Encaustic, India ink, oils, wax on panel, 16 x 20 in by Regina B. Quinn
Back cover, To Another Day, Detail
Encaustic, colored pencil, pastel, graphite, and paper, 48 x 108 x 1 in by Anne Feller
Welcome
When in Rome: The Art of Travel is a juried exhibition in digital magazine format inspired by visually captivating expressions of imagined, regional, and international travels. This visual wonderland gives viewers a chance to relax and take a virtual vacation without ever leaving home. Some paintings have visual clues that reference historical buildings or landscapes, while others present an otherworldly landscape or dramatically abstracted point of view.
The collection includes masterfully crafted pieces, such as paintings with relief elements and three-dimensional wax sculptures, offering exciting and exploratory experiences. Portraiture and figurative imagery further challenge perceptions of place and the act of being present in the moment.
This visual journey is enriched by descriptive stories accompanying the artwork, adding depth and context. As juror Michelle Robinson observes, “Many of the artists are great storytellers!”
The exhibition received an inspiring range of submissions from Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Norway, United Kingdom, and the United States. The entries reflected the unique times we are living in— some moved us to tears, while others brought laughter and joy. We extend heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated, making the selection process both challenging and rewarding for juror Michelle Robinson.
This IEA-juried exhibition in digital magazine format is free and available to the public. We encourage you to share this exhibition with anyone interested or working in the visual arts, looking for information on encaustics, or beginning their exploration of this fascinating medium.
Melissa Stephens Exhibitions Director
S. Kay Burnett
Lyn Belisle
About the Juror Michelle Robinson
We are fortunate to have the former IEA Exhibitions Director, Michelle Robinson, as our juror. Michelle Robinson received her Bachelor of Environmental Design in 1991 from Texas A&M University and continued with graduate studies at Texas A&M's program in Visualization, producing animated short films that were shown at the Walker Art Center, The Dallas Museum of Art, Imagina in Monaco, and the AFI National Video Festival. She completed her MFA in Visual Art at New Hampshire Institute of Art and exhibited her thesis work at the Sharon Arts Center in Peterborough, NH, in 2019.
Encaustic and photo transfer on panel, 32 x 48 in
No. 6
Michelle’s had her work published in The Hand, Diffusion of Light, Precog, and Frames. She has exhibited her work in solo shows at LAUNCH LA, the Dairy Center for the Arts in Boulder, CO, The Wright Gallery at Texas A&M University, and the Cecelia Coker Bell Gallery at Coker Center for Creative Arts, PLAYA, and is currently co-curating an exhibition about the Los Angeles River for summer of 2025 at Shatto Gallery.
Robinson has also been an artist and supervisor with Walt Disney Animation Studios for 31 years, most recently serving as Head of Characters on the Oscarwinning Encanto. She has been a mentor in Disney's Artist Development Program, taught computer lighting and texturing at the California Institute for the Arts, and is a regular visiting instructor at Texas A&M University. She was nominated for a VES award for Animated Character on Wreck-It-Ralph and was named an Outstanding Alumni for the College of Architecture, Texas A&M University, in 2013. Robinson volunteers with several organizations and advisory boards and is a member of the curatorial collective Monte Vista Projects in downtown Los Angeles.
You can view Michelle’s work at www.michellerobinsonstudio.com www.facebook.com/michellelrobinsonstudio www.instagram.com/michellerobinsonstudio
From the Juror
Dear Artists,
When in Rome celebrates the inspiration, experience, and memories gained when we travel outside our typical environs. Artists are researchers, archivists, and restless investigators of the world. Travel allows us to encounter the unexpected and break up our routines, taking our work in new directions.
I was looking for work that surprised, challenged, or moved me as a viewer and created a connection between myself and the artist. I wanted to feel transported to places I had never been to or be pricked by familiarity with locations I knew well. I sought works whose written statement drew me into the visual narrative or taught me something about the artist's experiences.
The works are grouped into three categories, which are well represented by the award winners: poetic landscape, cultural experience, and imaginative exploration. Mesa illuminates the evocative rock formations of New Mexico, closely observed during an artist's residency. A poignant look at the impactful but momentary communities that form while studying abroad, Our Uncertain Future contains the hopes and fears of a person at a pivotal moment in their life. Through a Train Window captures the interiority of travel itself; the passage from one point to the next on a swiftly moving train creates a moment of introspection.
I was honored to view the work submitted for When in Rome, and I hope the audience will find the exhibition as inspiring as I do. It should encourage us all to be ever-curious about our vast and wonderfully varied world.
Michelle Robinson Juror
Monique
Leah K. Read Fleeting Memories
Kelly
Susan Metzger Avignon Umbrellas
Janet SandoHealey One last letter
Jodi
Cherie Peters Earthen Embrace
Lyn Kirkland Lunar
Terri Yacovelli On the Trails
Lonnie
Pompeiian Dreams
Susanne K. Arnold
Pompeiian Dreams
Encaustic, charcoal, and colored pigment on paper glued to wood paneling 24 x 48 x 1.5 in
I dreamed I was in Pompeii again, in a dark room pierced by brilliant daylight coming from distant open doorways. In front of me is a dark pool holding cement casts of humans buried in 79 AD and being excavated by ghostly archaeologists. On the walls, instead of ancient murals, are paintings by Mark Rothko and Alma Thomas. I’ve had many dreams of this scenario since I first traveled to Italy. But none so vivid and surreal as this one in 2024.
I use a heated encaustic, charcoal, and colored pigment technique applied in layers over charcoal drawings on paper glued to wood paneling. The pitted, translucent layers of the medium suggest the layering of time and physical pattern by which archaeologists excavate the past as well as the progression of thoughts, memories, and ideas that are unearthed as I create.
My work explores the overlay of cultural memory and personal experience, using a vocabulary of images and the ancient painting technique of encaustic. Italy and its antiquities have been important to my life and an inspiration to my art. I made research trips there, in 1985, 1987, and 2001, that led to the creation of many paintings, sculptural ensembles, and an increased exploration of encaustic medium’s possibilities. The work inspired by these trips embraced diferent aspects of Italy, but my dreams were always of Pompeii and a dark hall of ruins pierced by the light of present day, suggesting passage back to reality, chaos, living people, and contemporary artwork.
About the Artist
A painter and sculptor, Susanne K. Arnold exhibits her work regionally and nationally. She holds a BFA, an MA in Museum Studies, and an MFA in Painting from Virginia Commonwealth University. Honors include two Virginia Museum Fellowships, national artist grants from the Ludwig Vogelstein and the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundations, and a grant from Richmond Culture Works.
Solo exhibitions include the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Portsmouth Museum, 1708 and Artspace Galleries. A retrospective of her artwork was held in 2013 at McLean Project for the Arts in McLean, VA. Her talk on “Ephemeral Figures in Wax,” was presented at two International Encaustic Conferences in Provincetown, MA, and was printed in ProWax Journal. Ms. Arnold has held teaching residencies throughout Virginia as an Artist-in-Education for the Virginia Commission for the Arts and has taught state-wide on a contractual basis. She is an member of Artspace, an artist-run nonprofit gallery. She lives in Richmond, VA.
Let me tell you a story about travel—not the kind with maps and packed suitcases, but a journey of a diferent sort.
Imagine a young girl, maybe seven or eight, alone in a little wooden boat, floating high above the earth, right up there in the sky. She’s not on a lake or a river; no, she’s drifting through clouds. And yet, she’s calm—her expression soft, almost curious, with dark hair framing her face as she peers out at this strange, boundless sky.
Why is she up there? Perhaps she’s on a journey she didn’t even know she’d begun, traveling deeper into a part of herself. This isn’t a typical trip; it’s an exploration, beyond the world she knows, into a realm of dreams and possibilities. The muted, nostalgic colors around her seem like memories—gentle, almost out of reach.
As she floats, the clouds shift and shape, forming quiet creatures— an owl, a fox—watching her, guiding her softly along her path. The boat drifts on, and maybe she starts to understand that sometimes, the journey is the destination. And home? Perhaps it’s the place we find within when we dare to venture beyond.
So, what do you think? Where do you see her journey taking her?
On The Outskirts
on cradle board 14 x 11 x 1 in
Colonnade
Robyn Bragg
I’m from Canada where almost everything in the built environment is less than 150 years old. When I first visited Europe as a quiet and imaginative child, I was captivated by the architecture and the sense of history. The age of the buildings attracted me on a visceral level. I loved the patina, the wear, the layers of paint flaking away. They all give a sense of persistence, continuity, and of the generations of people who have lived and used these spaces. I find it comforting to know that no matter what is going on in the here and now, some things endure.
Robyn Bragg is based in Ottawa, Ontario. She works primarily in mixed-media encaustics, hand-cut collage, and wall-based installations. After completing a BA in Psychology at the University of Guelph, she received a BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art. She worked fulltime as a web strategist and consultant until 2020, when she made the transition to a fulltime art practice.
Robyn's work has been shown in Canada, the U.S., and Finland, and has been featured in Contemporary Collage Magazine. She is a member of 44.4 Mother/Artist Collective, a group dedicated to supporting and advocating for artists who are mothers in their struggle to find the balance between the equally demanding tasks of an art career and parenting.
You can view Robyn’s work at www.robynbragg.com www.instagram.com/robynbraggartist www.facebook.com/robynbraggartist bsky.app/profile/robynbraggartist.bsky.social
Colonnade, Encaustic, collage, black oil paint on panel, 10 x 8 x 1 in
Autumn's Moods
Ann Broni-Petersen
Leaves caught in the eddies of a mountain stream. Being from Ireland, I particularly enjoy seeing water, be it streams, lakes, and rivers. Living here in Utah and visiting the desert areas makes me appreciate the treasure water is! There is a magical moment when you catch sight of the tiny trickle or, at other times, especially after the snow has melted, the run of that causes the streams to be fuller and more vigorous. As the autumn foliage turns during the season, a rain storm will produce some eddies where the autumn leaves and streams make a beautiful sight.
Ann delves into the vibrant realm of abstract expressionism, a journey helped by her background as a qualified mindfulness teacher. Her creative process thrives when she reaches a ow state,” allowing the colors to lead the way. She chooses her colors instinctively and begins working. The subject matter appears organically, inspired by the rich and intricate color combinations found in the natural world. It is the mesmerizing details often overlooked in our hurried lives that capture her imagination.
Ann’s creative journey with encaustic medium began in 2022. She enjoys watching the interplay of color and texture appearing while fusing the medium with a blow torch. This is when the magic happens. What sets her technique apart is the liberation from predetermined outcomes.
You can view Ann’s work at www.gallerypetersen.com
www.instagram.com/art.annpetersen
Autumn's Moods, Encaustic, 12 x 9 x 1 in
Bastille Day Fireworks
S. Kay Burnett
The Bastille Day fireworks were amazing. Sprays of glittering colors burst from the tower and the Trocadero fountains. There was music and oohs and ahhs and children’s screams of delight all intertwined with the loud bursts of the pyrotechnic display.
For at least half an hour we were entranced by the light show dancing behind the intricate latticework of the Eiffel Tower. A once in a lifetime experience that I will always remember.
Bastille Day Fireworks, Encaustic on board, 12 x 24 x 2 in Diptych
To the Beat of the Bass, Encaustic on board, 18 x 12 x 2 in
To the Beat of the Bass
S. Kay Burnett
The Rue Moufetard market is a celebration of life today. Blue skies with wisps of white about, crates of farm fresh fruits and vegetables, cheeses of every variety, seasoned meats roasting, and freshly baked breads.
On the corner, across from Rue Moufetard Café where I sit with my back to the wall, a beat generation band plays, bass thrumming, snares and cymbals brushed by wire, singer’s voice doing the “Da. Da-da-da-daaa-daaa. Da. Da-da-da-da-dada-da-da.” with words of the bebop all over the scale. This is Paris the way I love it.
S. Kay Burnett worked in the computer industry for thirty-four years. During that time, she developed interactive software for children and wrote online documentation. She’s been a guest artist at the CSU Summer Arts program teaching interactive creative writing and taught several interactive multimedia workshops.
In 2013, Kay began pursuing her love of art and creative writing full-time. She’s the author and illustrator for Emails From Paris, a digital memoir/art book that includes over thirty encaustic illustrations, and co-author and illustrator of A Gargoyle in Paris, a children’s picture book illustrated with encaustic sculptures. The original artwork in both of these books were featured in her solo exhibition of encaustic paintings and sculptures at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art.
You can view Kay’s work at: www.southofharmony.com
Ode to Detours, Dirt Roads, and Discoveries
Cindy L. Clark
There is always road construction in Idaho. One day, we had to go around a mountain to get where we were going. There were rocks and water and mountains and trees. Layered land building a sense of peace. I thoroughly enjoyed the detour and forgot about time. This encaustic painting made with plaster on board compiles my memories into a whimsical scene of bits and pieces of the moment.
Cynthia Lewis Clark, born, raised, and still living in Orem, UT, loves teaching, creating, learning, reading, and especially playing with wax (encaustics). Mark making in wax through layers of color and texture examines a visual vocabulary of the soul in Clark’s encaustic paintings. Often inspired by literature or the thoughts and emotions of women, layers of wax and texture emerge and disappear as they become a path or portal into something more. Fusing with high heat and melting layers into one another creates a unique image of process and possibility.
Ode to Detours, Dirt Roads, and Discoveries
Encaustic, plaster, tar, and oil sticks on board
26 x 26 x 2 in
Container People Dancing
Cindy L. Clark
On a trip to South Africa, I was overwhelmed to discover thousands of people living in shipping containers. There were community water faucets, porta potties, and trash containers, dirt roads, and lots of people. Cooking and living took place inside their “container home.” We even observed a local Shaman, just after giving a blessing to a mother who was having a baby. He boarded our bus to bless us with his horsehair rattle. We saw women cooking sheep heads called a “smiley,” over an oil drum fire. But the most shocking thing I observed was happy, smiling faces, with laughing, dancing, and playful mothers and children. People who have so little still find joy in life.
Container People Dancing
Encaustic, mixed media on board
18 x 24 x 2 in
I created a series of paintings about mothers and children in South Africa dancing in front of their shipping containers. This is one of those paintings. The heads are created from South African RANDS, their unit of money. I also added rust on top of the encaustic because of the rust and decay of the shipping containers.
About the Artist
Cynthia L. Clark loves teaching, creating, and especially playing with encaustic wax. She’s taught advanced placement art, drawing, and painting for 30 years in a local school district and was an adjunct professor at BYU and UVU. She has been recognized as outstanding art educator for Utah, received the UAEA Lifetime Achievement Award, and received a national endowment for the arts scholarship. She has participated in many local and national juried shows, won several awards, and has had her artwork published in several publications. Currently, she is on the artist roster for the Utah Division of Arts and Museums, works with teachers in the Beverly Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program, supervises prospective art educators for BYU, and continually paints with wax.
You can view Cindy’s work at cindyclarkart.weebly.com www.instagram.com/cindyclarkart www.facebook.com/cindyclarkart
Mesa Jane Cornish Smith Travel Award
Ah, beautiful destination Abiquiu, NM. 1500 miles on the road to and fro yielded tearful and undulating thoughts, shiny city skylines, an expanse of prairie, swirls of red-tinged winds, craggy plateaus, diners great and small, forested lush elevations, skies and sun and stars, charming towns with untold stories, wildflower blankets of color, and ribbons of road. But the pinnacle was the stunning, healing topography at Ghost Ranch, home to Estudio Corazon Artist Residency, a time for reflection and unfettered artmaking, and my home for two weeks.
Waking up in my humble casita after a blissful night of quiet and cool, pure air through open windows, I make my way outside and am greeted by an awe-inspiring mesa that serves as a magic backdrop. In the evenings this mesa absorbs the heated light—positively glowing and all knowing. It takes my grief onto its ancient shoulders, providing comfort and inspiration within my studio.
“Mesa” is a mixture of veneration and layers of encaustic wax, painted tissue paper, and pigment stick. The striated portraitlike collage fuses contrasting textured color with the wisdom of the New Mexico environment. Closely cropped and centered, my intension is to honor the memory of its presence so that future viewers can come to know it as if in person, outside the casita walls.
Mesa, Encaustic, charcoal, paper on wood, 12 x 12 x 1 in
Winged Nike, Encaustic, cold wax medium/oil on wood, 5 x 10 x 2 in
After wanting to see Paris for decades, I finally took the plunge two years ago. So much to take in, and in an atmosphere of openness, excellence, and expressiveness. It was worth every minute and every penny.
The top destination on the trip for me was the Louvre Museum, where so many famous, important artworks could be seen through thronging crowds. While wading along a sea of visitors, an iconic sculpture rose above the bodies—the Winged Victory of Samothrace—a marble figure alighting the prow of a ship, ensuring safety and guidance to its crew. To me, she projects heroism and protection, and a brave femininity. The work brings me to tears whether seen in a book or finally in person.
In my encaustic painting, Winged Nike, I pay homage to this ancient Greek Goddess. Nike is portrayed in profile, her wings arch upward. There is movement in her drapery. The waxy texture and etchable nature of the painting reveal a patina that is mirrored in the battered sculpture. Pigment is rubbed into the pitted surface, further emphasizing an aged appearance. The birth of encaustic painting and the creation of Nike are closely aligned with Greek connections and a roughly 200 BCE genesis, providing a commonality across millennia and miles.
I make paintings and sculpture with an expanse of materials. Paper, plaster, textiles, paint, encaustic, cold wax, and other media are applied, painted, crocheted, or collaged into 2-D and 3-D work. The artworks begin as thin layers and build up to textural surfaces that are abstract, figurative, or that reference the environment. Always experimenting with materials and trying new media represents a constant movement and pushing against boundaries.
Usually depicting universal themes such as vulnerability and resiliency, in recent years my art has been more of a reaction to current events, the environment, and the concern this has caused. I’ve come to realize that what I value most—and what has emerged in my work—is a liberty of sorts—from potential loss of human rights, from climate change, from worry. Much of my art speaks to that liberty and to a place that is open, verdant, where we are free to move.
About the Artist
Originally from Canada, Dallas area-based artist Jane Cornish Smith’s nomadic childhood, along with her artist mother, fostered an appreciation for creativity from a young age. Jane produces paintings and sculpture with a diversity of materials and subject matter, with a focus on cold wax medium and encaustic. Usually figurative or environmental in nature, her work often reveals human vulnerabilities, with the goal of providing viewers with self-reflective opportunities.
She has attended artist residencies at the International School of Painting, Drawing, and Sculpture in Umbria, Italy; Vermont Studio Center; and Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and earned BFA and MLA degrees from Southern Methodist University with a MFA from East Texas A&M University. An award-winning artist, her work hangs at the University of Texas at Tyler, Brookhaven College, the Museum of Encaustic Art in Cerillos, NM, the Tenby Museum and Art Gallery in Wales, the Cancer Support Community of North Texas, and others. She enjoys conducting workshops, teaching at East Texas A&M University, and making art from her studio in rural Lone Oak, TX.
For me, this scene is more than just a view—it is a daily reminder of connection and grounding, much like the Capricorn nature I embody. Looking out at the Sedona red rocks from my back deck ofers a sense of stability and peace, a place I travel daily, a sanctuary where the land’s enduring strength balances life’s ever-changing rhythms. This painting serves as a reflection of that grounding energy, a celebration of nature’s steadfast beauty and its ability to center and inspire.
Nature’s ever-changing colors, light, and moods are my greatest muse. Each day, the natural world ofers a dynamic palette, from the soft pastels of dawn to the fiery hues of sunset, from the vibrant greens of spring to the stark contrasts of winter. The shifting seasons remind me of life’s cycles, and I find endless inspiration in the way light transforms even the most familiar landscapes into something extraordinary.
Painting allows me to channel the energy, serenity, and raw power I witness in nature into a visual language. Through my work, I aim to capture not just the appearance of a scene but also the emotion and vitality it evokes—the way sunlight dances on water, the whisper of wind through trees, or the weight of an approaching storm. Each piece is a celebration of the natural world’s beauty and resilience, a reminder of its profound impact on our lives. My hope is that my paintings invite viewers to see, feel, and reconnect with the world around them.
About the Artist
Over the past two decades, my artistic journey has been one of growth, exploration, and gratitude, marked by meaningful achievements and recognitions. In 2024 alone, my work has reached new heights, being juried into prestigious exhibitions at the Sedona Art Center, Verum Ultimum Art Gallery, Las Laguna Art Gallery, Red Bluf Art Gallery, and the Rhode Island Watercolor Society, where my encaustic painting, The Sea, earned third prize. My art has been celebrated in publications such as Artistonish, Novum Artis, Observica, and Tranquilium 2024, alongside Exhibizone’s seasonal juried exhibitions. Additionally, my work has crossed international borders, being represented by the Circle Foundation in Amsterdam.
These milestones are more than accolades —they are doors opening to new opportunities, connections, and creative possibilities, both in the U.S. and abroad. Each moment reinforces my deep commitment to capturing the beauty of the world through my art. I am endlessly inspired, profoundly grateful, and excited to see where this journey leads next.
You can view Doreen’s work at www.doreenellisart.com www.Instagram.com/doreenellisart www.facebook.com/people/Doreen-Ellis/100094450813993/
Our Uncertain Future, Encaustic, pastel, graphite, and paper, 30 x 40 x 1 in
Our Uncertain Future
Anne Feller
Award of Excellence
Our Uncertain Future is based around the many picnics along the Han River I had with groups of friends while studying abroad in South Korea. Each time I went, I met other international and local university students. Despite the diferences in the places we call home, we all shared an equal uncertainty of the future. What would come after college, what jobs would we get, what futures would we come to witness? We experienced a togetherness in our fear and a togetherness in our hope.
To Another Day
Anne Feller
To Another Day depicts a scene I witnessed many years ago of a sunset in a foreign country. The landscape ofered to the viewer is captured in the liminal space between day and night. The viewer is invited to travel down the road laid before them as an unraveling timeline. Beginning on the left side, the road opens to the viewer and allows the eye to travel into the distance. As the road turns, the viewer is exposed to the reality of the sun setting.
To Another Day, Encaustic, colored pencil, pastel, graphite, and paper, 48 x 108 x 1 in
To Another Day is also featured on the back cover
By moving past the sunset, the viewer’s vision becomes increasingly more obscured by a darkening storm marking the uncertainty of an unknown future. The transitionary period of sunset to storm, from the visible day to the unforeseeable night, is reflective of my own transformation of the person I was to the undefined person I am yet to become in a future that holds more fears than assurances.
Where From Here?
Anne
Feller
Where From Here? is based around a scene I witnessed while abroad in South Korea a few years back. An older woman stopped a younger woman to ask for directions, they spoke briefly and then departed. I couldn't understand the entirety of their conversation as I was sitting on a nearby bench, and the exchange was in a foreign language. The experience, however, was memorable as it was a moment of intimacy between the two strangers. I remember smiling in the moment as it was often myself in the older lady's position needing directions in this city I was so unfamiliar with.
About the Artist
Anne Feller’s art is an examination of memory. The act of remembering and the involuntary manifestation of forgetting appear side by side in her work. Feller’s primary medium is encaustic as the material ofers a uniquely resilient durability. In the unchanging space of the wax, each piece contains layered drawn moments. Once embedded, the viewer is ofered a chance to peer through layers of history. Like fossils trapped in sediment, the act of preservation within each piece becomes a moment of permanence in a world of impermanence. This is reflective of her own concerns of memory, time, and ultimately the mortality of the people, the moment, and the memory depicted.
You can view Anne’s work at www.annefellerart.com
www.Instagram.com/anne.feller
Where From Here?, Encaustic, pastel, graphite, and paper, 36 x 24 x 1 in
Old San Juan
Tracy Finn
In March 2023, I went to San Juan, Puerto Rico for a much needed vacation. It was my first time traveling since the start of the Covid pandemic and also my first vacation in many years due to health issues. I had been to PR years ago and have always felt a connection. One of my best friends was from there and died of AIDs back in the 90s, and I had become close with his family. The highlights of this recent trip included long walks, incredible meals, and most importantly seeing an abundance of inspiring art. Several museums featured contemporary local artists as well as historic pieces. And the vibrant street art was everywhere. Both the art I saw and the light and colors of the walls and buildings in the old city were the inspiration for my painting. I had just begun adding cold wax to my encaustic paintings, and this allowed me to build layers and carve, recreating the colors and textures that were seared in my memory.
I am a New York State-based artist and divide my time between the Hudson Valley and the Adirondacks. My encaustic paintings explore themes of home, history, and loss. My painting process involves collage and sectional images repeated in multiple layers to develop a vibrant visual narrative. Archival papers are combined with elements of my drawing and photography, allowing me to process history in the lens of today. Many things have been lost but the remnants are precious.
Encaustic, cold wax, oil, and ink on cradled wood panel
16 x 12 x 1.5 in
Every Breath A Prayer, Encaustic and cold wax on Encausticbord, 8 x 10 x 1/8 in
Every Breath A Prayer
Anne Fjeld
My journey explores the profound grief and healing of a mother dealing with the sorrow of a missing child due to mental health struggles.
The act of painting with fire symbolizes the intense, burning ache experienced in the throes of searching for her missing child. It reflects the consuming nature of relentless worry and fear.
In contrast, cold wax represents the chilling fear that her child is exposed to the harsh elements, encapsulated by cold, rain-filled nights. Together, these elements convey a profound sense of anguish and the harsh realities of grief.
The imagery of birds in flight symbolize the release and letting go of these persistent and consuming thoughts. Each bird represents a prayer, a hopeful exhalation, as the mother grapples with her emotions, seeking solace and the possibility of hope.
The eyes serve as a window into her soul, sharing her internal process and emotional journey as she navigates through this complex landscape of loss and the search for healing. This painful situation became a catalyst for creative expression, allowing an exploration and documentation of the emotional terrain of loss, acceptance, and hope.
Throughout this painting, I identify key milestones and emotions that are pivotal to my narrative. Acceptance emerges as a significant milestone, where acknowledging the current state becomes a foundation for moving forward through grief. It highlights a transformative phase in the journey, advocating for personal growth and the courage to continue despite adversity.
By sharing this intimate journey, I hope to ofer solace to others experiencing similar feelings of sorrow and loss and contribute to a broader dialogue on grief, mental health, and the enduring power of hope and resilience.
You can view Anne’s work at www.international-encaustic-artists.org/Sys/PublicProfile/75457588 www.instagram.com/Peabeaux www.facebook.com/Anne.Bender.Fjeld
Umbrella Pine, Rome
Sharon Gottula
Walking through Rome is walking through history, the Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum. Each of my 20,000 steps through Rome takes me deeper and deeper into the past, touching marble that has stood for thousands and thousands of years, walking on the same steps as Julius Caesar. And towering over the Eternal City are the iconic Umbrella pines, symbols of spring and immortality. I'm obsessed as I contemplate my own mortality surrounded by ancient stones.
In her encaustic pieces, Gottula juxtaposes transparent and opaque layers, integrating photography, fabric, and paper to create a complex, narrative storyline. Through this combination of diverse elements, she chronicles the transient nature of memory, captures the fragmented moments of human existence, and reflects upon the endangered fragility of our surroundings.
Umbrella Pine, Rome
Encaustic on Gampi
40 x 16 x 0.5 in
Sharon Gottula
Spring gives way to summer, then to fall, and then again to the cold of winter. I stretch to find moments to latch on to as the rush of the days feels monumental. Each hour flies by quicker than the next and my memory clings to the physical, holding on to fragments of color, shape, and texture.
Moments at the sea, flowers blooming in the garden, the fluttering of leaves as the trees descend into dormancy all mark the year as my father passes from this earth.
About the Artist
Sharon Gottula's artistic journey took a transformative turn in 2010 when she saw her first encaustic painting. This encounter redirected the course of her work, steering it from photography to multimedia compositions.
My work has always been about the story. Exploring topics such as climate change, human nature, and the ever-hastening passage of time.
A Leo with a fire-heavy astrological chart, painting with a blowtorch felt like a natural extension of her creative expression. Deeply interested in the environment, the natural substances of wax and damar enhance and intensify the environmental themes that feature heavily in her work.
Clark’s Island is a small island located right of the coast of Duxbury, MA. The island itself has a wonderful history, and is named after John Clark, the first mate of the Mayflower, who was the first of the Pilgrims to set foot on the island in 1620.
But its importance to me is connected to my family. My sister’s family has a cottage on the west side of the island, and my extended family has spent many summer evenings enjoying the sunset over the water and mainland.
The first landscape I painted was based on a photo I took of one of those sunsets, and I have now painted 17 pieces inspired by the skies and sunsets of Clark’s Island, each one a reminder of summer weekends spent at the beach.
My encaustic paintings are studies in color, composition, and texture that highlight the unique properties of the medium, and are informed by my background in both fine arts and graphic design. Using only horizontal bands of varying widths and textures, I challenge myself to create a sense of space and distance while also pushing the colors beyond the palette of the natural world. Each piece is finished with strands of thread that are stretched across the surface of the wax, providing additional dimension and detail, as well as a surprise for the viewer as they draw closer to the work.
You can view Hilary’s work at hansonbruel.com www.instagram.com/hansonbruelart www.facebook.com/hansonbruelart
This Way and That
Encaustic, oils, dry pigment, yarn, and ink on wood panel
18 x 18 x 1.5 in
This Way and That Birdy Harrison
This Way and That is made up of 9 6x6 panels—a patchwork of what resembles individual yet complimentary geographical maps. They are each a memory of journeys taken. Whether meandering around the city I live in or discovering places of the beaten path when traveling, each place becomes a part of me, and I often think about my adventures and question where I should explore next!
My life is propelled by emotion and feeling, and my art work tends to be focused on color and texture to create a mood. Though my works are very personal, I hope that they will stir up feelings or memories in the viewer that will make them nostalgic, joyous, sad, or hopeful depending on thoughts that the images conjure. Most of my work is somewhat abstract and driven by mental and emotional health and the ability to express my own thoughts and feelings without fear. Letting my emotions, visions, and opinions be known creates extreme personal vulnerability, and I constantly work on being okay with letting my voice be heard. Much of my work speaks to the physical and emotional connections between people. They show an intimacy, bond, or link between people—the simple, everyday moments that may go overlooked that deserve more contemplation or honor. I hope to prod others to be aware of the diference simple gestures and actions can make to let others know they are significant.
You can view Birdy’s work at birdyharrison.com www.instagram.com/birdyharrison www.facebook.com/DianeEveHarrison
Poppy Field Monique Jansen
This is an encaustic painting on cradle board, inspired by some beautiful poppy fields I saw while traveling in Switzerland. Switzerland is my second home in Europe, I lived there for a long time and still love to travel there. Poppies always make me think of summer in Switzerland—its clean air, its stunning scenery, and the beautiful colours in the flower fields in the valleys and in the mountains. Switzerland makes the art of travel pretty easy.
I have been painting all my life. In art school, photography entered my life and I bought my first of many cameras. Whether in painting or photography, abstraction is at the basis of all my work.
Rain has been a huge theme for me for years now. I love exploring the mysterious world of shimmering reflective surfaces that appear during or after it has rained. Looking through a window during a rain shower shows the world without its sharp contours, shows colours that blend together instead of their sharp contrasts. After moving to Canada from my home country The Netherlands more colour entered my work. Besides the dark world of rain, I started painting flower fields and landscapes.
I work in layers. I add, I take away, I add again. I may add again. This is why, when I started working with encaustic three years ago, I never looked back. All these layers make an encaustic painting so rich! It takes time and many layers before the painting expresses what I feel, and I just love the process!
You can view Monique’s work at www.moniquejansenart.com www.instagram.com/Monequ www.facebook.com/people/Monique-Jansen-Art/100090868807886/
Poppy Field, Encaustic, 8 x 8 x 1.5 in
Monique is a Dutch artist living in Canada. After focusing on painting and teaching art for the last 20 years, she switched to encaustic media three years ago. Since then she has sold many pieces and has started teaching this beautiful technique at the local art centre.
Jennifer Keresztes
1975 is an encaustic scrapbook inspired dedication to the memories and memorabilia of that year—that for my eight-year-old self, stood out for the cultural newness and richness of experience as I traveled abroad with my family from Paris to Tehran to Hong Kong.
While growing up, the work of my structural engineer father took our family across the country and overseas. 1975 was a truly significant and impactful year for travel, especially as a young child, and why I chose to commemorate it in new work for this travel-themed art exhibition.
Fortunately, I had a collectors mentality even back then and still had loads of memorabilia from that year as well as old photocopies of a college handmade book project I created based on the memories of my early travels. I used the collected ephemera (bottle caps, ticket stubs, coins, etc.), and the text from the book project to create a triptych of scrapbook-inspired mixed media encaustic panels dedicated to each of the three cities.
1975, Encaustic, 24 x 8 x 1 in
1975, Detail
Once completed, I attached them together vertically to display as one piece of art with the text flowing from each panel to pull together the story of that year’s remarkable travels.
My creative process often involves the combining, layering, experimenting, and intermingling of techniques and materials that then go through a series of steps, decisions, and some problem solving along the way. That is what I find most exciting about creating art, and why I gravitate towards incorporating a physical natural medium like encaustic that undergoes a metamorphosis in the creation of a piece.
That process provided a wonderful creative platform for this work as I pulled together a variety of found materials not only to tell a story of extensive travel in one year to disparate parts of the world, but also to pay homage to the memories of earlier parts of my life’s journey.
You can view Jennifer’s work at www.jen-k-art.com www.instagram.com/jenkart www.facebook.com/jennifer.keresztes.3
Lunar Lyn Kirkland
In my early teens, I was fascinated with the paintings of German artist Caspar David Friedrich. His use of eerie almost unearthly landscapes, bathed in moonlight both captivated and scared me in equal measure. I tried to mimic his style in my early oil paintings. The moon continues to hold my attention. So near (in relative terms), its efects felt daily in time, tide, and light. It was once at the forefront of science and technology in the space race of the 1960s. Always posing the question...can man live on the moon? In just 64 years of my lifetime, we humans have damaged our beautiful Earth to such a degree, that far from just being a yearning to “conquer” space, could the Moon become the ultimate travel destination?
My piece titled “lunar” is a circular encaustic painting with embedded tissue papers, chipped glass and mica powders. I wanted it to have a reflective light feel to it, and for the topographical features almost visible with the naked eye to appear in relief, and almost within reach.
Living and working on a small island on the Jurassic coast of England, Lyn works primarily with encaustic. First used by the ancient Greeks and Egyptians, Lyn discovered and fell in love with it upon returning to college as a mature student in 2012. Her practice has gone from strength to strength with regular exhibitions, both home and abroad, and annual open studio events. A highly rated tutor, she has taught introductory workshops and photo encaustic sessions in encaustic wax to individual students and groups from across the World since 2015. A supportive and professional artist who has mentored and helped to create opportunities for other artists.
You can view Lyn’s work at lynkirklandart.artweb.com
www.instagram.com/lynkirklandart
Lunar
Encaustic, tissue papers, chipped glass, and mica powders on circular wood panel
19.6 x 19.6 x 0.5 in
EINMAL MEER 2, Encaustic and pigments on wood, 5.5 x 8.5 x 3.9 in Framed in a metal box with a key for free standing or hanging
EINMAL MEER 2
Beate Kratt
As a German-born artist coming from Hamburg, I was fortunate to live and work from 2009 to 2020 mostly in Falcon, a town on the west coast of Australia, close to Mandurah. Australia has become my second artistic home over the years.
When I was there in February 2020, Covid slowly began to take over the world and disrupt all our lives. After just a few weeks, I had to leave Australia and arrived back in Hamburg filled with sadness and longing for the sea and my Australian life.
As an expression of my hope of being able to return to Australia soon, my small sea suitcases, EINMAL MEER, were created.*
*EINMAL MEER is a play on words. Translated it means “once to the sea.” However, the spoken word MEER sounds exactly like “mehr” in German. “Mehr” means “more of,” so MORE OF THE SEA.
timeframe Beate Kratt
The work "timeframe" reflects my journeys and connectedness to the ocean in Australia. To remember these times makes me happy, and while looking on the work, at the same time inside a deep stillness rises up. A moment of pause brings a smile. Will this memory fade over time or will it last as an important part of my life?
The work is kept white and neutral in color, yet full of meanings such as purity and transcendence. The photographically-captured moment is embedded in chalk, covered with cold wax, and protectively framed in a wooden box.
Due to my travels and the years I have lived in Australia, departure and arrival, change and permanence, fragility, time, and movement are themes that appear again and again in my work. That is why the artistic examination of the question “what is it worth to be a memory” has become important to me. Collecting materials like sand and rusty metal as well as taking photos is my way of engaging with and getting a better understanding of the world around me. These objects and photographs are the representations of my memories of places, encounters, and thoughts.
You can view Beate’s work at www.beatekratt.com www.instagram.com/beatekratt www.facebook.com/beate.kratt
timeframe, Encaustic, cold wax, photography, and chalk on wooden board Framed in a wooden box, 13.18 x 13.3 x 0.78 in
Stepping Stones
Holli Levy
While traveling through Acadia National Park in Massachusetts, I fell in love with the rock formations. The geology has been created by the passing of enormous glaciers, erosion from rivers and streams, and volcanic activity. The shapes and colors of this land inspired this encaustic mixed-media painting, showing the stepping stones I walked throughout Massachusetts.
I discovered encaustic painting while visiting a working gallery, where I was drawn to the medium’s unique depth and texture. This encounter ignited my passion for encaustic art and led me to immerse myself fully in the process.
My work combines a love for travel, nature, and photography with the expressive qualities of encaustic.
Stepping
Stones
Encaustic, tissue paper, and tar
24 x 6 x 1.5 in
Cityscape
Holli
Levy
I grew up in Brooklyn, NY, and lived in Manhattan for many years. There are many things I love about New York City, including the arts, the energy, and the ever changing landscape. While walking along the High Line one day, I took a picture of a particularly beautiful building with windows looking out over the river.
While there is much I love about New York, there is nothing like coming home to the beauty of Connecticut, where the landscape looks very diferent and the trees play a starring role. This painting combines both city and country. The photo on the substrate shows the windows of that New York building. Sitting on top of that are five slats with a divided photo of a Connecticut tree.
Holli Levy is a fine artist based in Fairfield County, CT, known for her vibrant encaustic paintings and mixed-media works. Her art incorporates natural materials, papers, and her own photography, creating pieces rich in texture, depth, and visual storytelling. Holli's work has been featured in numerous juried exhibitions, solo shows, and has earned awards, reflecting her unique artistic approach and dedication.
Cityscape, Encaustic and photo printed on rice paper, 17 x 17 x 2 in
An avid hiker and nature lover, Holli’s deep connection to the outdoors profoundly influences her art. During her hikes and travels, she collects natural materials and photographs, which she later integrates into her paintings. These elements, along with her exploration of the encaustic medium, allow her to capture the serenity and beauty of the natural world.
Bleak Midwinter
Mary Pat Maracle
The Mississippi River is the artery for the heartbeat of the Midwest United States. It is often taken for granted. I love to view its beauty in the middle of winter; cold, January, -20°F, from high on the blufs above the river. It’s too cold for even the birds to fly. Its beauty is bleak and stark.
After years of teaching art to others, I am now able to feed my soul, to find growth, inner peace, and to be open to vulnerability through my own daily practice of art.
In one medium, encaustic, I find challenges and opportunities for growth. Encaustic gives me the freedom to play with layering, mixing mediums, textures, colors, and the use of multiple tools. Although it is an ancient art, it too has continued to change and grow and evolve.
I am drawn to nature, especially trees and the seasons. The seasons and trees are ever changing. Depicted alone or in landscapes, trees are authentic in themselves. They are present in their moments of life, growth, decay, and death.
Just like the seasons of nature and trees, I too have a need to continue to find growth, strength, courage, and resilience in the seasons in my life and Art is this place.
You can view Mary Pat’s work at www.instagram.com/mpmaracle
Bleak Midwinter, Photo encaustic, 16 x 12 x 1.5 in
Avignon Umbrellas
Susan Metzger
Avignon Umbrellas is inspired by a river cruise along the Rhône. Being surrounded by groups of tourists usually doesn’t enhance my travel experiences—but add rain and umbrellas and it is magic! I created the image with batik on cotton and then encased and enhanced with encaustic waxes.
I love working with wax. Batik has been my medium for the last thirty years. I love historic architecture and batik's crackle efect is perfect for old walls. Several years ago, I decided to see if encaustic would allow me to enhance and liberate my batiks from behind glass. It has become a perfect marriage of media.
About the Artist
Susan Metzger was raised in Ohio and began traveling in college with an Oxford Exchange program. That led to four years in Peace Corps Honduras, followed by four years in St. Croix, USVI. While in St. Croix, she discovered that batik allowed her to "own" the beautiful architecture that surrounded her, the warehouses and manors of the island and the adobe homes and churches of Honduras. Moving to Colorado in the 1991 meant lots of travel was needed to find architecture for artistic inspiration. She exhibits her work at the Blue Pig Gallery in Palisade, Colorado.
You can view Susan’s work at www.susancmetzger.com www.instagram.com/scjmetzger www.facebook.com/susan.metzger.777 Avignon Umbrellas, Encaustic and batik, 20 x 12 x 1.5 in
Earthen Embrace, Encaustic, driftwood, fabric, paper, found objects, and wire 16.5 x 6 x 4 in
Travel is often thought of as a journey from one place to another, but I believe true travel begins within, in the way we connect to the land we tread upon.
Earthen Embrace embodies this idea, a piece inspired by the landscapes of the Lake of the Ozarks, where I spend my summers—a place where the earth and water meet, constantly reshaping each other in subtle, eternal ways.
I began with the notion of a vessel, a form that holds not only space but meaning. The body of the vessel is made from layers of paper, old book pages, and cheesecloth, all bound together with encaustic in deep, earthy tones of rust and ochre. These colors evoke the feeling of the earth itself —warm, rich, and full of history. The pages, once used to tell stories, now tell their own story of travel.
Earthen Embrace
Cherie Peters
I placed the vessel onto a flat piece of driftwood, the natural grain of the wood anchoring the piece to the land, its edges worn by years of water's caress. The vessel is connected to the driftwood by wire, a thin but unyielding thread, like the invisible connections we form with the places we visit.
From the side of the vessel extends a long, slender piece of driftwood, a branch that stretches across the air like a road reaching toward the horizon. The piece is meant to hang, suspended in space, as if caught between destinations. The hanging motion suggests the delicate balance between leaving and returning, between the weight of the earth and the lightness of the journey.
Earthen Embrace is a story about the embrace between the earth and the journey. It speaks to the way our travels, both external and internal, are anchored in the land, in the memories, and in the moments that define us. It is a reminder that no matter where we go, we are always held by the earth—its stories, its rhythms, its embrace.
As an artist and educator, Cherie Peters is dedicated to fostering creativity and mental health through visual arts. Her work combines artistic expression with therapeutic support, from K-12 art education to Mental Health Coaching through art. Her encaustic practice incorporates found objects, driftwood, paper, or plexiglass.
You can view Cherie’s work at www.international-encaustic-artists.org/Sys/PublicProfile/75466169
www.instagram.com/riseaboveartist
www.facebook.com/RiseAboveArtist
Through a Train Window
Regina B. Quinn
Inspiration Award
A point of light becomes a line, a streak, a spark against blurred forms and fields of color.
My pounding heart pulses with the rhythmic sound of wheels on train tracks. Glimpsing fleeting flickers of light, I turn towards the window, unable to distinguish the internal from the external as I summon the courage of all who have persevered through the darkest times.
Through a Train Window, Encaustic and oils with wax on panel, 18 x 24 x 1.5 in
The Winds Across Clew Bay, Encaustic, India ink and oils with wax on panel, 18 x 24 x 1.5
The Winds Across Clew Bay
Regina B. Quinn
I struggle to stand erect on the edge of Ireland's wild Atlantic shore. Facing the intense wind, knees bent, toes curled, I cling to the edge of that ruggedness as I sprout roots anchoring me to this place. A wave washes over, redolent of the riotous blend of fear and hope that my grandmother at 20 and her sisters must have felt gazing out across this vastness as they set out for their new lives as domestics in Teddy Roosevelt's household.
Until that time, they'd only ever traveled but a few miles from their County Longford farmhouse. Now they were poised to leave all they knew and loved behind in hopes of opportunity.
What courage!
A Fraught Journey Home
Regina B. Quinn
Rooted in my deep connection to the natural world, my paintings express my awe and sense of stewardship for the fragile balance that allows life to thrive on this planet.
As darkness enshrouds, physically and metaphorically, it is pierced by glimmers of sometimes-unexpected light—the force that drives me to paint.
About the Artist
Regina B. Quinn is an encaustic artist who resides in the Northern Catskill Mountains of New York after decades in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. While her career encompasses painting, photography, ceramics, printmaking, and theatrical set design, she now focuses on creating works in encaustics and oils.
Regina serves as President of International Encaustic Artists and Vice-Chair of the Woodstock Artists Association & Museum’s Board of Directors. She teaches encaustics internationally and at the Woodstock School of Art.
You can view Regina’s work at www.reginabquinn.net www.instagram.com/GinaBQ www.facebook.com/reginabernadette.quinn.5
Unmoored, bewildered, lost on the most familiar path home upon hearing the U.S. election news.
A
Fraught Journey Home
India ink and oils with wax on panel
24 x 12 x 1.5 in
MILTON Michele Randall
MILTON, Encaustic and tissue paper pattern, 6 x 12 x 1.5 in
Each year, I travel to St. James City, Florida, to visit my parents while winter lingers in Pennsylvania.
St. James is often called “the last of old Florida.” It’s a small fishing community, full of canals and working-class retirees. The nearest grocery store is seven miles away. There are no trendy cofee shops or crowded beaches for spring breakers to “go wild.” This is a place where time moves slowly—until it doesn’t.
To me, Florida feels like a foreign land. The houses are painted in shades of Lafy Tafy—bright blues, greens, and pinks. Residents zip around in golf carts instead of cars. The heat is a heavy cloak, like a sweater warmed in the oven, scorching the earth and driving me indoors by 10 a.m. But even in this seemingly tranquil paradise, change is constant.
In the last few years, hurricanes have intensified, and with them, the storms have left their mark. Hurricane Ian flooded my parents' winter home, leaving four feet of water behind. They rebuilt. This year, Helene and Milton made their own appearances, each bringing 3-4 inches of surge into the house. My most recent visit was another round of cleanup and assessment. This time, morning walks along the canal routes felt diferent. The streets were lined with piles of discarded flooring, drywall, and appliances—everything damaged by the storms. I noticed that each pile was sprayed with a fluorescent orange stripe, indicating water damage and mold. Much of this debris had been installed only two years ago. The bright orange tags, so stark against the faded surroundings, punctuate my newest memory of this place.
MILTON, is part of an encaustic triptych. It is a nod to the third Hurricane that hit the community. The series of works honor my parents’ retirement town. I’ve replicated the bright hues of the homes, where white paint typically serves as a contrasting accent. In each of the three pieces, the height of the white paint marks the average flood level near my parents’ home.
Tissue pattern pieces, fragments of my own personal history, represent the debris left behind. Each piece is also marked with a slash of orange, suggesting the accumulation of destruction and loss.
While this series may initially seem to focus more on climate change than travel, I believe it speaks to both. The places we visit—and the people we love—are changing before our eyes. And some, like St. James City, are facing an uncertain transformation.
About the Artist
My work draws on the human connection to the landscape. A native of Pennsylvania, I grew up among farmland, wooded outposts, and streams. During my lifetime, I’ve watched urban growth transform these open fields. When I travel, I’m drawn to similar landscapes, noticing the edge between housing developments and wild outposts.
I am interested in color, light, and shape that build and reveal a sense of movement in the paintings. I pursue abstraction that brings an emotional connection to the viewer.
You can view Michele’s work at www.michelerandallart.com www.Instagram.com/michelerandallart www.facebook.com/michelerandallartstudio
Fleeting Memories, Encaustic, cardboard, pigment stick, and gold foil, 5 x 5 x 3/4 in
This piece captures my love for natural landscapes reflecting memories of my journeys, whether actual or dreamed. The artworks are reminiscent of places that have left an impression on me, conveying the essence of locations I have visited or imagined. They ofer glimpses into distant memories, whether from reality or dreams.
Fleeting Memories
Leah K. Read
My Dreamscape Chronicles series of abstract landscapes explores the liminal spaces between memory and dream, where reality bends and familiar elements dissolve into the ethereal. These works are inspired by places both visited in distant pasts and encountered in the shifting terrain of sleep—landscapes that exist only in fragments, barely grasped but deeply felt. Each painting embodies a place suspended in time, hovering at the edge of recognition, where the details blur into soft suggestion and the boundary between the conscious and unconscious fades. Using encaustic, cardboard, newspaper, pigment sticks, and gold foil, I build layers that mirror the complexity and fragility of memory. The tactile nature of these materials allows me to create surfaces that are both inviting and elusive, echoing the ephemeral quality of the places I evoke. Through color, texture, and form, I invite the viewer to step into these imagined worlds, to engage with the mystery of a place that is always just beyond reach.
Growing up in rural coastal Marin County, nature has always been an important part of my life. With the National Seashore, State Parks, and endless wildlife areas at my back door just waiting to be explored, it is no surprise that themes of nature are ever present in my work. From the curve of a petal, the texture of a decaying tree, the play of light and shadow on spring blooms, to the vivid colors from a fall leaf. These are the magical details of our world that captivate and delight me and that I aspire to reflect in my work.
You can view Leah’s work at www.lkread.com
www.Instagram.com/lkread
www.facebook.com/lkreadart
Blue Sky
Jodi Reeb
Through these new paintings, I am celebrating a sense of place and home. These encaustic with collage paintings are double exposure images printed on tissue paper and combined with oil and wax. The images are taken in the woods during an arts residency, where I used the time to create a new body of work. The residency was in my home state of North Dakota and was a home-coming for me since I left 35-years ago and moved to Minneapolis. When I travel, I discover areas of forests and nature, which are surroundings that give me a sense of peace and calm.
Jodi has been a full-time working artist creating paintings and sculpture and a teacher in Minneapolis for over 28 years. She has exhibited throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, Netherlands, and Ireland.
She has taught printmaking, acrylic, and encaustic painting as well as book arts classes/workshops at colleges and art centers regionally and internationally. She has taught encaustic workshops at the Essence of Mulranny in Ireland, Zijidelings in Netherlands, Kunstfreiraum in Basel, Switzerland, and San Miguel De Allende. Nationally, she has taught workshops at Arrowmont School of Craft, Penland School of Art, Tubac Center for the Arts, Wild Rice Retreat in WI, and Haystack School of Art. She has been an online video instructor with Painting with Fire for four years and has taught workshops at the International Encaustic Conference in Provincetown, MA for the past seven years.
You can view Jodi’s work at jodireeb.com/home.html www.Instagram.com/jodireeb www.facebook.com/jodireebartist
Blue Sky, Encaustic, photo collage, and oil, 18 x 18 x 2 in
Cape Cod Michaela Richardson
Cape Cod, Encaustic and pigments on wooden board, 24 x 48 x 1.5 in Diptych
My photo encaustic diptych Cape Cod is based on a photo taken when attending the Encaustic Conference in 2019, which was a long and important trip for me traveling from Germany. To create an abstract, almost spherical look, I used ICM (intentional camera movement). I described my technique of combining ICM and encaustic in this year's March Issue of the ICM Magazine.
About the Artist
Michaela Richardson, an Austria-based artist born in Germany, explores the dynamic between history and modernity by fusing ancient encaustic techniques with contemporary digital fine art photography.
Her nature-focused paintings reflect this dialogue, revealing layers of wax that encourage viewers to experience both the visible surface and the underlying complexity. This blend of layers allows Richardson to create art that is visually striking and rich in texture.
Through her art, she seeks to transcend the boundaries of time, space, and medium, crafting works that invite contemplation and a deeper connection to nature.
Michaela Richardson is one of the few European artists to have mastered the ancient technique of wax painting, encaustic, which dates back to the Egyptians and involves the application of burning hot wax mixed with pigments onto a wooden surface. Richardson combines this technique with contemporary digital fine art ICM photography, blending two- and three-dimensional artwork that spans antiquity and modernity. This fusion results in aesthetic modern pieces with extraordinary depth and a unique style. She also holds a Ph.D. in psychology and has exhibited her work nationally and internationally in the U.S., Germany, Switzerland, Slovenia, Italy, and Austria.
You can view Michaela’s work at www.micarichardson.com www.Instagram.com/micarichardsonart
You can view Michaela’s Photo Encaustic article at https://www.micarichardson.com/über/
Some Time To Dream, Encaustic, watercolor, oil, and artist crayons, 20 x 16 x 1.5 in
Some Time To Dream
Linda Robertson
I've taught in Ireland at Essence of Mulranny three times now, and the view toward the Old Convent Studio from the water is one of my favorites. We see it from a diferent angle while painting, but I see some version of it every day. I always make a point of walking this path at least once while I'm visiting. As the tide ebbs and flows, these salt marshes fill with water even as the sheep are out there grazing, but they don't seem bothered by it. This has become a ritual for me because no matter how busy I get it always allows me some time to dream.
I create imagined landscapes with lush botanical forms and vibrant colors reminiscent of places I have loved, like my childhood home in Hawaii and my current residence in the Pacific Northwest. My multilayered paintings celebrate how color and light interplay with nature. I want to elicit a sense of movement, as nature is never completely still. As the breeze blows and the weather changes, there is an efervescent sense of beauty that reminds me that there is always light.
It has always been a priority for me to live close to inspiring natural areas because of the impact it has on my work and my state of mind. I want my paintings to be reminders that we are not separate from nature and that our future is rooted in helping her thrive. I’m dedicated not only to creating, but also to sharing the healing properties of art and reverence for the environment.
You can view Linda’s work at www.lindarobertsonarts.com www.instagram.com/lindarobertsonarts www.facebook.com/LindaRobertsonArts/ bsky.app/profile/lindarobertsonarts.bsky.social
Medicine Men
Heidi Rufeh
Medicine Men in Africa act as a link between people and the super natural. The Healers are called Sangomas and are shamanic practitioners or spirit mediums within many African countries.
While the Shaman is the mediator of supernatural powers and men, the medicine man is mostly a curer of diseases through traditional techniques. The medicine man is not reliant on supernatural power, even though he could use magic, prayer, or songs. Often they use plants to heal physical or mental problems, but they also employ spiritual practices. Although they have a holistic view of health they can also address ailments through natural and spiritual means.
Heidi Rufeh’s abstract paintings reflect her intensely personal feelings to her surroundings, where she freely gives expression to dreams, her inner self, reticence, and mystery.
Pools of high color allude to passion, pictorial events and incidents that evoke a contemplative mood. The textures created with the encaustic medium, elements of collage, and oil give way to dragging brush strokes and scratchy details and visual drama.
When traveling she explores and reflects on a world beyond her own. These experiences are meaningful to her and cause her to confront the conditions people find themselves in.
You can view Heidi’s work at www.heidirufeh.com www.instagram.com/heidirufeh_art
Medicine Men, Encaustic and oil, 18 x 18 x 1.5 in
Porches
Phyllis Ruffer
Inspired by a stay in a hotel in the Berkshires, MA, this piece evokes the experience of sitting on a porch in an unfamiliar place, watching the world go by. Travel at its best.
About the Artist
My process involves the interplay between deliberate marks and repeated layering, moving closer to discovery with each repetition. I layer and remove materials repeatedly until I achieve a surface that I am satisfied with. I use my own photographs as collage elements to create a connection between the images and finished work that is thematic, as well as visual. These photos, along with textual elements, create another type of layer; i.e., a layer of meaning.
My interest in encaustic painting is a direct outgrowth of my use of transparent washes and collage elements in my oil and acrylic paintings. Encaustic paint allows the artist to work with texture, color, and embedded images in multiple layers, providing opaque and translucent efects possible in no other medium. My subject matter varies, but I have a particular interest in the interaction of landscape and the geometry of the built environment.
You can view Phyllis’s work at www.phyllisruffer.art www.instagram.com/nudelfrau
Porches, Encaustic on panel, 12 x 9 x 1.5 in
One Last Letter
Janet Sando-Healey
Traveling has been a thread of destiny throughout my entire life. Both my mother and father emigrated from Norway to the U.S. as a 20-year old, but with 30 years apart! Despite time and space, faith wanted them to meet in their new homeland, and remarkably they did and grew their family there. Years later, they took their lives back to Norway together with their children. My life has been filled with letters that have traveled across the Atlantic. Memories of letters arriving from Norway, and letters from the States later in life. In this work called "One Last Letter,” it is the journey of the letters that inspired this piece. Letters about joy and expectations, sorrow and pain, which have crossed the ocean to link families and friends together, lie deep in the layers of time.
An existential question of time is always present in my work. How to create a timeless expression, where the past, future, and present moment are there, all at once. The pictures are created through layers of beeswax/damar. They are pressed, rubbed down, scraped, and painted. Drawings, graphics, and monotypes are laid down in a way to create a connection and a dialogue between the layers. Using this technique I can create new spaces in a new reality or utilize the detached memories in an attempt to bring together and communicate more than a single picture can describe. In the depth of the layers, I want the story to emerge. On the surface the picture’s skin stands out, a tactile texture, that touches the outside world in the moment.
You can view Janet’s work at www.janetsando.com www.instagram.com/janetsandoart www.facebook.com/ArtofJanetSando
Last Letter,
One
Encaustic, 27.5 x 27.5 x 2 in
Winter Wedding
Susan Sarver
Winter Wedding was painted from a scene discovered on a snowy day in late November at Emerald Lake, Canada. The journey was a girls’ trip my daughter and I squeezed in during her short break from school. We were surprised to discover this set up for a wedding that took place later that day. I was struck by the beautiful simplicity of the arrangement that seemed to let nature take charge in creating the perfect scene for a winter wedding.
I am inspired by nature and human interaction with the natural world. Painting is a means of exploring, appreciating, and sharing a wonderful detail, a scene, or a memorable encounter with nature. As I paint, I often imagine these scenes and subjects within the context of a story.
Although I have worked in both oil and watercolor, after researching and writing an article on beekeeping, I was inspired to explore encaustic as an artistic medium. I quickly discovered the seemingly endless possibilities for working with wax. I remain dedicated to creating works in encaustic, cold wax, and mixed media while exploring possibilities for combining wax with novel media and unusual substrates.
You can view Susan’s work at www.susansarver.com www.Instagram.com/bylakemichigan
Winter Wedding, Encaustic, and pan pastel, 9 x 12 x 0.5 in
Sustainable I, Encaustic, 18 x 18 x 1 in
My abstract landscapes depict the horizontal aspects of a landscape that I see most strongly. Intentionally imperfect lines show earthy greens and browns, ethereal sky blues, sunny yellows, or the pink and orange tones of a remembered sunset.
Sustainable I Linda Sirow
I often think about climate change and how warming temperatures afect precipitation patterns and the earth’s water supply. As a homeowner with a lawn and flower gardens, I have given much thought to how I might reduce water consumption by being open to new ideas. A recent trip to Greece provided inspiration.
I had the opportunity to explore the Stavros Niarchos Park, one of the largest public Mediterranean gardens in the world, designed to be environmentally sustainable. The park beautifully captures the character of the Greek landscape using native trees, shrubs, perennials, and grasses.
I don’t normally appreciate the brown, tan, and dull green shades I expect to see in sustainable landscapes, because my preference is for vivid, saturated colors. However, the variety of colors and textures to be seen in this park fascinated and impressed me. I learned that a sustainable landscape can indeed be stunning, and I was inspired to explore the beauty of these earthy tones through my art practice.
This experience led to the creation of my “Sustainable” series of encaustic abstract landscapes, in which I sought to depict the subtle and harmonious colors of the beautiful native Greek land. The character of the materials, along with my memories and emotions, guided the imagery.
You can view Linda’s work at www.lindasirow.art/landscapes www.instagram.com/lindasirow www.facebook.com/LindaSirowArtist
I Would Love to Live Like a River Flows
(Harper’s Ferry, WV)
Anne Stine
This encaustic mixed-media painting captures the serene beauty of the Potomac River at Harper's Ferry, WV, on a warm summer's day. I chose a bright palette to depict the river's shimmering water, quaint town, and lush greenery of the surrounding landscape. The abstract style of the artwork emphasizes the fluidity and movement of the water, creating a sense of tranquility and harmony.
Harper's Ferry, a historic town situated between the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, played a significant role in American history. It was the site of John Brown's raid in 1859, an event that escalated tensions leading to the Civil War. Today, Harper's Ferry is a National Historical Park, preserving its rich heritage and natural beauty.
Located not far from my home, I find endless inspiration in this picturesque location, where the merging rivers and rolling hills provide a perfect backdrop for creative exploration. The use of encaustic technique to create multiple layers of wax adds a unique texture and depth to the painting.
I Would Love to Live Like a River Flows (Harper's Ferry, WV) Encaustic, 24 x 18 x 2.5 in
Wild Waters Roar (Great Falls, VA), Encaustic, 30 x 30 x 1.5 in
I grew up climbing on the rock formations that surround the mighty Potomac River at Great Falls Park, VA. The power and majesty of the roaring waters ignites an energy that I love to capture in encaustic painting. By melting the wax with a blowtorch, I'm able to imitate the ebb and flow of the water, giving a freedom and movement to the piece.
Wild Waters Roar (Great Falls, VA)
Anne Stine
As a mixed-media artist, I am deeply inspired by the essence of nature—its geometry, patterns, colors, and textures. From childhood, nature has been my refuge, a place for contemplation and connection I feel when surrounded by its splendor. It is this profound personal bond and the childlike awe for our natural world that I aim to convey to others, inspiring them to value and protect the environment that is so vital to us all. My artwork, crafted with encaustic paint and mixed media, delves into the essential, powerful need—mental, spiritual, and physical—that humans have for the natural world.
I have found that encaustic medium enables me to capture the intensity, fluidity, and diverse textures present in natural settings more efectively than any other medium. With a blowtorch in hand, guided by my artistic instinct, I carve, scrape, and mold the wax into semi-abstract representations of landscapes, waterways, and other natural vistas. My unconventional approach to painting, which involves layering mixed media with the wax, adds a distinctive element to each piece. Through sculptural alterations of the wax, I craft textured layers that animate my paintings, creating a tactile experience that beckons the viewer to reach out and touch the surface. The meticulous application of color and texture in my work invites the observer to delve into the concealed layers of materials, fostering a sense of personal discovery. It is the encaustic technique’s inherent unpredictability that continually inspires me to explore and expand the boundaries of my medium and creativity.
You can view Anne’s work at annestine.com/product/wild-waters-roar/ www.instagram.com/annestinefineart
www.facebook.com/annestinestudio
www.YouTube.com/annestinefineart
Morrigan Kelly Williams
Morrigan is a figurative encaustic torso on torn and burnt paper that draws on the mythological essence of the Celtic goddess of war, fate, and transformation. At her core, the form of a raven is incised, symbolizing prophecy and connection to the sacred. Layers of beeswax, peat ash, holy water, and carbon inks create a weathered, tactile surface, echoing the scars and endurance of Ireland’s ancient boglands. Through this fusion of materiality, myth, and abstraction, Morrigan bridges the divine and the earthly, honoring cycles of resilience and regeneration.
My work explores cycles of destruction, renewal, and healing through the use of location-specific materials such as forest fire ash, Irish peat, and holy water. Fire and sunlight serve as transformative forces, fusing these materials into layered encaustic works that merge abstraction and figuration. These layers, shaped by processes of burning, burying, and revealing, echo the physical and emotional scars carried by both the body and the land. By blending personal and environmental narratives, my work reflects the resilience and interconnectedness of humanity and nature, highlighting the shared cycles of trauma and regeneration that define our existence.
You can view Kelly’s work at www.kellywilliamsart.com www.instagram.com/kellywilliamsart www.facebook.com/kellywilliamsart69
Encaustic, peat ash, and holy water on torn paper mounted on panel 12 x 9 x 1 in
Morrigan
On the Trails, Encaustic on panels, 12 x 24 x 1 in Diptych
The left painting represents Vermont trees.
On the Trails
Terri Yacovelli
The right painting represents Pennsylvania trees.
This diptych of abstract landscapes are meant to capture the a universal feeling of connectedness to nature. Each painting reflects the serene moments experienced while hiking through the lush trails of Vermont and Pennsylvania. With this painting I invite the viewer to immerse themselves in the tranquil beauty of the forest and consider the unity of the natural world.
When I would take a walk or hike, I used to listen to a podcast or audiobook. Multitasking this way made the most of my time. Now I have made the conscious choice to walk in silence and just observe the beauty of the trees.
When your eyes and ears are open, you can hear the back and forth chatter of birds, a stream babbling past, or the wind moving branches. Silence somehow brings more awareness to the cool breeze on your face and the rich and earthy smell of the forest.
I represented the stillness by using muted tones of yellow, green, and gray, contrasted with bare black silhouettes of fall trees. There are silver lines in the soil from plant to plant to represent what is referred to as the “wood wide web.” Trees within a forest are interconnected through an underground network of fungi. This mycorrhizal allows them to share nutrients and water.
Navigating the Blue was painted when I returned from a trip to Italy, inspired by the vibrant streets and canals of Venice. We were walking around in circles, trying to locate the Peggy Guggenheim Museum. It is located right of the Grand Canal, but we got lost on the backstreets, going in circles. The Google Maps GPS kept guiding us into the canal waters, thinking it was a street. We had to purchase paper maps to make our way around. The experience of navigating the city's 400 bridges and hidden pathways to find notable landmarks inspired the structure of this work. The interlocking rectangles and lines reference a map of the streets and water of Venice. Yellow contrasts with blue, to create the paths that directed our way.
You can view Terri’s work at www.terriyacovelli.com www.instagram.com/tyacovelli
Navigating the Blue (Venice), Encaustic on panel, 24 x 24 x 2 in
Terri Yacovelli
Encaustic monotype, 50 gram masa rice paper
21 x 27 x 0.01 in
Fall in Sierra Nevada Mountains
Fall in Sierra Nevada Mountains
Lonnie Zarem
I very recently moved to Nevada and have been exploring up and down the many miles of the Truckee River from California through Nevada. The places to experience summer and fall and the newest transition to winter have been amazing! Memories almost seem to flow consistently through the twists and turns of the rugged water while the wild, glowing color contrasts of the season are captivating! Being a California native, I have never experienced fall in transition to winter quite like this. I hoped to capture this in an encaustic monotype image.
The Fish!
Lonnie Zarem
This is about an incredible summer of fly fishing for trout, salmon and arctic char across the world! (All catch and release.) First, I spent a week in the BC wilderness near the Yukon and experienced the wildest of mountains, streams, and fishing! The fish were some of the biggest and most colorful fish I have ever seen. Next, I traveled to Montana and floated down the famous Blackfoot River, fly fishing with my youngest son. It was beautiful, it was wild, and the time catching trout with my son was unforgettable… Then of to fly fish with my oldest son who lives in Iceland! The water was so clear you could see these colorful, healthy, beautiful fish up and down the streams. With the cold, the rugged country, and the waterfalls all around, the time with my son was amazing. I was always wondering where are the fish now! I joke these were the first fish I have caught in my studio!
I have always been in awe of natures quick, short-lived moments of perfection. I like to pause to witness a flower that rarely emerges, to experience the changing moods of the sky, to ponder the unique flow of a river or a waterfall. To feel, breathe, and be part of those precise moments when the seasons change. To hear animal migrations begin and end in a few seconds.
Recalling and capturing these fleeting moments is to track the passing of time, noting that life goes on and there is more to see, feel, and appreciate. I want to notice the details and be part of nature’s forward walk, to visually capture the dynamic shifts in time, and it’s unpretentious beauty. Moment by moment.
Encaustic monotype, 50 gram masa rice paper 26 x 25 x 0.01 in
Traveling has endless possibilities and renders a myriad of emotions. It might be humbling, cathartic, or transformational. The world is wide, which reminds us just how small we are. The openness that comes with travel is similar to artmaking: a process that enables us to make new connections and form new ideas.
Melissa Stephens Exhibitions Director
When in Rome: The Art of Travel, 2024 IEA Juried Exhibition
A digital publication of International-Encaustic-Artists.org
