Encaustic
Artist Statement

Encaustic painting dates back to the 5^th century B.C. when the Greeks would apply wax in order to weatherproof and decorate warships.  Encaustic painting generally involves the use of heated wax to which coloured pigment is added and applied, while hot, with brushes or other tools to wood, canvas, or other materials.  The wax is then fused with a heat source, and hardens by cooling, not drying as with other paintings.

I typically add oil pigment to my wax, but at times let the natural white colour of the wax to appear or incorporate mixed media.  I manipulate this pliable medium by carving into these paintings with sculpting tools, allowing underlying layers to show through. I continue to find subject matter that explores the duality of dark themes and beauty.

My first full-time job was as a Graphic Artist.  My designs were executed by pasting text and images with hot wax.  Later, in art college, my main focus was sculpture. While exhibiting oil paintings in Toronto in 2004, I was exposed to encaustic painting and was attracted to its sculptural quality.   Encaustic painting became an evolution of my painting process, incorporating an ancient medium with my sculptural and design roots blended into a new expression.  I am attracted to the wax’s ability to last for centuries and still retain its colour and vibrancy.  I am also drawn to the quality of resiliency, be it in nature, buildings, or humans.  This ability to survive and thrive under adversity is an underlying metaphor for my work.