Opening May 4th. Please join us!
POETIC WAX features the work of artists Judith Williams and Larraine Seiden. Both artists paint using Encaustic, a technique originated by the Ancient Greeks. Encaustic is derived from the Greek word encaustikos, “to burn in.” The paint is composed of beeswax, resin (sap from trees), and pigment particles. These ingredients are melted together at 200 degrees and applied to panels in a molten state with a brush.
Judith and Larraine both incorporate collage with papers, found and collected mementos, segments from journals, grocery lists, and receipts, among other items. Using the transparent beauty of wax, they layer and arrange these elements. The resulting images are a poetic mix of words, color, and images, with the hauntingly beautiful effect of the encaustic process lifting the work and transporting the viewer into another realm.
Larraine uses the language of textile arts to witness the everyday. “My work comes directly out of the chaos of contemporary life–in the found spaces between juggling young children, teaching jobs, stacked chores, and an iPhone. My art practice is my meditation, through which I seek moments of transcendence against the intense chatter of this moment.” larraineseiden.com
Judith works in encaustic for its “beautiful translucency and transparency….. There is an on-going psychological component in my figurative work. I think about the female psyche and how in manifests in behavior….to nurture and accommodate, to be seen and noticed, to compete, to be respected, and to survive. It is issues of being female in a patriarchal society that always intrigues me.” judithwilliamsart.com
The show runs May 4 – May 27, 2019. Gallery hours are Fri, Sat, Sun & Mon, 11am – 4pm, or by appointment. Gallery located at 295 Oak St., Hayes Valley, San Francisco, CA 94102.
For more information, please email hvawsf@gmail.com.