Naturally Occurring

“I’m enthralled by leaf edges, stem shapes, their reflection in my mark-making, rhythm, light, line, and form.” – Debra Claffey

Debra Claffey, Theory of Impermanence, 24″x24″, encaustic on panel.

“My intention for these works is to transport the viewer to a place of consciousness where beauty, peace, and tranquility exist in tandem.” – Charyl Weissbach

---Charyl Weissbach Encaustic, metal, metal leaf, and resin.

Charyl Weissbach, Arabesque, 12″x12″, encaustic, metal, metal leaf, and resin.

“While I am concerned with mark-making and calligraphy in this series, I am always highly influenced by nature, and particularly plant forms. #116 takes on a dance-like quality of falling leaves.” – Jane Allen Nodine

Jane Allen Nodine, Apparition #116, 24″x18”, wax and pigment on Japanese paper.

“We move in close to have the blossoms surround us.” – Marilyn Banner

Marilyn Banner, "Lavender", Encaustic on panel.

Marilyn Banner, Lavender, 12″x12″, encaustic on panel.

“Last night I dreamt in green and nature’s shapes and colors.” – Susan Delgavis

Susan Delgavis, Verdant Dreams, 24″x24″, encaustic on panel.

“Benthic Mapping references the bottom of a body of water and the plant and animal life that exist there.” – Tracey Adams

Tracey Adams, Benthic Benthic Mapping 1 and 2, encaustic and ink on Kozo paper, each scroll is 144″x18″.

“They are created by making collagraph plates from actual sections of trees, replicating bark patterns, imperfections, etc. I choose the color arbitrarily.” – Pamela Wallace

Pamela Wallace, In the Woods XXXVII, 18″x36″, encaustic/collograph collage on panel.

“Trees hold the record of their lives in their rings. These inner marks remain hidden from view, the way that humans hold within the physical, mental and emotional marks of personal experience.” – Christine Shannon Aaron

Christine Shannon AaronEcho I, lithographic monoprint, asian paper, and encaustic on wood. Echo III and Echo II from left to right,

Christine Shannon Aaron, from left to right, Echo III, Echo II, and Echo I, lithographic monoprint, Asian paper, and encaustic on wood.

“There was a specific moment when my art started “sprouting”, when my sculptures “grew” foliage.” – Catherine Nash

Catherine Nash, Phases, mixed media assemblage in an antique sewing machine drawer, wood carving, encaustic branch, roots, paper “leaves”, seeds, mirror, nautilus shell. 31”h X 9”w X 6”d

“The beautiful and solitary nests of the Osmia avoseta bees are the inspiration for my brood chambers. My chambers are empty, signifying both the missing honey bees and hope that the O. avoseta bees will bring regeneration.” – Susanne Arnold

Susanne Arnold, O. avosetta Brood Chamber – Autumnal, 6″x3″x 3″, encaustic, botanicals, beeswax .

“My work is inspired by the rhythms, patterns, light and colors in nature. These pieces contain images of wildflowers and grasses in the mountains of Colorado.” – Jane Goethel Guthridge

Jane Goethel Guthridge My work is inspired by the rhythms, patterns, light and colors in nature. These pieces "The Space Between 39 & 40" contain images of wildflowers and grasses in the mountains of Colorado.

Jane Goethel Guthridge, The Space Between, 19” x 36”, archival pigment print and encaustic on translucent Asian papers.

“The images are firmly grounded in the natural world, reflecting the geographic region, season and light in which they were captured.” – Jeri Eisenberg

Jeri Eisenberg, Under the Norway Maple, No. 4, archival pigment ink on Kozo paper infused with encaustic, 36″x34″.

“Bizarre, spiky things sprout up through the brackish waters, bathed in luscious sun-soaked colors.” – Leslie Neuman

Bizarre, spiky things sprout up through the brackish waters, bathed in luscious sun-soaked colors.--Leslie Newmann

Leslie Neumann, Garden of Unearthly Delights, 48″x64″, encaustic.

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This issue’s featured images have been guest curated by Debra Claffey, a visual artist who uses encaustic, oil, and mixed media in her work. She holds a BFA in Painting from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and Tufts University and an Associate’s Degree in Horticultural Technology from the University of New Hampshire. Claffey has exhibited across the country, especially here in New England, and has work in several private collections. She is represented by the Hole in the Wall Gallery in Raymond, Maine. She is a juried member of the NH Art Association and the current President of New England Wax, a collective of artists who use encaustic. Additionally, Claffey writes a blog, Making Something Out of Nothing. In June 2013, she organized her first curated exhibition, Natura Viva: Flora, Fauna, and Us, at ArtCurrent Gallery in Provincetown in conjunction with The Seventh International Encaustic Conference.

debraclaffey.com