ARTIST STATEMENT
As an abstract painter I believe in the power of painting to communicate ideas and emotions without words. Since 2006, I have focused on mastering encaustic, a medium created from bee’s wax, pigment and damar resin. Encaustic wax is a medium that is heated and applied in layers to panels. I use personal photographs as sources for content, including bedrock from North Point along the shores of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin, and interior views of forests.
I structure my paintings while taking into consideration formal elements and the characteristics of encaustic which can appear both fluid and solid. Methods I use to build my paintings include manipulated photographs printed onto rice paper and incorporated into the surface of the wax. I use a photo-silkscreen technique over and under the wax to add reductive elements of natural features. This combines the suggestion of the physicality of the earth with abstract forms, lines and color creating a layered space.
I see beauty in the balance between horizontal and vertical lines, the contrasts of light and dark, complementary colors and the opposition of hard and soft edges. Through my work, I seek to make sense of this world, to feel myself as fully present and to ground myself in the experience of being alive. The physical nature of the world captivates me. I feel the presence of a past that is revealed through structures, landforms, rock, water, and earth.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
A working artist and resident of Chicago for many years, Jane often returns to her native state of Wisconsin. She has exhibited in the Chicago area, and in regional and national exhibitions.
© Jane Michalski