Eileen Bochsler -Featured Artist Jan & Feb 2023

I have always loved being outside; camping, hiking, exploring new places… I loved it all. I was especially drawn to the bright colors and textures found in nature… plants, rocks, shells, flowers and landscapes. Because this love of nature continues to inform my art today, it’s no surprise to me that I am an abstract landscape artist. I’m also not surprised that I was drawn to encaustic painting as a medium. It is a medium like none other that I’ve experienced. I fell in love with its luminosity, transparency and versatility. I also love the texture building ability of encaustic paints.

I take lots of pictures of the sky and the clouds, not to copy the picture, but to study the shape of the clouds, the colors, the location of the light and the reflection of the ground in the clouds. Texture is an important aspect in painting clouds. In encaustic painting, texture is created through the application and manipulation of heat and cold as the wax is layered.

Over time spent with this medium, I have also learned how the wax reacts when heat is applied. Different colors can react differently. I’ve discovered the particular importance of understanding how transparent and opaque colors interact with each other. Using both paints in the sky helps to create depth. In an effort to create different textures, I’ve also explored using different tools to apply the paints. I usually start with a brush to apply the paint to my panel. The final layers of clouds are usually done using an iron or palette knife. This really adds to the texture and depth of the sky.