Contemporary Abstract Encaustic Art
Welcome to the Online Art Gallery of
CONNIE PICKERING STOVER, Contemporary Abstract Encaustic Artist
Conversations with the Universe Series
Listening. Living. Channeling Hope.
Yellowstone Series
“Laughing geysers, that dance in the sun, and spread their robes like lace over the rocks”
— Harriet Monroe
Noticing Life Series
There is beauty to be found when we practice noticing in our everyday lives. I live a life of constant curiosity.
Mini Gems Series
Gems are not just rocks and minerals. Gems can be found in people, too.
My art is an expression of the things that connect us. My lines, gouges, scratches and marks connect the stories and elements of my life to those of my artistically creative ancestors who, I believe, have always guided my life choices.
My Background
As a self-taught artist, I am best known for my intuitive abstract work which is executed through the challenging mediums of encaustic and watercolor paintings. For many years I worked in the fiber arts, where I exhibited, won awards, and taught nationwide. Story-telling through abstracted forms and dynamic colors has long been the focus of my work no matter what medium I am working in. My career as a graphic designer and business owner have spanned all the technological progressions in the graphic arts industry from early hot-lead production through to the digital age.
My Medium is Encaustic
First, I paint abstract watercolors which act as a framework for my final hot wax (encaustic) overpaintings.
Encaustic painting medium originated with the ancient Greeks over 3000 years ago. It is a technique in which colored pigments are mixed with hot beeswax and damar resin. Each layer of hot wax is “burned in” to the previous layer and there is no limit to the number of layers that may be used to create a piece of art. This process produces paintings with visual depth and color clarity.
My Inspiration
A profound awareness of my ancestral connections triggers an emotional response too deep and mysterious for words. For me, art-making is a creative process of finding the yet-undiscovered pieces of my story. My private vocabulary of marks, scratches, and gouges give voice to that story. The lines of my work represent the familial lines that connect me to my artistic ancestors going back at least seven generations. Creative expression through writing, music, sculpture and painting continue through the next generations – my son, cousins, nieces, nephews, and grands continue to connect us to our ancestor’s artistic journeys.