigenous to the south-west of Western Australia. Now if anyboday wants some to conduct their own research/experimentation/painting with this then I am happy to send you some if you cover postage (please check first with your government website to make sure this isn't a banned substance in your country).

I have been trying for years to find an appropriate way to break down the resin for use as a paint without wastage or too much loss of its natural consistancy and on the weekend I think had a eureka! moment after I sprayed workable fixative over the top of some powdered balga resin already adhered to my painting. I'm not sure if it is the alcohol that is acting as a solvent or some other ingredient, but I have now experimented with a variety of amounts and achieved quite a good control of consistancy and drying time (the alcohol evaporates leaving the resin to reharden to it's natural state).

The resin in it's natural state looks like fire blackened brown pebbles. These can be gently washed in plain water to remove surface sand and char before being left to dry. When dry, use a mortar and pestle to grind the resin into a powder that can be as coarse or fine as you like. Use a mask because the resin is somewhat carcinogenic.

Using workable fixative in a glass jar, you can add the powdered resin to the fixative until you get the consistency and colour that you require. The excess powder will gather at the bottom but if left overnight in a sealed jar this will mostly be dissolved.

I also found that the solution can be mixed with molotow buff proof ink although I suggest being sparing as the ink is powerful and goes a long way. The balga resin itself is a blend of browns, yellows and reds and looks approximately like wood stain but without streaks. You will be left with a shellac like liquid that can be painted directly onto your surface. Allow to be completely dry before adding more layers.

I will add more pictures as my experimentation develops and hopefully be of help to you all!

update 23rd Oct 2013:
I really stress the importance of getting the resin as clean as possible before you start. I found that a lot of sand had been lurking in my block of resin! Also when it comes to brush cleaning, the resin can be cleaned off using more fixative, or you can do what I did and leave the brush to dry after wiping off excess; the resin will not clog the brush and will slough off when you flex the bristles.

How to stop trying to get represented and start representing yourself

We've all done it; dreaming of striking it big while being grabbed out of obscurity by a well regarded, respected gallery owner or art superstar bristling with wealthy gallerist patrons who are looking for the next Basquiat. The truth is that there are literally hundreds of thousands of artists in the world and even the most well stocked gallery can never hope to more than scratch that surface. I'm sure that you are very, very good. So is this guy and that girl and all of them would remove a limb for Basquiatesque stardom. So stop trying to get in the galleries and start looking at what you can do yourself to achieve recognition and success in the art world. There are a whole bunch of very good reasons to be a self-representing artist:

1.You are beholden to noone. Being in a gallery is not a one sided affair. Gallery owners will not wait for ever at your beck and call while you create masterpieces. They are people with bills and lives and worries of their own and they need a cash flow, the same as you. Being your own man/woman means that you can be as creative or as slothful as you need to be.

2.You keep all your profits. Most galleries take between 40% and 70% of your takings from a show. If you figure that you have already paid for materials, framing and other such costs, you will figure out pretty quick that unless you are selling an artwork for $20,000+ (which is rare) then you aren't going to be trolling around NY in Armani suits just yet.

3.You control everything. Noone knows better than you about how you wish to portray yourself in the art world. Noone knows the meanings behind your works better than you do. You should use that to your advantage and be in control of advertising and networking and even the little dydactic panels that tell people what you were thinking while throwing resin and jellybeans at a store mannequin sprayed black.

4.You know where your unsold works are. As an artist it can be nerve wracking not knowing that your precious babies are okay. I worked in a gallery once where water was flowing down the storage room wall everytime it rained and the gallery owner did nothing. You cannot guarantee anything unless you do it yourself.

5.You become the node of your own network. If you are represented by a gallery and things turn sour and you are no longer represented, then all the contacts that the gallery worked in your favour are gone too. If you build your own networks then they move with you throughout your career. This is a massive thing! Use facebook or emails or even a stack of business cards but make sure you build yourself up and don't rely on a gallery to do it for you.

6.You can paint (or sculpt, or whatever) what you want. Say I do a painting of a bird and that bird is massively popular and so the gallery that represents me says "Do a whole exhibition about birds!" and so I do because I want to be famous and in the end I become known as the guy that only does bird paintings right? and I hate birds now. Avoid this by choosing what you will paint.

7.You can apply for grants. By being a self representing artist, you are eligible for a whole bucket more grants from state and federal governments and other organisations. If you learn how to apply for these (read their notes on their websites, talk to people and get someone to read your draft), then you can choose where to do your residencies, where to exhibit and all the other things that money helps artists do.


The truth is that you are more than capable of being a big name artist without being a gallery owned and operated artist. Be confident in your intelligence and abilities, be challenging and be sure of what you want to do and then work bloody hard at it. The world is your commission-free oyster.