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If you are anywhere near Seattle, Washington, treat yourself to an exhibit of new work at Winston Wachter Gallery by one of my favorite artists, Betsy Eby. Her encaustic exhibit, Abundance, is radiant and inspiring, capturing the rhythm and movement of nature. I felt like I was being absorbed into her paintings, which I had never seen in person before. Betsy gave a wonderful talk at the gallery, telling us all about her childhood in Seaside Oregon and the artists and experiences that have influenced her art .
Ted Loomis and Kristin Swenson Lintault joined me at the gallery
Betsy Eby discussing her work with a collector
Betsy's latest work was inspired by the boulders near her summer studio
The weather teased me this week with a little sunshine then stole it back again, leaving me shivering in my studio. I find that the more gray it gets outside, the brighter my paintings get inside. I really should be working on my taxes but that really makes me gray and painting is so much more fun. Here are my latest pieces, all available at EWF Modern in Portland, Oregon.
Bound Fire, 2009, Encaustic and Mixed Media, 13" x 13"
Surrounding Courage, 2009, Encaustic and Mixed Media, 13" x 13"
Wisdom Won, 2009, Encaustic and Mixed Media, 13" x 13"
My work is influenced by my childhood in Hawaii, incorporating abstractions of nature, particularly wind and water. Images of the bits you might flick off your coat or crunch beneath your shoes symbolize humanity both transforming and being transformed by natural processes.
The fragility of life has long been a recurring theme in my work; exploring how we grow, develop and cease to exist in our current forms, and how we interact and transform over time. Searching for pockets of meaning in the chaos, my paintings represent moments where the past, present and future are suspended between sleep and waking—that fleeting instant where anything is possible.
Here’s a video of a recent studio visit with my friend and fellow encaustic enthusiast Elise Wagner. I say enthusiast because Elise not only paints with wax, she manufactures a terrific line of encaustic paints called Wagner Encaustics. I use them when I paint — her yellow ochre is my favorite color — and students in my encaustic workshops love them too!
This video was made by Eva Lake, who offers frequent peeks inside artist studios here in Portland, Oregon. You can see more of Eva’s excellent interviews here.
OK, is it wrong to begin with my own show? No? You are so kind. Here are a few photos from the opening of my solo show, Chasing Time, at Cube Gallery which closes on March 31.
Gallery owner Kimberly Kent and I sampled a little wine as we set up
Marcy Baker and I discussing a painting
By the time things really packed in there I couldn’t get to the camera anymore so these will have to do. The next night I attended two more wonderful shows. My friend Sheary Clough Suiter, who I met at the encaustic conference last year, was down form Alaska for her opening at the Attic Gallery in downtown Portland. This show closes March 28.
Me, Amy Stoner and Sheary, with her paintings in the background
Sara and her buddy for the evening
I also popped over to the always excellent Beet Gallery to visit Sara Swink and her quirky and evocative ceramic sculptures. I’m paired with Sara in my November show at Guardino Gallery in Portland. We’re talking about working on a collaborative piece for the Guardino show so we’ll have to start experimenting soon…
Also not to be missed this month (but I haven’t been there yet!):
Betsy Eby at Winston Wachter (Seattle)
Da Vinci: The Genius at OMSI (Portland)
Chris Reilly at Scott White Contemporary (San Diego)
Did i miss something? Leave a comment and let everyone know!
The Right of Nature, 13″ x 13″, Encaustic and mixed media, 2009
My first of two solo shows this year opened today in Portland, Oregon. I’m filling the walls at CUBE Gallery with my show, Chasing Time, from February 28 – March 31. There will be an opening reception on March 6 from 5 – 8 pm. I hope to see some of you there, but if you are too far away check back here this weekend for photos of the event.
CUBE Gallery
4136 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
Portland, Oregon
(971) 255-9599
http://www.thecubegallery.com
Getting everything to the gallery is often a big project too, but my new padded boxes made it so much easier. They were originally made to ship computer parts but I can buy them at a local reuse store in great condition for shipping and storing my paintings. Genius!
You have just a few days left to get over to Butters Gallery in Portland, Oregon to see an excellent show of encaustic painting by Debra Van Tuinen. The show closes February 28! Debra’s abstracted landscapes are a wonderful respite from the days newspaper headlines and will give you incentive to take that deep breath you know you need so much. My little digital camera and flash don’t do them justice, so be sure to look at the professional images on the gallery web site. Debra’s work is paired with exquisite blown and carved glass work by Alessandro Casson, which is worth the trip alone. Enjoy!
Working in Wax lecture at 23 Sandy Gallery in Portland, OR
My lecture on “Working in Wax” was well attended Saturday night despite the nasty flu bug sweeping Portland this month. “Working in Wax” offered a rich visual introduction to the history, tools and techniques of encaustic painting, along with an overview of contemporary artists working in this ancient medium.
Breaking Through, By Gregory Wright
Several artists from my book, “Embracing Encaustic: Learning to Paint with Beeswax,” were featured along with internationally recognized encaustic painters. A full list of the artists profiled is available, along with links to their web sites. Many thanks to all the artists who allowed me to share their work!
Nancy Azara, Andrea Bird, Elena De La Ville, Mary Farmer, Kevin Frank,
Eileen P. Goldenberg, Jane Guthridge, Thea Haubrich, Cari Hernandez, Lisa Kaser, Deborah Kapoor, Phyllis Lashe, Mari Marks (Mari Marks Fleming), Alexandre Masino, Catherine Nash, David Price, Scott Reilly, Josie Rodriguez, Paula Roland, Amy Royce, Jeff Schaller, Julie Shaw Lutts, Randall Steeves, Linda Womack, Deanna Wood, Gregory Wright, Kari J. Young
Gin, By Jeff Schaller
Following the lecture there was a screening of Sister Bee, a lyrical short documentary about six women beekeepers who encounter startling beauty and spiritual truth in their work with honeybees. The film was wildly popular evoking both laughter and sighs from the enthusiastic audience. A special thanks to filmmaker Laura Tyler for allowing me to share her inspiring film.
Pablo and Brownie, By Lisa Kaser
Many artists already use the excellent forum hosted by R&F Paints, but now we have a new blog to look forward to in 2009 as well. Below is a great video they posted recently showing how they make paint and pigment sticks, or visit their new blog.
In case you can’t get to Portland to see Andrea Schwartz-Feit’s encaustic show at Butters Gallery (closing Dec. 20), here’s a taste of it through an excellent interview by Eva Lake.
It’s always fascinating to me to hear an artist talk about their work and feel the enthusiasm they have for their subjects, but it’s something I rarely get to experience. Here’s a pretty good substitute!
You can find many more interviews on Eva’s blog or on KBOO radio’s Art Focus program Enjoy!
Unidentified wax chunks washed up on the beach
On the northern Oregon Coast, near the mouth of the Nehalem River, beeswax chunks, other cargo, and even parts of a ship have been turning up over the past two centuries. Is this a lost Spanish galleon from the 17th Century? My buddy from high school, Scott Williams, is the Washington state archaeologist working on the project and he thinks it is. When I last visited him he showed me chunks of wax…or something…that had washed up on the beach that they were trying to identify.
Oregon Field Guide recently aired a story on the project that I thought you all might find fascinating. Enjoy! View the video here.
I also found a second video online from The Archaeology Channel:
I made it through the PULSE event on Saturday and had lots of fun as well! For those of you who missed the previous post about this event, it was a challenge to 40 artists to create work in 8 hours in front of a live audience in order to auction it off for the Children’s Heart Foundation at the end of the night.
I arrived at 11 am to start heating my wax and found that many of the artists had already arrived and set up. I didn’t get started painting until a little after noon because my wax took a while to heat up. I took that time to talk with a few of my friends where also participating and introduce myself to some new one.
This was a somewhat stressful experience since I chose a large panel that would normally take me double the time I had available, but I wanted to offer something large enough to raise some money for the kids. I used this as a challenge to simplify the way I work but to convey the same message and look in half the time. I’m very happy with the work I created and it is already in the hands of a happy new owner.
PULSE is an annual event dedicated to funding the most promising clinical research that supports the lives of children with congenital heart defects. This year I will be one of thirty-five artists volunteering to work side-by-side to create a finished painting, live in front of 300-400 art enthusiasts.
Throughout the evening attendees will enjoy wine, hors d’oeuvres, and live music while these fresh new pieces of work are sold in a silent auction. I’m really looking forward to seeing how so many diverse artists start their work from scratch, oh yeah, and the free chair massages for artists to keep us limber. I’ll post photos after the event, but for now you can view photos from PULSE 2005.
I’m especially honored to be included in this group of artists chosen by Mark Woolley of the Mark Woolley Gallery in Portland. A seasoned art dealer for almost two decades, Mark has been on the leading edge of Portland’s visual arts scene. All proceeds will go to The Children’s Heart Foundation—Oregon Chapter. If you’d like to join me, tickets are $100 or $45, depending on what time you arrive, but either way it will be a great party!
I just have a minute to post today but I wanted to share an interview I did recently for a great new service called TeachStreet. I’m one of their featured teachers this month! Here’s how they introduce themselves on their web site:
“We started TeachStreet because we like to learn new things and so do our friends. We want to get away from our computers and out into the real world. We want to build community, make ourselves a bit smarter and empower the great local teachers living in our hometowns. We built TeachStreet to be a headache-free place for insatiable learners to quickly find great local instructors—whether they want to learn photography or square dancing.”
Nina added dried flowers as the finishing touch on her very first painting ever!
Emily added Chinese characters as a focal point
Busy, busy, busy. What a great weekend! I held a Beginning Encaustic Intensive class on Saturday with two of my 6 students, a mother and daughter, flying in from California to join in on the fun. I’ve had people come from all over recently including Florida, Pennsylvania and Colorado. I’ve also made some great new friends in various parts of Canada, who now come down for workshops whenever they can. I even had an inquiry from Guatemala last week! I feel so international.
On Sunday I headed off to see friends showing their work in Portland Open Studios which left me inspired and ready to paint! The beautiful weather may have worked against some people as we Oregonians are gearing up for rain this time of year and expect every day of sunshine to be the last one we see for months.
I'm thrilled to share a gallery show with Sara Swink next year in Portland
I made a special trip to see my friend Sara Swink as we’ve just found our work will be paired for a show at Guardino Gallery next November (that’s 2009). I had never been to her studio before so it was even more exciting to visit with her and see her new work. I’ve been a fan of Sara’s for a long time so I’m thrilled to be showing with her.
I also caught up with Erin Leichty whom I met while I was taking a workshop at Oregon College of Art & Craft. Erin is a mixed media artist who sometimes works in encaustic as well, but has given it up until her new baby arrives next week. That’s a peek at her studio above.
Thank goodness a new shipment arrives today!
Today (Monday) I’m stuck in the cold, dank house (see, the weather did change as we feared!) awaiting the arrival of my second order of Embracing Encaustic books. I have 1,500 pounds of books due to arrive today so we have to be ready to get them out of the rain and into the basement. it’s not a moment too soon though, as I only have just over 1 box of books left. Thank you all so much for your enthusiasm in making this book a success!
Speaking of success, we got a great review last week from Alina Bradford at Suite 101. Here’s what she had to say about it:
“The Womacks are an artistic married couple that have come together to make a very readable how-to art book. Embracing Encaustic is a beautiful, fully illustrated how-to guide with step-by-step demonstrations on encaustic painting.” Read the full review. Thanks Alina!
Come see my new work at Milepost 5, the new creative community in SE Portland
Portland Art Open, the free art walk of studios all over Portland started tonight with a great turn out at Milepost 5. If you missed the party tonight, the fun continues this weekend from 11 am – 6 pm on Saturday and Sunday. Download a free map online, or come by Milepost 5 to pick up a printed version and watch me paint in Room 105. Enjoy!
Embracing Mixed Media 