Concepts of human existence that include science’s constructs
of space and time have always intrigued me perhaps fueled by
an early interest in mythology, science fiction, and spiritualism.
Their notions of “otherworldliness” or
other planes of existence and the exciting possibilities of
transmutating entities fueled my imagination.
Recently I have taken a more serious approach to the investigation
and questioning of my own belief systems both in terms of concepts
of the sacred and the seeming hierarchy of life or perhaps
of “being” on earth and within a larger universe. This involves studying a wide array of information from quantum physics to the Christian understanding of angels. There are of course no answers. Yet somehow these concepts are intertwined, you cannot search for the meaning of the “Sacred” in your belief system and not encounter questions dealing with our perceived reality which includes an understanding of space and time. The following is a beginning point for these investigations and how they are emerging in my art, the beginning of my personal Odyssey.
In Italy I experienced ancient pre Christian worship sites
preserved in the lower reaches of cathedrals. In Mexico, Catholic
churches were built upon, in fact with, the very stones used
to construct Mayan sacred sites. In each case there is a sacred
place preserved and honored by new generations of worshippers
who may be worshipping a different “god” but nevertheless consider the site sacred either because it was revered by its previous occupants or because they somehow conceive it to be linked to an event in their own history (curious that new sacred sites don’t pop up all that often). Anyway, the materials are still there, nature (perhaps more correctly energy) does not disappear, man reconfigures it to suit his present cultural needs. The idea is that there is this layering of the past, one reality built upon another yet co-existing in real time or what seems to be real time to us. This complexity and confusion of ancient and modern sites coincides with a parallel confusion with ancient and modern themes of existence and sacred belief systems.
Obviously we have come a long way in terms of a scientific
and biological understanding of our bodies and our universe
and yet in many ways are not that much closer to any concrete
answers to the “what is life” questions. If time is not a linear construct as we currently live it then perhaps it is more aligned with a vertical or multi-dimensional view such as we see in the ancient architecture all around us. This is really a muddle so far as it is not as much about time as it is about the crusted layers of society loosely interwoven yet packed or tamped down by the shear weight of humanity and inhumanity. We do things over and over again, repeating history though we think we are not. The cycle continues.
My art is my diary, my “thinkpad” as I delve into these issues. Visual and other sensory experiences are a trigger, almost a lure, to an internal, forgotten, mislaid, perhaps purposefully buried feeling that must work its way up and ultimately out, exorcised if you will, confronted and made real by expression. I become obsessed with knowing everything there is to know and my research may range far from the original interest as I cast an ever widening net to gather the supporting “evidence” or knowledge needed to proceed with the vision. I do not feel satisfied until I have brought all of the loose ends together.
Using the 2-D surface as a sketchpad I lay down the most complete
vision of that moment of inspiration. Typically I am dissatisfied
with the result. For, even though I have done a great deal
of investigation, I am now flooded with knowledge and must
begin the process of distillation to achieve a smaller, clearer
vision. This often involves a total or partial obliteration
of the original work and yet the original must be there, even
though obscured, as a part of the living history of the work
and as a constant reminder of my original intent. In fact,
I move to a more impersonal touch, splattering and dripping
the materials, covering the original drawing rather than leaving
my direct mark as a means of reinforcing the inevitable reclamation
of the earth by nature in the ultimate absence of the handiwork
of mankind. This leads to a complex layering and interaction
between the history and future or development of the piece
as it reaches back and forward even while it exists in our “real time”. For me, this interaction and attraction, the push and pull between layers is akin to the living history that surrounds us, layered, under pressure, cohabitant with the past, a living thing and like time without space or space without time a more simplistic work or world would not represent the same vision.
So a concrete thing or vision may marry to an ephemeral memory
or thought and become a moment of intimacy for me that must
be worked until satisfaction, even exhaustion. Then I can be
quiet again until the ideas, and feelings experience that slow
stirring of wonder and I am again on the chase for what has
caused this inner commotion and what form of final expression
will satisfy and bring closure, a mirror of my life, of finding
my way.
If you’ve read this far you are a true seeker and I wish
you well. Best, Laurel
History
As early as 800 B.C. Homer talked about painted warships sailing into Troy. These
ships were caulked with beeswax and colored with pigmented wax. Many Greek
statues, now a glistening white, were at one time painted in the encaustic
method. The most famous surviving encaustic art is seen in the Fayum portraits
of Egypt.
The confluence of cultures, Roman, Greek and Egyptian, after
Alexander's conquest of the Egyptian Nile delta in 330 B.C,
created a tremendous synergy in the arts. The Romans adopted
the Egyptian manner of wrapping the deceased but kept the portrait
(created for the coffin or “mummy case”) in a more
traditional style. Grecian Krater vases have been found with
detailed images of painters using tools heated in a brazier
to apply the wax to the surface though some were painted with
wax emulsion (Punic wax, beeswax boiled with sea water and
potassium carbonate then bleached by the sun). The handling
of the wax in these Greco-Roman portraits is very classically
thin, dark to light layers with some impasto for jewels and
fabrics. Gold was painted on after death to acknowledge the
transition from temporal earthly life to a more timeless spiritual
existence. An interesting aside, when full length mummified
remains were examined the bottoms of the feet were worn off
and it is believed that the mummies were kept standing on display
for quite some time prior to removal to the burial site.
The
largest group of Greco-Roman “Fayum” (an oasis
in Egypt) portraits dating to 100-125 A.D. were discovered
in 1888 (British, W.M. Flinders-Petrie) in a Roman era cemetery
at Hawara. By the 7th century encaustic was generally out of
favor with the exception of Byzantine icons as easier methods
such as tempera were being developed.
During the World War II years, artists materials were in scarce
supply and artists were searching for a new means of expressing
the impact of the war through their art. Thus, candle wax began
a new era for encaustics. It was however a difficult medium
with which to work and many artists were made ill by improper
ventilation and heating practices. In the 1970’s, Jasper Johns flag and target paintings
caused a modern revival of interest in the medium. With greater understanding
of safety issues and, of course, electrical devices and propane torches it is
a far safer and more flexible working method for today’s
artists. Contemporary 2D and 3D artists, printmakers, photographers
and mixed media artists find the medium seductive and produce
a wide variety of encaustic works.
Working Method
The actual word “encaustic” comes from the ancient Greek’s “kausticos” meaning “to
burn in”. As with caulking of warships, each layer of wax must be “fused” with
heat to the previous layer or it will flake apart. At its most
basic, encaustic painting consists of using molten refined
beeswax and a resin (for hardening) as a medium mixed with
dry pigment. Molten is the key word here as the medium cools
and hardens quickly once removed from the heat source. Artists
use either a heated palette or heated tools such as spatulas,
hot air guns and propane torches to move the paint about the
surface. Since wax is an adhesive it can be used to both adhere
and preserve a variety of collaged materials. Artists are able
to inscribe lines, model forms from the wax and even pull prints
from the wax surface. Beautiful glazes can be achieved and
the final surface can be made rough or polished to an enamel
like finish with the wax and resin lending a richness and depth
to the color.
Encaustic paint is stable in a temperature range of approximately
40-110 degrees Fahrenheit (It becomes liquid at approximately
165 degrees). If any dulling occurs (generally due to a natural
curing process as the surface continues to harden) a simple
buffing with a soft, lint free, cotton cloth when the piece
is cool should restore the high polish. The mixture of wax
and resin provides a surface that may be buffed but not abused
so please be careful not to scratch it with sharp objects.
Encaustic paintings should not be varnished or covered by glass.
However, if the surface of your piece includes rough textures
or more delicate unfused surfaces you may wish to place the
piece under glass leaving sufficient space for air circulation.
Sources: “Art
of Encaustic Painting” by Joanne Mattera,
R&F Handmade Paints - www.rfpaints.com, Mayer's Artist’s
Handbook
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