Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and go do that.
-H. Thurman
Janet Armstrong, Encaustic Artist
Encaustic painting combines my early love of pinch pots, and photography and later loves of ceramics, oils and acrylics. Wax and blowtorches empowers me to break rules, blending, layering and melting all at once. The creativity in my past marketing roles can’t hold a candle to this feeling.
As I have continued to experiment with art, a constant has been my love for the connection between my art and my stories. Life is a series of stories and telling them through encaustic painting is my most meditative state. My art allows me to dwell on my thoughts about people I cherish. I often translate those musings into encaustic pieces through color palettes, textures, embedded objects or whatever makes me think of them. Custom pieces include photos, wedding invitations, and tidbits to make meaningful mementos. Life is short and the most important part is the ones you love. They are the voices in my head, the laughter in my memories, and the happiness in my heart. I hope that is what comes out in the stories of my art.
My process involves painting many layers of hot, molten beeswax infused with pigment on birch panels. It is mesmerizing to melt and move wax with the aid of a blow torch or heat gun. Scraping tools reveal colors hidden below the surface, mark making with everyday items, embedding feathers, papers, and rusty metal are just a few of the techniques that come into play.
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