I am a Boston based artist, trained in professional photography at the New England School of Photography and am self-taught in encaustic (beeswax + damar resin + colored pigments) and mixed media art.
My introduction to painting with encaustic was in 2009 where I began the application of the encaustic medium onto my photographs to produce works with luminous, textural qualities.
Today, I continue the exploration of the medium by incorporating oil paint, inks, carbon prints and a variety of other mixed media in my paintings. In addition, I use a variety of fine art paper to create unique and lively encaustic monotypes.
A true New Englander with European roots and traditions, my perspective is enriched by the marriage of both worlds. My subject matter is highly intuitive, informed by past experiences as well as my current state of mind and place. I oscillate between urban and natural landscapes, abstract compositions and sometimes find pleasure in investigating unassociated subjects such as colorful koi fish and bold, floral compositions.
The versatility of this ancient medium allows it to adopt various materials within its own skin to reveal an entirely new meaning. It also allows me to infuse bold, luscious colors and textures onto what would otherwise be a flat surface. The tactile property of the wax demands physical interaction during the process of scraping, incising and smoothening of its surface, layer after layer.
There is a push and pull between spontaneous and intentional compositions as the molten wax becomes malleable when a heat source is reintroduced to bind its newly applied strokes to the existing ones.
Quite often, there is something extraordinarily beautiful that arises from these unplanned happenings which makes working with encaustic very appealing in expressing my visual narrative.