How Does My Art Process Reflect My Meaning?

May 4

I feel privileged to be living my life as an artist. I have the time to reflect on life, to consider what is important to me and to bring substance to my thoughts.

I have been drawn to the medium of encaustic for several years and I relish the freedom it gives me to explore a multi- layered approach to creating my imagery.

I start by building my own panels. Something that is at once economical and satisfying, along with the added flexibility to make my panels as large or small as I want.

The first layer of a painting is often a simple structure and sometimes includes the use of different colored gesso or silkscreen elements. Over this layer I add veils of translucent encaustic wax. If I choose to, I can embed photographic images that have been printed onto rice paper. The photographs are from an archive of images that I have taken over the years of places, textures, natural features that have drawn my interest. Most frequently I am using imagery from the bedrock at North Point along the shores of Lake Michigan. Often the photographs are altered or simplified and frequently obscured by more wax.

Earth based imagery has provided a sense of permanence and structure. My use of these references began early in my art career with the realization that although society changes, the natural processes of the earth remained constant. This certainty has been challenged in recent years by the realities of global warming and our impact on the planet.

What is it about the layering that intrigues me? I often reflect on the complexity of life and of human nature. I am also fascinated by the richness of our internal lives, the subtlety of perception and the mystery of consciousness. Each of us are unique as human beings with different experiences and points of view. Society has only grown more complex in recent times and the challenges we face have become harder to process. I believe that my interest in layering imagery and in abstraction reflects my need to understand and reflect this experience.

See more of my finished work on my website pages.

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