ARTIST: TALK & DEMONSTRATION

This event took place on March 7, 2015. See upcoming events in Vero Beach.

Where: Fifth Avenue Art Gallery, 1470 Highland Avenue, Melbourne FL 32935

Shoot, Print, Wax: Combining photography with encaustic processes

My work is built by combining my photographs with translucent layers of encaustic medium, oil paint, and pastels. I use a heat gun or blow torch to fuse the wax to the photographs and their wooden supports. To complete the final surface, I often apply a variety of mark making tools, oil paint to accentuate details or in thin washes, and cooler brushes to add texture to the work. Encaustic can be unpredictable and unwieldy, but that adds an element of surprise that reminds me of happy accidents from the darkroom. —Melissa T. Hall