Encaustic mixed media sculpture, (5 x 10 x 7 in), pedestal piece
Upon reflecting on the theme of reBUILDING for a national exhibition, I pondered the profound disorientation this whole period of time brought—a time that began in an emergency state in the blink of an eye and which persisted for month after month until we passed the year mark, continuing our daily counts for lives lost and numbers of new infections while steadily adding numbers of those vaccinated to the list. Although fortunate in this country to have access to vaccines that enabled a safer return to public life, everything changed. As we learned how to wear masks and follow procedures to stay protected, we found ways to settle into sheltering and working at home if we were privileged enough to have that opportunity; we coped with loss and separation like we had never before experienced, finding many ways to get through. We carried these memories as we re-emerged and literally embraced reconnections and newfound freedoms and continued to honor the many lives lost.
This encaustic sculpture was created during an intensely focused period of time after learning how to work with thermoplastic fiber (Foss-shape) with Deborah Kapoor. After heating it onto hand-built reed forms, tools, and partial structures that were in my studio space, I twisted the molded fabric around until finding a shape that felt right. Sewing it into place, I began waxing layer after layer until a biomorphic form presented itself more fully. The practice was methodical and soothing, and I let my thoughts and feelings wander before layering with white encaustic paint and carving the many lines into the wax, finding comfort for my emotions but not so much for my hands, carving through hundreds of layers of wax for more than 50 hours to define the form that evolved from below. The separated cavities on the bottom of the piece merged to become part of the spiral, much as we were all drawn into the spiral of COVID. I contemplated the life force that makes us fight for our lives and those we love, as well as for strangers, calling on us to offer our best selves as we carry a newfound awareness for the preciousness of everyday experiences and connections. As we continue to emerge and live from this time of universal upheaval and loss, may we find and create as much beauty, love, peace, and healing as we can muster.
Encaustic mixed media sculpture, (5 x 10 x 7 in), pedestal piece
Upon reflecting on the theme of reBUILDING for a national exhibition, I pondered the profound disorientation this whole period of time brought—a time that began in an emergency state in the blink of an eye and which persisted for month after month until we passed the year mark, continuing our daily counts for lives lost and numbers of new infections while steadily adding numbers of those vaccinated to the list. Although fortunate in this country to have access to vaccines that enabled a safer return to public life, everything changed. As we learned how to wear masks and follow procedures to stay protected, we found ways to settle into sheltering and working at home if we were privileged enough to have that opportunity; we coped with loss and separation like we had never before experienced, finding many ways to get through. We carried these memories as we re-emerged and literally embraced reconnections and newfound freedoms and continued to honor the many lives lost.
This encaustic sculpture was created during an intensely focused period of time after learning how to work with thermoplastic fiber (Foss-shape) with Deborah Kapoor. After heating it onto hand-built reed forms, tools, and partial structures that were in my studio space, I twisted the molded fabric around until finding a shape that felt right. Sewing it into place, I began waxing layer after layer until a biomorphic form presented itself more fully. The practice was methodical and soothing, and I let my thoughts and feelings wander before layering with white encaustic paint and carving the many lines into the wax, finding comfort for my emotions but not so much for my hands, carving through hundreds of layers of wax for more than 50 hours to define the form that evolved from below. The separated cavities on the bottom of the piece merged to become part of the spiral, much as we were all drawn into the spiral of COVID. I contemplated the life force that makes us fight for our lives and those we love, as well as for strangers, calling on us to offer our best selves as we carry a newfound awareness for the preciousness of everyday experiences and connections. As we continue to emerge and live from this time of universal upheaval and loss, may we find and create as much beauty, love, peace, and healing as we can muster.
