I have always been creative. I’ve worked in stained glass, pottery, embroidery, felting, encaustic, sculpture and, more recently, in acrylic and water colour paints.
Working in media that are playful and tactile in nature is what I enjoy most. Incorporating found objects, particularly from our natural environment, allows me to make linkages between ourselves and the wonder of nature. Taking time to observe how ancient lichen spreads in a radius on a granite rock; using leaves to wrap in cloth and eco-dye; or incorporating wax from our own hives in encaustic pieces; all these elements come into play with my art.
Encaustic comes from the Greek word “enkostikos” which means to burn in. It is a very old medium; documented use dates back to the Ancient Egyptians. The basic medium is a mixture of beeswax and demar resin. The beeswax may be filtered so that it is clear or it may still carry the original yellow colour from the hive. Demar resin acts as a fixative so that the final cured product keeps its hard, shiny finish.
Most of my work in encaustic has layers of medium, papers, and found objects, leading to a textured outcome.
In cold wax medium, the approach to layering is a little different as it requires longer drying/curing time. This is because of the different formulation of beeswax and tree resin. Cold Wax Medium is blended with oil pigment and then manipulated with various tools with edges such as spatulas, bowl scrapers and palette knives. Scraping away to reveal layers underneath is what makes it such a fascinating medium.
Watercolour painting has a serendipity to it which I thoroughly enjoy. Watching colours “split” to create nuances, or layering to create the final image all can be unpredictable, much like some of the glazing that occurs in ceramics. For me, the art of creating is a letting go of perfect outcomes. I want to transmit a feeling with what I create.