Surfacing
New Works by the Working With Wax Group
Show runs September 2 - October 29, 2020
New Works by the Working With Wax Group
Show runs September 2 - October 29, 2020
This show is the 25th anniversary show of The Geisel Gallery!
Artist Statement
The Rochester-based Working with Wax artist group announces the exhibit “Surfacing” from September 3 to October 30 at the The Geisel Gallery at One Bausch+Lomb Place, Rochester, NY, 14604. The exhibit features the work of 27 members. The public is invited to visit the gallery (located on the second floor mezzanine level) during business hours, M-F, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Admission is free.
Working with Wax—led by founder and encaustic painting expert Kathryn Bevier—is an alliance of Western New York artists who work with media based in beeswax as their primary studio practice. Members share ideas, best practices, and seek guidance from one another as they explore the medium of beeswax.
Kathryn Bevier shared, “For more than five years the Working with Wax group has been meeting, collaborating, and exhibiting. What started as a small band of artists has grown significantly as we now come from all over the western New York area. It is exciting to see so many artists finding and honing in on their artistic voice through the use of wax.”
The exhibit’s title Surfacing is a nod to the versatility of wax and its potential for artists to develop paintings characterized by rich layers, multimedia, collage, and elegant—often mysterious—surfaces. With wax, process and product are mutually intriguing to artists and viewers.
Bevier adds, “The idea of ‘surfacing’ was chosen as our theme in response to Covid-19. Not only does the word allude to the beautiful surfaces created with beeswax, it is a fitting metaphor as we cautiously emerge back into our communities. This exhibit is sure to inspire all who attend; hopefully our art will bring a moment of peace. Many thanks to gallery director Jean Geisel for allowing this exhibition to continue during these unsettling times.”
In this exhibit, artists present paintings created with both “hot” and “cold” wax. Hot wax is encaustic paint made of beeswax, pigment and resin hardened into a solid form. Artists melt the paint on a heated work surface then work with it in a molten state to develop layers and texture, using additional heat to fuse new layers as they go. Paintings “dry” as the wax cools, which is nearly immediate. Once cool, surfaces can be incised and further developed with inlays and oil paint.
Cold wax is a colorless oil painting medium made of beeswax, solvent, and resin with a consistency like vegetable shortening. Artists mix cold wax medium with oil paint to develop paintings with transparent layers, textures, and inventive surfaces. Painting tools include palette knives, brayers, squeegees, repurposed cooking gadgets, and traditional brushes. Paintings dry by evaporation and have a matte finish. Artists who work with cold wax share an interest in working intuitively and experimenting with the physicality of the paint.
Art in the exhibit may be purchased directly from each artist and must remain in the gallery for the duration of the exhibit. Visitors are required to follow public health protocols of masking and physical distancing.
Exhibiting Artists:
Jerry Alonzo / Sarita Arden / Jane Bartlett / Kathryn Bevier / Phyllis Bryce Ely / Maureen Church / Carey Corea / Pat DeLuca / Connie Ehindero / Michael Harris / Richard Harvey / Joyce Hertzson / Barb Manchee / Melanie Martinek / Connie Mauro / Anne McCune / Laura McKnight / Carol O'Brien / Marjorie Pearl-Gurnett / Lida Riedlinger / Dawn Robinson / Sidonie Roepke / Patti Russotti / Kathy Steblen / Jean K Stephens / Sherry Tullloch / Nancy Valle / Jessica Young / Janet Zandy
Artist Statement
The Rochester-based Working with Wax artist group announces the exhibit “Surfacing” from September 3 to October 30 at the The Geisel Gallery at One Bausch+Lomb Place, Rochester, NY, 14604. The exhibit features the work of 27 members. The public is invited to visit the gallery (located on the second floor mezzanine level) during business hours, M-F, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Admission is free.
Working with Wax—led by founder and encaustic painting expert Kathryn Bevier—is an alliance of Western New York artists who work with media based in beeswax as their primary studio practice. Members share ideas, best practices, and seek guidance from one another as they explore the medium of beeswax.
Kathryn Bevier shared, “For more than five years the Working with Wax group has been meeting, collaborating, and exhibiting. What started as a small band of artists has grown significantly as we now come from all over the western New York area. It is exciting to see so many artists finding and honing in on their artistic voice through the use of wax.”
The exhibit’s title Surfacing is a nod to the versatility of wax and its potential for artists to develop paintings characterized by rich layers, multimedia, collage, and elegant—often mysterious—surfaces. With wax, process and product are mutually intriguing to artists and viewers.
Bevier adds, “The idea of ‘surfacing’ was chosen as our theme in response to Covid-19. Not only does the word allude to the beautiful surfaces created with beeswax, it is a fitting metaphor as we cautiously emerge back into our communities. This exhibit is sure to inspire all who attend; hopefully our art will bring a moment of peace. Many thanks to gallery director Jean Geisel for allowing this exhibition to continue during these unsettling times.”
In this exhibit, artists present paintings created with both “hot” and “cold” wax. Hot wax is encaustic paint made of beeswax, pigment and resin hardened into a solid form. Artists melt the paint on a heated work surface then work with it in a molten state to develop layers and texture, using additional heat to fuse new layers as they go. Paintings “dry” as the wax cools, which is nearly immediate. Once cool, surfaces can be incised and further developed with inlays and oil paint.
Cold wax is a colorless oil painting medium made of beeswax, solvent, and resin with a consistency like vegetable shortening. Artists mix cold wax medium with oil paint to develop paintings with transparent layers, textures, and inventive surfaces. Painting tools include palette knives, brayers, squeegees, repurposed cooking gadgets, and traditional brushes. Paintings dry by evaporation and have a matte finish. Artists who work with cold wax share an interest in working intuitively and experimenting with the physicality of the paint.
Art in the exhibit may be purchased directly from each artist and must remain in the gallery for the duration of the exhibit. Visitors are required to follow public health protocols of masking and physical distancing.
Exhibiting Artists:
Jerry Alonzo / Sarita Arden / Jane Bartlett / Kathryn Bevier / Phyllis Bryce Ely / Maureen Church / Carey Corea / Pat DeLuca / Connie Ehindero / Michael Harris / Richard Harvey / Joyce Hertzson / Barb Manchee / Melanie Martinek / Connie Mauro / Anne McCune / Laura McKnight / Carol O'Brien / Marjorie Pearl-Gurnett / Lida Riedlinger / Dawn Robinson / Sidonie Roepke / Patti Russotti / Kathy Steblen / Jean K Stephens / Sherry Tullloch / Nancy Valle / Jessica Young / Janet Zandy
RSVP to the event on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/310585497031580/
The Geisel Gallery is located on the Second Floor Mezzanine Floor of Legacy Tower
One Bausch + Lomb Place, Rochester, NY 14604
The Geisel Gallery is located on the Second Floor Mezzanine Floor of Legacy Tower
One Bausch + Lomb Place, Rochester, NY 14604
