Sue Fazio's World of Wax - The Introduction

Here's my first video! I hope you enjoy!

reaching out...1'x1'

geese from norway...just thought I'd let you know sometimes I escape my own obsession

If you could touch this it feels just like you think it would feel...I am playing with making a still life HAVE SOME LIFE for goodness sakes!!!this one is 1'x1'...my preferred size for just working things out...when they excite me then I do larger paintings of the subject

so I was looking at youtube and came upon someone who was demoing shellac burns with encaustic wax...sooo of course I ran to the hardware store and bought some shellac and came home and experimented...now I am telling you this is a dangerous experiment BUT so worth it!! I did LOTS of them..threw AWAY lots of them...learned a lot..is now in my arsenal of how to get out of a dulldrum with my paintings

I am only going to post one of these...but I did a series of 15 of these building-type shapes..primarily because I was tired of doing organic flower stuff so decided I needed texture...and hard edge...my REAL life is like this...I can't keep doing the same thing for too long

so in between doing this flower series...I decide to go back and do a cow...still in encaustics..still 1'x1'...but the texture..drives me crazy!!!

NOW THIS WAS ONE OF THE STILL LIFES I ENTERED INTO THE SHOW AT BASCOM...she is 3'x3'...I was just trying to come up with something interesting..and meaningful...like what is truly meaningful about tomatoes? so you figure out what I am saying in the tiles on the sides

never think I am not all about the wax...look at the texture in the background of this...don't you wish you could touch it?

so I did those two red paintings and thought I'd follow up with two blue ones..these are 24"x24"...great fun

So I painted this as a companion piece to the last one 30"x30"..still this smooth encaustic medium...but this one sold...so does that mean I have to get another 'companion' for the first?

So this is a larger attempt and in so...more challenging...she is 30"x 30"...I am just using flowers as an excuse to create positive and negative relationships...and which is more compelling? a lot like life..heh????

so I thought if I just painted red and then made

it a flower AFTER the initial colors..well, you can do that with wax...because it is so many layers...and just heat...but you still have to take advantage of the shapes that are NOT red..I think this has an interesting pull to it

I was trying to bring your eye to the center...which may be what all the meditation is about...the rhythm of life..always moving towards the center

Hey! see the bloppy purple...to contrast this with the green...see? I really AM thinking about all of this stuff. I get mesmerized by what the wax/heat can do

so a read rose...and the most thrilling thing about this painting is the aqua

I love the vibrancy of this painting!

so the simplicity of this painting is really to give you a sense of calm...which I do not have much of...I used to meditate a significant amount...went to week long retreats and just sat...listening (mostly to my thoughts...) and it was not until I just gave up because it was so darn frustrating did I get any relief at all...I just begged God to tell me what to do...what was my purpose...how can I help...I went on a vision quest...sat by myself in the desert just drinking water and praying for a 'vision'...seven days (well, only 4 of them was I fasting...) but a COMMITMENT for sure...I had many visions...but when I came home I was still just SuejFazio--mother of six children---wife to the great golf course architect Tom Fazio---and a wild working woman---always busy...too busy to save the world..or myself...well, I only say this all to give you an idea of my 'journey'..well, now I paint...and don't meditate at all and I am so peaceful and calm and I think quite helpful to adding to the joy of the world..and this painting just sorta nails that feeling!

I love little bluettes...you find them in the woods just randomly picking up their cute little noses and looking at you walking by...I've tried planting them but with no long term luck...I think they just like to surprize you

Calypso Green..that is the primary green color in this painting...I just discovered it and am smitten...you'll be seeing alot of this in my waxworks

WAx...glorious wax...glorious cone flowers..great shapes/colors..they dance

In Florida where I have painted this series I am surrounded by hibiscus so when I get tired of looking for flowers in my book I just look up and voila! they're all around me!!!

The best thing about wax is that it just organically creates itself...meaning...I don't really have much control when I turn the blow torch on..I like soft edges as you can see here...

I like the abstract quality of this painting...up close it is interesting but looking at it on this blog...well it is kinda pukey colors

I had a wonderful teacher Charles Gruppe...he taught oils/acrylics and really loosened me up with his fly by the seat of your pants approach...I went to Europe several times with the 'group'...Portugal, Spain, France, Italy..and Greece...it was all fun being with a bunch of artists breakfast/lunch/dinner...we'd be dropped off in some random little town in these foreign countries and just set up shop...with some pretty ridiculous results...these people who we didn't understand would come stand behind us and add comments..it was hard to stay focused...well, the reason I mentioned Charles was because he never used yellow...he said it 'scared' him...I have found that little piece of advice true...I struggle making yellow a meaningful color...I don't know why

You know...I never get tired of painting..and that is the truth...I think that is because I am in control and not...responding and then taking 'control'..so I start with an 'idea' and really paint that idea...and then the painting takes over...I get so excited at that stage and if I can stay quiet and jus really listen...well, that is when something can happen