From the lakeside studio, I am drawn into nature and inspired. Such beauty, light, and wonder leave me humbled. And yet, as I take the inspiration of the landscape and begin to paint, it is not simple beauty that emerges. My act of painting pushes me beyond the lovely, the easy. Just as nature destroys itself to be reborn, my work undergoes a similar natural process of evolution, death, and rebirth.
My paintings usually begin as flowing colours of pigmented wax or I am inspired by the marvel of nature such as the shining sunset reflecting in the water. Once the background of the painting is completed I begin to disrupt this cherished image by painting, meticulously, a woven structure over the background. Some of the lines are very close together so that the background can not breathe and then at another time I may slash and disrupt the beauty of the weaving. When the weave is tight the viewer is left on the outside of the web, barely able to see the landscape underneath. I suffocate the image and the landscape can not breathe. In another painting the intersecting lines split open to larger passageways and the background begins to come to the foreground. While immersing myself in painting these woven structures, I began thinking of systems of identity in terms of pattern and the linking of threads, the internal conversation versus the external, nature vs. nurture, and how the individual in relation to barriers affects his or her surroundings. My response to the connected woven structures evolved into a complex dialogue about identity in relation to nature and psychological barriers.
The commitment to the encaustic process opened the door to my artistic voice. I tried painting these woven structures in other media but could not get the same effect as with pigmented wax. There is a translucency - a glow coming through when building up the wax surface. I can melt the wax and scrape through the top layers until the surface looks like glass. The wax hardens so fast so I can build up each line, one at a time, until I get a realistic sculptural effect, then gash or mark the surface, and use gestural marks to create unique textures For days I work the surface of the wax, building and removing elements so that the cherished lace does not get too comfortable, too predictable. Gradually I have learned to trust the process and be brave and confident that the intent will manifest into the finished work.
My paintings usually begin as flowing colours of pigmented wax or I am inspired by the marvel of nature such as the shining sunset reflecting in the water. Once the background of the painting is completed I begin to disrupt this cherished image by painting, meticulously, a woven structure over the background. Some of the lines are very close together so that the background can not breathe and then at another time I may slash and disrupt the beauty of the weaving. When the weave is tight the viewer is left on the outside of the web, barely able to see the landscape underneath. I suffocate the image and the landscape can not breathe. In another painting the intersecting lines split open to larger passageways and the background begins to come to the foreground. While immersing myself in painting these woven structures, I began thinking of systems of identity in terms of pattern and the linking of threads, the internal conversation versus the external, nature vs. nurture, and how the individual in relation to barriers affects his or her surroundings. My response to the connected woven structures evolved into a complex dialogue about identity in relation to nature and psychological barriers.
The commitment to the encaustic process opened the door to my artistic voice. I tried painting these woven structures in other media but could not get the same effect as with pigmented wax. There is a translucency - a glow coming through when building up the wax surface. I can melt the wax and scrape through the top layers until the surface looks like glass. The wax hardens so fast so I can build up each line, one at a time, until I get a realistic sculptural effect, then gash or mark the surface, and use gestural marks to create unique textures For days I work the surface of the wax, building and removing elements so that the cherished lace does not get too comfortable, too predictable. Gradually I have learned to trust the process and be brave and confident that the intent will manifest into the finished work.
