I am so very happy to announce the upcoming opening of the encaustic invitational, "Turn Up the Heat", at the Mary Rezny Gallery in Lexington, KY. I was invited to participate in this show with five other artists-- Debbie Jackson Billips, Melissa T. Hall, Trish Korte, Bridgette Guerzon Mills, and Raymond Papka, and am thrilled to be part of this talented group of artists who demonstrate a wide range of artistry through this ancient and contemporary art form. The exhibit opens this Tuesday, January 12, and runs through February 20. There is an artist reception this Friday, January 15, from 5-8 p.m., as part of the Gallery Hop, and if you are in the area, it would be lovely to see you in person!
I enthusiastically embraced the invitation to be part of this exhibit on the morning of the fire. Because we were displaced from our home and were in major coping mode, creating the work became both challenging and healing. I owe much gratitude to my spouse and young sons for their patience, support, and understanding, as creating the sculptures for this show absorbed much of my time and energy. To say that I felt relief in completing the pieces and bringing them to the gallery last week would be the understatement of the year ;), I am incredibly thankful to have had the opportunity to create a new body of work, especially under the circumstances, and feel so happy that this experience helped me get back in the saddle.
"Dive Deep" (12 x 14 x 5) (Macro photo of a parrot that sat on my lap at the zoo, "transformed" into sea creature... this is a pedestal piece).
"What I Found in the Tidepool" (27 x 18 x 7) (Macro photo of nautilus shell from nearby nature preserve, mounted on wood from our land which was found by my son... this piece can either be hung on the wall, or placed on a pedestal).
"The Sacred in the Night" (25 x 14 x 12) (Macro photo of a luna moth discovered on the ground in the pre-dawn light, swarming on a globe made from beeswax-layered mulberry paper, lighted by LED light internally, and mounted on wood from our land... This is a pedestal piece).
"Vessels Are We" (18 x 23 x 19) (Hand-sculpted mulberry paper infused with many layers of beeswax, adorned with encaustic paint bead-like droplets, and embellished with wire "branches").
"Alive in the Flow" (13 x 59 x 5) (Multiple pods created from macro photography of the outer and underside of the Common Blue Morpho Butterfly wings, nestled in tree roots which became dislodged in a recent flood... this piece is a wall hanging).
"Beauty and Protection" (16 x 10 x 9) (Macro photography of Common Blue Morpho, mounted on wood found on our land... This is a pedestal piece).
With the exception of the vessel, all pieces originated with a photo that was colored, layered with many layers of wax, cut, hand-sculpted, carved, embellished, and colored again before being incorporated into the forms which would hold them... as this is a very labor-intensive process, each piece holds around 100 hours of work. This gave me much time for mindfulness about the miracle of being alive and having the privilege to create. It gives me great joy to be able to share these pieces with you... Thank you for being along for the journey!