My final layers of wax and flame reveal a mysterious composition of the here and now, and what was, in the distant past.
Connie’s art is dictated by her curiosity of where the movements of time and nature will take her. She connects with nature in the tools she uses which are most often made of twigs and fibers, hot air and flame and creates with the natural materials of beeswax and tree resin.
Waves of movement, appearing as a prominent feature in her work, connect her to the movement of time. She is acutely aware of her ancestors who were accomplished artists as far back as seven generations. The voices she senses from the art they left behind encourage her to continue to explore her artistic curiosity.
The ancient art of encaustic wax application meshes perfectly with her esthetic and appreciation of abstract painting. She most often integrates abstract watercolors as a base adding to the complexity of expression and storytelling. “Sometimes my paintings are painted just for fun and sometimes they are meant to capture my emotions of the moment. The emotions of sadness or joy, anger or tranquility, my reactions to current events or history, are all expressed somehow in my art.”
What is Encaustic?
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.