Winter 2017 Online Exhibition
Encaustic is a wonderful medium that is being discovered by artists in increasing numbers. Or, rather, re-discovered, because it actually dates back to ancient Greece. Wax was used to waterproof their ships, as well as by artisans, and it has been in and out of favor in fine art through the centuries since. More recently, it was artist Jasper Johns who helped bring encaustic onto the contemporary art scene in the heyday of the Abstract Expressionists. He came across this little-known medium and was taken with its possibilities. As he worked out his own mixtures and processes, Johns created stunning bodies of work that are in major collections and still on display today
In its simplest form, encaustic is a combination of beeswax, a little damar resin, and pigment. The mixture is brought to a molten state and applied with a brush to a rigid surface while still liquid. Once it has cooled, this top surface is reheated so the wax melts into the layers beneath. It is this layering that gives an encaustic piece its unique depth and luminosity, as well as allowing for interleaving other materials that make it so versatile.
My goal in curating this online exhibition and the companion one at the Village Theater in Canton is to promote a growing awareness of encaustic and to showcase artists who are successfully expanding their vision and their craft by pursuing this challenging art form.
Click on an image in the gallery to view it larger or in a slideshow. Click on the artist’s name (if highlighted in red) to visit their website or to contact them by email.
Suzanne Allen | Nature’s Textures | Encaustic, Mixed Media (12″ x 12″)
Suzanne Allen | Nature’s Textures
Suzanne Allen | Nature’s Patterns | Encaustic, Mixed Media (9″ x 12″)
Suzanne Allen | Nature’s Patterns
Sarah George (with Michael George) | Untitled | Encaustic, Rust Print, Metal, Oil Paint (6″ x 18″)
Sarah George (with Michael George) | Untitled
Sarah George | No Hoof, No Horse | Encaustic, Rust Print, Horseshoe (8″ x 8″)
Sarah George | No Hoof, No Horse
Debra Groth | Itty Bitty Ditty #1 | Watercolor, Dyes, Inks, Encaustic (3″ x 3″)
Debra Groth | Itty Bitty Ditty #1
Debra Groth | Itty Bitty Ditty #2 | Watercolor, Dyes, Inks, Encaustic (3″ x 3″)
Debra Groth | Itty Bitty Ditty #2
Candace Law | Post Industrial III | Encaustic, Rust Print, Mixed Media | 12″ x 16″
Candace Law | Post Industrial III
Candace Law | Runs with Scissors | Encaustic, Shredded Papers, Mixed Media | 20″ x 16″
Candace Law | Runs with Scissors
Nora Chapa Mendoza | Huichol Indian Hat | Encaustic, Mixed Media (11″ x 14″)
Nora Chapa Mendoza | Huichol Indian Hat
Nora Chapa Mendoza | Bird Nest | Encaustic, Assemblage on Viola Shell (22” x 12” x 6”)
Nora Chapa Mendoza | Bird Nest
Kate Paul | Moon Tattoo | Oil Paint, Ink, Silk, LED Lighting, Encaustic Medium (24″ x 18″)
Kate Paul | Moon Tattoo
Melissa Rian | Commitment Ceremony | Encaustic, Photo Transfer (20” x 16”)
Melissa Rian | Commitment Ceremony
Melissa Rian | Making the Most of It | Encaustic, Assemblage (13″ x 14″ x 3″)
Melissa Rian | Making the Most of It
Melissa Rian | Weight of Memory | Encaustic, Assemblage (16″ x 10″ x 4″)
Melissa Rian | Weight of Memory
Anne Marie Van Raaphorst | Victorian Dream | Encaustic, Mixed Media (10” x 8”)
Anne Marie Van Raaphorst | Victorian Dream
Anne Marie Van Raaphorst | Spin the Record | Encaustic, Mixed Media (10” x 8”)
Anne Marie Van Raaphorst | Spin the Record
Martha Van Raaphorst | Power of Two | Encaustic, Mixed Media (8” x 8”)
Martha Van Raaphorst | Power of Two
Martha Van Raaphorst | Helicopters Landing | Encaustic, Mixed Media (8” x 8”)
Martha Van Raaphorst | Helicopters Landing
Ruth Warnock | Really – The Birds + The Bees or the Stork | Encaustic, Assemblage (12″ x 12″ x 3″)
Ruth Warnock | Really – The Birds + The Bees or the Stork