Naomi Hart

Patterns Of Change (diptych)
mixed media encaustic
14 x 26 in.

As an artist I am a storyteller and a time traveler. I am a thoughtful, compulsive, curious soul who fearlessly explores and never ceases to grow. Through my artwork I seek to expose the inner landscape of my own life and I am always intrigued to find that it resonates with viewers. I use symbolism and text to reference the language of relationships, and draw from the mysteries of the natural world I love to expose the inner. I am fascinated by placement and convergence, and the reminder that we are all on a common path of enlightenment. We all seek autonomy of self while desperate for a sense of connectivity and relevance within a chaotic and taxing modern world.

Since childhood I have been in front of a crowd entertaining through visual and performing arts. My formal MFA is in printmaking and book arts through the Rochester Institute of Technology. Throughout my educational exploration, I combined my love of process with my insatiable need to tell a story. Beginning in 2011 I began a mentorship in Encaustic Painting and I have developed a lasting fascination with how this process informs my work. I love to be led by the flow of working hot wax, and to respond intuitively to it as it forms on the pallet. The wax can be manipulated in so many ways by carving, pouring, tinting and layering, and yet every tender graphite line, even the grain of the wood panel remains visible through the layers. The wax adds a necessary history to the story.

I have shown work broadly and have taught printmaking and book arts as an adjunct professor and in workshops. Since I began exhibiting my encaustic paintings, I have been honored with many awards and opportunities for solo and group exhibitions through out the Midwest. I grew up in the rugged wilds of the North Shore in Minnesota where I learned to listen to the birds and observe the bugs and vegetation. The woods and wilderness are my homeland still and are the very foundation of all my stories.

© Naomi Hart