>> HISTORY OF ENCAUSTIC COMES OUT OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS.

THEY WERE USING RACKS TO JUST KIND OF REPAIR, AND FILL THE JOINTS OF THEIR SHIPS.

WHICH THEN LED THEM TO START PUTTING DECORATIVE IMAGERY ON THEIR SHIPS OUT OF WAX.

SO, THE IDEA OF HOW THE GREEKS WERE USING IT.

HOW THE EGYPTIANS WERE USING IT, HAS ALWAYS BEEN SOMETHING THAT I'M INTERESTED IN.

ENCAUSTIC HAS TO BE APPLIED TO A COURSE SURFACE.

SO, I WORK WITH SOLID WOOD SURFACES.

I WILL START OFF MY WORK WITH LAYERS, AND LAYERS OF WAX.

JUST TO GET IT TO GO INTO THE WOOD.

IT'S ALMOST LIKE HOW AN ACRYLIC PAINT TERMITE PRIME OF THEIR CANNABIS BEFORE THEY START.

THE TERM ENCAUSTIC TECHNICALLY MEANS TO BURN IN.

SO, FOR EVERY LAYER THAT I PUT DOWN, I HAVE TO KEEP THAT LAYER SO THAT IT BONDS, AND GRABS THE LAYER UNDERNEATH.

SO, THERE'S THAT COMPONENT TO IT.

MAYBE FOUR OR FIVE LAYERS INTO IT, I WILL EMBED A MAP INTO THAT.

THEN FROM THERE I CONTINUE TO BUILD MORE LAYERS OF WAX.

I HAVE DIFFERENT TYPES OF THINGS THAT I'M THINKING ABOUT FROM ONE BODY OF WORK TO THE NEXT.

BUT, I WILL SAY THAT ONE THING THAT TENDS TO BE CONSISTENT THROUGHOUT MY WORK ARE NOT SHAPES UNDERNEATH THE LAYERS OF WAX.

ALMOST ALWAYS ARE ACTUAL PAPER MAPS.

WHICH PEOPLE DON'T TYPICALLY USE ANYMORE.

THEN I WILL START MY IMAGERY.

I WORK PRIMARILY WITH TWO TYPES OF WAXES.

ONE IS 100% BEESWAX.

SO, THIS IS HOW I TYPICALLY GET MY WAX.

AND THIS COMES OUT OF A DEER CREEK THAT MAKES HONEY THAT COMES OUT OF OHIO.

THEY SELL IT IN THESE REALLY LARGE SLABS.

THEN I WILL OFTEN BE GIFTED OR FIND OTHER TYPES OF WAX THAT COMES IN SO MANY DIFFERENT FORMS.

AND THEN THE SECOND TYPE OF WAX THAT I USE IS SOMETHING THAT'S CALLED KARMA EARNEST ENCAUSTIC MEDIUM.

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE INSIDE THAT PACKAGE ARE THESE LITTLE PELLETS.

THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF RESIN IN THERE, AND THIS IS THE WAX I USED TO MAKE MY COLOR.

SO, TO MAKE COLOR I WORK WITH --I WILL TRY TO PULL THIS OUT.

I WORK WITH ALL OF THESE JARS OF DRIED POWDER PIGMENT.

THIS WOULD BE THE TYPE OF PIGMENTS THAT ANY ARTIST MAKING ANY KIND OF MEDIUM WOULD USE.

SO, WHAT I DO IS I MELT THE MEDIUM, AND THEN I SPRINKLE IN HOWEVER MUCH OF THE PIGMENTS THAT I WANT IN TERMS OF THE COLOR.

WHEN IT'S COOL I CAN POP IT OUT OF THE CONTAINER, AND HAVE MY OWN, DRY, COLD CAKE COLORS.

AND THEN I USUALLY APPLY THAT WITH A BRUSH.

THEN ONCE I'VE APPLIED IT WITH A BRUSH, I WILL TAKE A TORCH TO IT, TO BURN IT IN.

I TEND TO WORK I WOULD SAY MORE ON THE ABSTRACT SIDE OF THINGS, BUT I DO HAVE IMAGERY THAT'S IDENTIFIABLE IN THE WORK.

SO, ANOTHER COMMON THEME FOR QUITE A WHILE HAS BEEN ORCHIDS.

AND I USE THEM AS SYMBOLS OF STRENGTH.

I USE THEM AS SYMBOLS OF RESILIENCY.

I'M REALLY INTERESTED IN THE IDEA THAT ORCHIDS ARE FRAGILE, DELICATE FLOWERS.

BUT, IN ACTUALITY THEY EXIST ALMOST AT EVERY CLIMATE ON EARTH, AND THEY THRIVE.

IN ALMOST EVERY CLIMATE.

SO, I'M VERY INTERESTED IN THAT IDEA.

THEN I HAVE BEEN TAKING THOSE ORCHIDS, AND PAIRING THEM WITH ABSTRACTED IMAGES OF FEMALE ANATOMY.

KIND OF PAIRING THIS IDEA OF STRENGTH AND RESILIENCY WITH THE FEMALE ANATOMY.

AGAIN, IT'S A LITTLE BIT CODED.

IT'S A LITTLE BIT ON THE ABSTRACT SIDE.

BUT, FOR ME THERE'S A LOT OF POLITICAL IMPORTATIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING WITH THAT IMAGERY.

I HAVE SOME PAINTINGS WHERE I'M REALLY THINKING ABOUT GREEK MYTHOLOGY.

THERE IS KIND OF A SILHOUETTED IMAGE.

THE SIREN.

SO, THE SIREN IS HALF WOMAN, HALF BIRD.

THE STORY IS THAT THEY HAVE THESE BEAUTIFUL VOICES THAT SEDUCE THE SAILORS TO WANT TO FIND OUT WHO THEY WERE, AND WHAT THEY WERE.

AND THEY CRASHED INTO THE CLIFF.

SO, THERE IS AN IMAGE OF THAT.

AND THEN THERE IS A TARGET IMAGE.

SO, I'M THINKING KIND OF MORE ABOUT THIS IDEA OF FOCUSING INTO THE SIRENS ARE REALLY KIND OF LIKE, DOING THEIR OWN THING.

FOCUSING ON THEIR THING.

AND THEN THERE'S THIS PLACE IN THE TARGET THAT LOOKS LIKE IT GOT SMASHED, RIGHT?

SO, FOR ME THAT'S THE SHIP SMASHING INTO THEIR CREATIVE ACTS THAT THEY ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF.

WHAT INSPIRES ME TENDS TO BE A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS.

I HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH ENCAUSTIC FOR ABOUT 20 YEARS.

AND I HAVE DIFFERENT BODIES OF WORK THROUGHOUT THAT TIME FRAME.

MY IDEAS WILL CHANGE OVER TIME, OF COURSE AS MANY ARTISTS DO.

BUT, THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT REMAIN CONSISTENT THROUGHOUT THAT TIME.

MOST OF WHAT APPEARS IN MY WORK ARE THESE MAP IMAGERY.

AND THEY ARE ACTUAL MAPS THAT MAKE UP KIND OF THE GROUNDS OF THE WORK.

AND THEN I BUILT ON TOP OF IT.

SO, SOME OF THOSE MAPS I'M THINKING ABOUT SHAPES, AND LINE WORK.

THAT FOLLOW WHAT KIND OF MOVEMENT I MAKING THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

SO, THAT MOVEMENT MIGHT BE JUST SORT OF A ROUTINE FROM HOME, TO WORK.

TO THE GALLERY.

INTO THE STUDIO.

OR, IT MIGHT BE A SPECIAL TRIP THROUGH TEXTURE, AND COLOR, AND PLACEMENT.

THROUGH THE COMPOSITION.

I REFER A LOT TO EARTH, AND SKY.

I'M VERY INTERESTED IN HOW ONE IS LOOKING AT THE SKY, AND AT THE EARTH THEMSELVES WHEN THEY ARE MOVING THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

I'M ALSO INTERESTED IN HOW THE VIEWER LOOKS AT ART, AND MY ART.

AND I WANTED TO BE SOMETHING THAT CAUSES THEM TO PAUSE, AND REALLY LOOK AT WHAT'S BEING PRESENTED TO THEM.