Mystery and Imagination
8th July to 1st August 2008
Open evening 9th July 2008 7-9pm
Gwenyth has always had an interest in art and in her early days worked with metal and pottery as well as painting while training as a teacher. During her teaching career there was little free time to pursue her interest apart from visiting exhibitions both here and in Europe. However, once retired she returned to her pursuits and attended various adult evening institute classes studying watercolour. More recently she saw a demonstration by an encaustic wax artist and it is this medium she has explored in the paintings for this exhibition.
Encaustic painting is over 2000 years old dating from early Greek, Roman and Egyptian times when coffins and tombs were decorated using this medium. Encaustic comes from the Greek word “enkaustus” meaning to burn in – and in those days the wax was burnt in using charcoal and usually applied to wood. Today, a hot iron is used and various other tools which can be heated and which will transport and manipulate molten wax.
Gwenyth is constantly trying out different effects gained by using different surfaces on which to apply the wax. She has found encaustic wax painting both fascinating and liberating, and as the results cannot be accurately predicted each painting is unique, which is so different from watercolour painting.
Gwenyth is a member and Honorary Secretary of Chislehurst Artists and regularly exhibits both watercolour and encaustic wax paintings at their exhibitions.