Background
Elemental is an exhibit group of four artists who met in New England Wax (NEW), a professional organization of regional artists working in the medium of encaustic. Building on our NEW foundations, we Elemental artists sought to branch out and distinguish ourselves as artists engaged in critical discourse and art practice addressing and raising awareness of current issues in contemporary society, particularly our ongoing environmental crises.
As an artist collective, we feel compelled to take on the task of furthering the conversation on how to craft a new future. We have the opportunity, at this moment in time, to make a new world that includes a sustainable approach to health for ourselves and our planet. As individual artists, we each make use of organic forms and abstractions and are inspired by nature and its processes, and it was a natural impulse to collaborate on this message to the viewing audience.
We four artists joined together over our common concerns about the nature of our world and committed ourselves to finding ways that we, as artists, can effect change.
We explore the interconnectedness of all living things, human responsibility for the health of the planet, and the need to restore balance and sustainability to our beleaguered and endangered environment. In doing so, we challenge the boundaries of the artist’s role in determining the future of our world through our message. We are dedicated to the noble pursuit of raising awareness of the need for sustained efforts in reclaiming the natural balance of ecosystems on our planet.
Encaustic
We make use of the ancient medium of encaustic (hot wax painting) and mixed media to convey our individual messages.
“Encaustic” painting also known as hot wax painting is a painting technique that was popular during the Greco Roman Period. The word “encaustic” means to burn in. Hot beeswax, damar resin, and oil paint are combined and heated to create an encaustic painting. When painting in encaustic, the melted wax fused with pigment naturally interacts with light, creating a luminousity easily perceived.
We employ encaustic, cold wax, and mixed media as a unique means for exploring the subtle and mesmerizing affinity imparted by our natural surroundings.