Featured Artist - Eileen Braun

Eileen Braun’s Art as a Process )`+LLUH*)V\RUPNO[7OV[VNYHWOZI`,KK`0UNHUK-YHUR9HWW

“I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” Robert Frost

The artistic road is one often fraught with hills, curves, bumps, and more, yet many artists admit that the QV\YUL` PZ ULJLZZHY` HUK ILULÄJPHS ,PSLLU )YH\U»Z own creative path has been anything but straight. However, experimentation and exploration have resulted in a distinct medium that the nationally recognized, Dunwoody, Georgia based ceramic sculptor describes as “skeletal hulls and NLYTPUH[PUNWVKZVMK`Z[VWPHUHK\S[VYNHUPZTZ¹ Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Braun has lived and worked PU ([SHU[H .LVYNPH ZPUJL " ZOL VI[HPULK H )( MYVT 0UKPHUH<UP]LYZP[`PU:J\SW[\YLHUK(Y[,K\JH[PVUHUKZWLU[ many years working with clay as a preferred medium. From her fully equipped home clay studio, Braun created and L_OPIP[LKOLYZPNUH[\YLUVUM\UJ[PVUHS[LHWV[Z]LZZLSZHUK bowl forms. She has received national attention and awards MVYOLYJSH`^VYRPUJS\KPUNHUK50*/,H^HYKZ HUK[^V/HY[ZÄLSK1HJRZVU0U[LYUH[PVUHS(PYWVY[L_OPIP[PVUZ 0U 6J[VILY  ZOL ZLY]LK HZ MLSSV^ MVY [OL /HTIPKNL Center for the Arts and Sciences in Rabun Gap, Georgia. 0U)YH\U[VVR[OH[YVHKSLZZ[YH]LSLK:OLZHPKZOL^HZ ¸MLLSPUNZ[PÅLKI`[OLSPTP[H[PVUZVMJSH`¹ZVZOL[YHUZP[PVULK from a ceramic artist to a sculptor of encaustic wax. ;OL JLU[\YPLZVSK LUJH\Z[PJ ^H_ WYVJLZZ PU]VS]LZ HKKPUN colored pigments to heated beeswax . Traditionally, the liquid or paste is then applied to a surface, such as prepared wood, canvas, etc. Not so for Braun. Her encaustic wax art is entirely her own. ¸4`^VYRPZOLH]PS`PUÅ\LUJLKI`T`PU[LYLZ[PUUH[\YLHUK ZJPLUJL¹ ZOL ZHPK ¸(Z H JOPSK KPUULY[PTL JVU]LYZH[PVUZ were a blend of my mother attending to our growing family’s ULLKZ HUK T` MH[OLY ZOHYPUN \WKH[LZ MYVT [OL ZJPLU[PÄJ JVTT\UP[` ZWLJPÄJHSS` OPZ VJJ\WH[PVU ^OPJO ^HZ [LZ[PUN TL[HSS\YNPJHSZHTWSLZVM[LUI`_YH`4`J\YYLU[ZJ\SW[\YHS ^VYRPUTHU`^H`ZISLUKZ[OLZL[^V!U\Y[\YLHUKZJPLUJLVY 4VTHUK+HK¹

When starting out in the encaustic wax medium, Braun L_WSHPULK [OH[ ZOL KLZPYLK [OL ÅL_PIPSP[` [V THRL ZTHSS [V ]LY` SHYNL WPLJLZ ¸0 NH]L T`ZLSM WLYTPZZPVU [V LUQV` the experimenting and permission to fail, which is really PTWVY[HU[0[OLSWZ`V\[VZLL[OPUNZPUHKPMMLYLU[^H`¹ /LYÄYZ[MVYTZ^LYLKHYRLYO\LK^OPSLJ\YYLU[^VYRPZSPNO[LY in coloration. As she delved into the medium, forms became more complex and she included encaustic wax applications both on the interior and exterior.

Braun’s artistic process begins with a sketch. She, like many other artists, keeps a sketchbook to draw in when creative PKLHZ HYL JVUJLP]LK ¸0 JVUZPKLY [OPZ TLKP[H[P]L [PTL¹ ZOL ZHPK¸(S[OV\NOT`^VYRPZ+[OL`HYL]LY`T\JOKYH^PUNZ – in space. The shadows they create are informed by the VM[LUJOHUNPUNSPNO[WHZZPUN[OYV\NO[OLMVYT4HU`VMT` MVYTZHYLJVTWSL_HUKULLKHNYLH[KLHSVMWYLJVUZ[Y\J[PVU WSHUUPUN¹ She settled on reed from the inside of the rattan plant as the material she uses to shape and build her sculptural forms. Then she applies the encaustic wax. “Because wax is used as the pigment binder, encaustics can be sculpted as well HZ WHPU[LK¹ ZHPK )YH\U ¸6[OLY TH[LYPHSZ JHU IL LUJHZLK or collaged into the surface, or layered, using the encaustic TLKP\T[VHWWS`[OLT[V[OLZ\YMHJL¹ She also has implemented the method of accretion, a constant application of wax to the surface heated and set by countless number of passes with the brush to create a craggy surface that resembles a stalactite or stalagmite. She added, “My materials are selected to guide your eyes

across the surface and equally allow you to pause for contemplation. My hope is that when approaching, the ]PL^LY ^PSS IL KYH^U PU I` [OL YLSH_LK ÅVH[PUN MVYT HUK [OLUPU[YPN\LKI`L]LYJOHUNPUN]PL^ZVM[OL^VYR¶ZLLPUN IV[O [OYV\NO HUK HYV\UK ZPT\S[HULV\ZS` ;OL MVYTZ ÅVH[ like leaves on a river, animated by the light in the room and HTWSPÄLKI`[OLWVPU[VM]PL^VM[OLWLYZVUZ[HUKPUNPUMYVU[ VM[OLT ;OH[THRLZ[OLHY[L_WLYPLU[PHS¹ Braun’s body of work, especially since she switched her focus from clay to encaustic wax, is vast. She works seven days ^LLR ¸0 NL[ \WMHPYS` LHYS`PU[OLTVYUPUN HUK NV YPNO[[V ^VYR¹

As an artist, Braun maintains that the more complex the art WYVQLJ[HUKP[ZYLZVS\[PVU[OLTVYLYL^HYKPUN¸0SPRL[V[Y`[V ÄN\YLP[V\[¯P[»ZHWLYZVUHSJOHSSLUNL¹(S[OV\NOZOLZHPK ZOL¸JHU»[WPJRHMH]VYP[LºJOPSK»¹VULM\UHZWLJ[VMOH]PUN a home studio and gallery is rotating works so that she can view her art from different angles and in different lighting. Over the years her clay and/or encaustic work has been shown nationwide at such galleries as Gravers Lane Gallery, 7OPSHKLSWOPH7LUUZ`S]HUPH"4HYPWVZH.HSSLY`(SI\X\LYX\L 5L^4L_PJV" 5L^ ,SLTLU[Z>PSTPUN[VU :V\[O *HYVSPUH She is represented in Georgia by Thomas Deans Fine Art, Atlanta. Braun also works on some commission projects through Thomas Deans Fine Art, which is the main gallery that sells her work. Braun’s encaustic art sells from a few hundred dollars for smaller pieces that are a few feet in diameter to \W^HYKZVMMVYT\S[PKPTLUZPVUHSZJ\SW[\YLZ[OH[HYL \W[VMLL[OPNO She enjoys meeting viewers of her art at a gallery or show and hearing input about her work. “Everyone sees and enjoys ZVTL[OPUNKPMMLYLU[HUK0»T[V[HSS`VWLU[V[OH[¹ZOLZHPK A solo exhibit at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans, Louisiana is scheduled to run from January to March 

More about Braun, and to see new videos of her explaining her artistic journey, visit EileenBraun.art, or follow her on 0UZ[HNYHT!,PSLLU)YH\U(Y[

North Carolina

Franklin, Otto, and Surrounding Areas of North Carolina