My Alphabet Superset: The A to Z of Encaustic Monoprinting

As promised in my last post I want to give you the details on my next project.

Between now and the beginning of April, I will be following along with the Alphabet Superset project by artist Campbell Walker a.k.a Struthless. If you have yet to hear of this guy check him out. His YouTube channel is full of content about the mental game around productivity and creativity. I find him incredibly smart, entertaining, and inspiring. Also, he just happens to be an artist, YouTuber, author, podcaster, and a new dad. (Seriously, how does he do it?)

The Alphabet Superset is a structured creative challenge for any creator in any medium designed to "set your creativity on fire!" as Struthless says. The Aim of the project outwardly is to create a cohesive body of work. Inwardly the aim is to push past mental limits that stop one from reaching their potential. 

The challenge is to make something every week for 26 weeks (with 4 break weeks), around 26 topics of your choice, each starting with a different letter of the alphabet. While the topic changes weekly, everything else stays the same. Your medium, style, output size, and theme are fixed. Your topics, A to Z, are free.

“The more constraints one imposes, the more one frees one’s self.”

— Igor Stravinsky

Technically the project was announced and started a few weeks ago. However, due to time constraints, I was not able to start at that time. So for the next few weeks, I'll be playing catch-up. Then I will try to stay on pace with the project while attempting to find balance with all of my other business goals and parenting duties.

For my Alphabet Superset starting next week, I will explore the A to Z of encaustic monoprinting with mixed media. I'll work small (8 x 10) and aim to share at least one print for each letter of the alphabet on my Instagram account. (So if you want to follow along you have to jump over there to check it out!)

The goal of this project is the exploration through PLAY! I'll be experimenting and playing with mixed media through encaustic monoprinting. I'm interested in exploring what is possible (and the limitations) of this medium. 

So each week as I explore different topics and media there will be...

FAILURE!

😱

Yeah, like most artists, (hell, most people) I find that is a big scary word. But something we tend to forget as we get older is that failure comes hand-in-hand with learning. 

FAIL = First Attempt In Learning

So as I work through my ABCs of mixed media in monoprinting not everything I create will be gallery-worthy. Or as the kids these days say "Instaworthy". But my goal is to share the work, what I learn, and perhaps a bit of the process anyway. So don't judge my FAILs too harshly, another pretty post is just a scroll away. 😜

In a blink of an eye, 10 years

Holey Moley, it's been a minute!

Or 10 years to be exact! 😳

Yup, I've started my return to my work as an artist after a very long hiatus. 

As you may or may not know, I had stepped away from my career as an artist to spend my time being a stay-at-home mom. While I was at home focusing on my family I continued to practice my creative skills by exploring painting, printmaking, and taking art classes in my spare time. I have recently returned to my art career with interest in mixed media art, encaustic painting and monoprinting, and cyanotypes.

In fact, one of my first steps back to work was to participate in a local art exhibition. Last month I was one of over 100 local visual, literary, and performing artists to participate in the Momentum Festival presented by The Arts Commission in downtown Toledo.

For my exhibition at the Momentum Festival, I prepared and framed 26 pieces. Go big or go home, am I right? 😅

Half of my exhibition was encaustic monotypes, and the other half were cyanotypes. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Enchanted Winter Wreath 8x10 Cyanotype by Janelle Lorenzen

The Refuge 8x10 Encaustic Monotype by Janelle Lorenzen

So what's next?

Obviously, I'm working to revive my blog. I decided to keep the history of my blog from my work as a portrait and fine art photographer. It's part of my journey and got me to where I am. However, you will see that my interests and work have shifted and evolved. 

I'll be working on getting a website together and a shop open to sell my work online. 

I'm also starting on an exciting new body of work exploring encaustic mono-printing. Check back for my next post with details on that.