Creating Challenges and Solving Them

The last painting I posted posed a real challenge. After removing the offending figure, I was faced with what to do next.

I cut cake recipes out of an old, yellowed Joy of Cooking and collaged them over the figure. I added more encaustic and oil glazes and still I had a big empty space. I scraped with a razor blade and used charcoal to pick up the textures. Still not right. My daughter, Cynthia Hamilton, suggested words. You can see the result below.