FUSEDChicago A GROUP ENCAUSTIC EXHIBITION

Transcription

1 DAN Addington ALICIA Forestall-Boehm SHELLEY Gilchrist NIKKOLE Huss KATSY Johnson CATHERINE Keebler ELYSE Martin JANE Michalski SARAH E. Rehmer PAUL Rinaldi EMILY Rutledge MICHELE Thrane KATHLEEN Waterloo DONNA Zarbin-Byrne March 1 to April 7, 2013 College of Lake County Robert T. Wright Gallery

2 Encaustic painting has experienced a renaissance over the past 25 years; however this ancient painting technique remains unknown to many. The term encaustic literally means to burn in in Greek and its use as a painting method dates back to the fifth century B.C. Encaustic painting was notably used in the Fayum mummy portraits from Egypt (circa A.D.) that achieved a high degree of realism 1. For contemporary artists, encaustic is a versatile method of painting with a beeswax-based paint kept molten on a heated palette 2. In its most basic form, it is simply dry pigment colors blended into molten wax. However, contemporary artists have adapted and expanded this basic formula to meet their aesthetic needs. Many painters use tube oil colors instead of dry pigments and often amend this mixture with linseed oil and dammar varnish. Artists employ electric irons or hotplates to liquefy the medium. Metal tools and special brushes are mainly used to apply the molten paint to the canvas or panel. Some artists use heated metal tools to manipulate the wax-paint once it has solidified onto the surface. The plasticity of the paint application can be extended by applying heat to the painting with heat lamps or heat guns. Because wax is used as the pigment binder, encaustics can be sculpted as well as painted. Other materials can be encased or collaged into the surface using the encaustic medium to bind it to the surface 3. FUSEDChicago is an organization of Midwest artists who share an interest in the encaustic medium. Their mission is to advance public awareness of encaustic art through thematic exhibitions of members work and workshops, and to create professional opportunities for networking and learning exchanges for their members. The 14 exhibiting artists in this exhibition demonstrate the medium s versatility. Each artist has adapted the medium to fit his or her particular vision. Many of the exhibiting artists use the medium for abstract compositions. Kathleen Waterloo s Cataclysm, for example, is a geometric field of pastel rectangles in columns on a dark ground. Like a child s wooden blocks, these shapes seem precariously stacked. The artist has based this work on plate tectonics, subsidence and the potential for a cataclysmic event. Shelley Gilchrist, who founded FUSEDChicago in 2009, exhibits an installation piece titled mystars. Its seven panels are each comprised of brightly colored concentric circular shapes that suggest a mandala-like take on cosmology. Paul Rinaldi s diptych Etude no. 28 takes a different approach to abstraction. He uses the translucency of wax to create a blurred dot pattern on the left panel which, he contrasts against the right panel s hard edge stripes. A few of the artists have used encaustics for three dimensional objects. Alicia Forestall-Boehm s Living Together-But-Separate-Lives employs pigmented wax, cloth, twine and wire to sculpt a form. The resulting object looks like a seed pod that has burst apart to reveal its sinewy interior. Sarah E. Rehmer has assembled rolls of torn book pages at the bottom of a jet-black canvas in Continuing Stories #3. This work deals with the idea of memory loss and what happens to memories as they recede into darkness. Dan Addington uses encaustic and non-traditional material such as tar to model representational imagery. His work Weight of Mortal Hours depicts a heroic winged figure probably derived from a memorial sculpture. Addington states that his works explore the nature of mortality, express a sense of loss and address mankind s desire to locate spiritual meaning. Another artist who has a unique approach to the medium is Catherine Keebler. Her Cell No. 8 is an encaustic monotype on Asian paper. The monotype technique - a single print made by painting on a plate and transfering the image to a sheet of paper - imparts delicateness to the piece. This exhibition attests to the viability and adaptability of encaustic painting in the 21 st century. The 14 exhibiting artists have explored new methods to modify an ancient medium to meet contemporary aesthetic concerns. The FUSEDChicago group demonstrates that the Chicago area is a leading force in the encaustic renaissance. Steven Jones Art Gallery Curator 1 Mayer, Ralph. The Artist s Handbook of Materials and Techniques. Viking Adult; Fifth Revised and updated edition, Print. 2 New England Wax. Art in the Medium of Encaustic. Web. 22 Jan Mayer, Ralph. The Artist s Handbook of Materials and Techniques. Viking Adult; Fifth Revised and updated edition, Print. 2 3

3 Dan Addington Weight of Mortal Hours, 2011 Oil, wax, tar on wood, 54 x 42 x 6 Shelley Gilchrist mystars, 2012 Encaustic on shaped panels 11 to 17 diameter x 1 Alicia Forestall-Boehm Living Together-But-Separate Lives, 2012 Encaustic, cheesecloth, wire, twine 5 x 8 x 9 Nikkole Huss The Island, 2012 Encaustic on panel, 14 x

4 Katsy Johnson Map Relieved, 2012 Photograph, encaustic and oil on panel 30 x 45 Elyse Martin Outside Howard Encaustic photo transfer, multimedia, 18 x 24 Catherine Keebler Cell No. 8 Encaustic monotype on Asian Paper 18 x 20 Jane Michalski Yellow Over Red, 2012 Encaustic on panel, 31 x

5 Emily Rutledge Bad Avenue, 2012 Encaustic, spray paint, encaustic gesso, marker and image transfer on cradled tung wood, 24 x 36 Paul Rinaldi Etude No. 28, 2012 Encaustic on panel 10 1/4 x 20 1/4 Sarah E. Rehmer Continuing Stories #3, , Encaustic, paper and oil on panel 18 x 6 x 4 Michele Thrane Khangas 2, 2011 Beeswax, resin, pigment on panel 16 x

6 Kathleen Waterloo Cataclysm, 2011 Encaustic on panel 24 x 24 Exhibition Checklist Dan Addington, Age of Winds, 2011, Oil, wax, tar, fabric, wood, 36 x 32 Dan Addington, Weight of Mortal Hours, 2011, Oil, wax, tar on wood, 54 x 42 x 6 Alicia Forestall-Boehm, Living Together-But-Separate Lives, 2012, Encaustic, cheesecloth, wire, twine, 5 x 8 x 9 Alicia Forestall-Boehm, Make No Little Plans, 2012, Encaustic, cheesecloth on paneled cube, 10 x 9 x 9 Shelley Gilchrist, Spiral Eddy 2, 2012, Encaustic on shaped panel, 28 x 29 1/2 x 3/4 Shelley Gilchrist, mystars, 2012, Encaustic on shaped panels, diam. x 1 Nikkole Huss, The Island, 2012, Encaustic on panel, 14 x 18 Nikkole Huss, Barfoot Park, 2012, Encaustic on panel, 14 x 18 Katsy Johnson, Last of the Lockers, 2012, Photograph, encaustic and oil on panel, 30 x 45 Katsy Johnson, Map Relieved, 2012, Photograph, encaustic and oil on panel, 30 x 45 Catherine Keebler, Transparency, Encaustic, 19 x 15 Catherine Keebler, Cell No. 8, Encaustic monotype on Asian Paper, 18 x 20 Elyse Martin, Outside Howard, Encaustic photo transfer, multimedia 18 x 24 Elyse Martin, Behind Wolcott, Encaustic photo transfer, multimedia, 18 x 24 Jane Michalski, OK Pablo, 2012, Encaustic on panel, 29 x 50 Jane Michalski, Yellow Over Red, 2012, Encaustic on panel, 31 x 42 Sarah E. Rehmer, Did It Cross Your Mind at All I/II, 2011, Encaustic and paper on panels, 36 x 36 Sarah E. Rehmer, Continuing Stories #3, , Encaustic, paper and oil on panel, 18 x 6 x 4 Paul Rinaldi, Etude No. 28, 2012, Encaustic on panel, 10 1/4 x 20 1/4 Paul Rinaldi, Etude No. 10, Encaustic on panel, 10 1/4 x 16 1/4, Emily Rutledge, Bad Avenue, 2012, Encaustic, spray paint, encaustic gesso, marker, and image transfer on cradled tung wood, 24 x 36 Emily Rutledge, Trouble No More, 2012, Encaustic, marker, encaustic gesso, spray paint and image transfer on cradled tung wood, 24 x 36 Michele Thrane, Khangas 1, 2011, Beeswax, resin, pigment on panel, 16 x 16 Michele Thrane, Khangas 2, 2011, Beeswax, resin, pigment on panel, 16 x 16 Kathleen Waterloo, Cataclysm, 2011, Encaustic on panel, 24 x 24 Kathleen Waterloo, Strike Slip, 2010, Encaustic on panel, 24 x 24 Donna Zarbin-Byrne, Flight, 2012, Encaustic, wire, banana plant, Japanese paper, gold leaf, 23 x 8 x 9 Donna Zarbin-Byrne, Bowl of Prayers, 2013, Encaustic on paper, forged brass, wood, 108 x 102 Donna Zarbin-Byrne Bowl of Prayers, 2013 Encaustic on Paper, forged brass, wood 108 x

7 Gallery Hours: Monday to Thursday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday/Saturday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday 1-5 p.m. Spring Break: March Monday-Friday: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed March (Saturday/Sunday) Gallery Information Voice: (847) sjones@clcillinois.edu Web page: College of Lake County W. Washington Street, Grayslake, IL The Robert T. Wright Community Gallery of Art is a project of the College of Lake County Foundation. March 1 to April 7, 2013 College of Lake County Robert T. Wright Gallery Also on view in the Artcetera Gallery OutPOUR A national invitational ceramics exhibit