Hi From Art 1274 Hollis!
It’s May, the Month of rebirth and hope. Here at the Gallery, we hope you will all come down and visit and see what’s new. And there’s a lot!
We have a wonderful new fibre Artist with gorgeous wearable pieces. More about this Creative Diva next month. For now I want to tell you a little about us. Actually, I am going to be quoting from a message from our esteemed Madame President, Colleen Underwood.
Says She:
“I’ve been a member of this Gallery since its very birth nearly fourteen years ago. There are so many reasons why we love the Art Cooperative experience. Not the least of which is working with a group of dedicated Artists and Craftspeople who love the process. We support and learn from one another. To have the pleasure of interacting with the public in your own space and to have the opportunity to talk about and promote your own work as well as proudly promoting the work of the other members is unique to the Co-op experience.
Members are not selected simply to ‘fill a space’. Artists are given careful consideration for quality of work and ability to work as a team with the rest of the Gallery family. Members must be knowledgeable and able to discuss all methods of the creative process with interested patrons. We hold special events for our patrons and this has helped to create a bond with our customers as well as creating a challenge to individual Artists to showcase themselves in a “Featured Artist” monthly event.”
As an example, this month’s Featured Artist is none other than Colleen herself.
Her beautiful wall of new Encaustics is entitled “Come Gather Around” a virtual feast for the eyes. This show runs until the end of May, at which point our next Featured Artist will become Benoît Paradis with an incredible exhibit of vibrant Acrylic paintings. Benoît’s show is entitled “Good Vibrations“ tuning in with nature’s frequency.
But before I forget….Back to encaustic Painting.
Colleen tells us a bit about her process.
The word encaustic comes from the Greek “to burn in”… meaning in this situation pigmented molten beeswax is mixed with Damar varnish. This complex and tricky process consists of melting each colour separately in a metal container on a hot plate.
At this point the coloured wax must be applied to the surface within 3 seconds before it begins to harden. This process is done layer upon layer allowing each layer to adhere to the underneath layer. All the while, the Artist must maneuver the wax to the desired image. The paint itself is luminous, aromatic and offers an emotional, sensual experience in its application.
Finally a light buffing to complete the process gives a luster to the wax causing it to shine through.
You must see this beautiful work!
Come on Down to the Gallery...see you soon
Happy May!
Cris