All four of these artists use encaustic in tandem with other media to stunning effect. None of their work is about the wax itself, which is a breath of fresh air in a “wax obsessed world”. To quote the show’s curator, Thalia Vrachopoulos,“These four masters express their concepts in wax creating a dialogue on issues such as communication, trans-culturalism and trans-spirituality”. This promises to be a smart juxtaposition of their work – I only with I could be there to see it.
P.S. If I had any complaint about this show, it would be about the rest of it’s brochure, in which Dr. Vrachopoulos goes on to preemptively defend these four female artist’s work against being “perceived as a woman’s touch, miniaturish, delicate or somehow detail driven”. She also manages to call their work “sensative” twice. Ouch. Need I say more?
Pulp painting is the process of creating a handmade sheet of paper, and while the paper is still wet and freshly couched (removed from the mould and deckle), painting on top of it with pigmented pulp. Used in conjunction with stencils, artists can create very complicated images that become completely fused with the final piece of paper. This is different from the traditional practice of merely painting on top of a piece of blank paper, in that you can turn around and print on top of a pulp painted sheet to create layering effects that would otherwise be impossible to make. Not to mention, seeing an image that is completely integrated into a sheet of paper… well, that’s pretty cool.
Pulp painting is one of the many paper based process I’m studying in the graduate book and paper program at Columbia College right now. I’m specifically interested in exploring how pulp painted sheets integrate with encaustic (versus a standard painted paper). I also think there’s a lot of potential for using pulp painted sheets to create depth with encaustic monoprinting. I have some experiments planned for this semester – I’ll be sure to share the results with you.
In the meantime, here’s an interesting stop motion video showing the pulp painting process from start to finish. You may recognize the imagery – this is some of Chuck Close’s work as it is being produced in the studio. As you can see – it takes a team of workers over 6 hours to complete one pulp painting. Between the time, manpower and effort involved, not to mention the use of very expensive and specialized paper making equipment, this kind of work should be worth a lot more than it sells for. In general, the marketplace for handmade paper artwork is undervalued and under-appreciated… but hopefully not for long. (At least, not if I have anything to do with it).
P.S. Chicagoans, don’t forget to buy your tickets to see Chuck in person for “Chuck Close: A Conversation” on May 6 at the Art Institute of Chicago. I’ll see you there.
Now that the holiday season is over, I can finally share with you a special journal commissioned as a surprise Christmas gift for a very talented jewelry-maker, writer and all around crafty lady… who also happens to be one of my collectors. I decided to create a horizontal format journal because all the experts say this helps free up your writing. (Plus, as the maker of handmade journals, I wanted to create something that couldn’t be bought in a store. Commercially made or mass-produced horizontal journals are rare). I used acid free drawing paper made from 100% windpower, 30% post-consumer fiber and colored drawing pages from Canson acid free Mi Tientes paper so that the recipient could both draw and write with no fear of ink bleeding.
In fact, I threw in a couple of colored pages here and there just in case she’s a fan of the sparkly gel or paint pens. I bound the journal using a gorgeous teal colored, waxed linen thread and simple Coptic stitch, which allows the journal to lie completely flat – perfect for the serious journaler and versatile enough for both drawing and writing. (Not to mention, to the untrained eye, Coptic binding looks like knitted stitch. It’s a creative journal dream come true!)
Finally, I inlayed a small encaustic painting into the cover in the hopes that it would inspire the journal owner’s creative juices. This mixed media work was distressed to look like an old photograph or screen print. It includes imagery from my photographs of the Textile Discount Outlet in Chicago: This crafter’s Mecca is a 3 story warehouse filled with hundreds of bolts of fabric, spanglies, tassles and fun little thinga-ma-jigs. The perfect mental destination for a creative journaler.
Send me a message to find out how you can commission a journal just like this for a special person in your life (or for yourself – I won’t tell). Don’t forget to check my Etsy site too – I’ll be adding more of these pre-made journals in the very near future.
In my new work the fusion of encaustic and hand papermaking is used to explore the idea of the “hidden”. Read on for my mini-artist statement…
What is my art about? Although each series is different, my overall body of work explores the idea of the “hidden” within society. As an artist, I am very interested in the concealed and disguised elements of our culture. These are the things that are “seen but not heard” or that “go on behind closed doors”. For example, my series about homelessness dealt with the idea of the “invisibility” of an entire population of people.
In my recent work I am exploring the concept of the “invisible” in a more abstract manner by embedding (or “hiding”) encaustic paint shavings inside layers of handmade paper. The hidden elements in these works are then revealed to the viewer in varying degrees. In the work “Conceal”, the paint is only recognizable by the surface evidence of its texture. In the work “Reveal” I heated the paper (a replica of the piece titled “Conceal”) until the paint melted inside, partially absorbed the paper and literally “blossomed” forth from within. In this case, although the paint is somewhat evident from outside, the image cannot be really seen until it is “activated” by shining light through it. This is how the viewer uncovers what what was hidden.
One Interpretation…
Many viewers find religious significance in this interpretation of my work. For example, the idea of the “hidden” in my Concealment Series could easily be likened to that of “faith” or the “holy spirit”. Both are concepts that cannot be seen with the naked eye. Much like the hidden paint within my paper, faith too must be sought after to be found. Since the transmission of faith has traditionally been aided by the vehicle of the written word, it seems only appropriate that this artwork is too on paper. Furthermore, the seemingly random layout of the paints resembles a loose cross-like structure, which lends an even more religious reading to the works.
It may surprise you to find that this element of my art is rarely intentional, but instead seems to manifest itself subconsciously as I work. (You mean all those years of studying Marian iconography in art history class affected me?). It’s true. It is often only after the creation of an artwork that I discover it’s potential religious reading.
Other Interpretations…
Because of the “dual” nature of my artwork, I tend to leave my work open to multiple interpretations. It is my hope that these pieces may serve as a catalyst for dialogue across a variety of disciplines. I would love to hear what you think these works are about and what they mean to you. Perhaps on this All Hallows Eve a more sinister explanation of the “hidden” comes to mind…?
I had the pleasure recently of being interviewed by Jeff Gardner of Catholic Radio International. Please take a moment to listen to the broadcast here: The Heart of the Matter. The broadcast is also available for free on iTunes (Use the direct link or search “Catholic Radio International”, select “Heart of the Matter” and choose 10/15/09) . If you are short on time, feel free to skip ahead to 17:15 to hear the beginning of my interview.
Happy listening. I look forward to your feedback!
P.S. For your convenience, the images we discussed are below:
Lost Everything Trying to Start Over
In the Seen But Not Heard series, I explore how the homeless live outside of our consciousness, completely devoid of identity and how they are viewed by mainstream society. I explore our view of homeless people by simply creating portraits of the signs they hold to show we rarely look past their cardboard pleas for help. Works in this series are still available for sale on Etsy.
