The August show at In-Town Gallery, ”Creating Waves With Wax", features the encaustic paintings of Margaret Park.
Encaustic is a medium that has undergone a resurgence in recent years. Park brings a modern sensibility to this ancient art, creating abstract and semi-abstract paintings of sensitivity and expression.
She will be doing a demonstration on Friday evening, August 4th. Beginning with a reception and demo, “Creating Waves With Wax" will run through August 31st.
“The ancient Egyptians used it to create funeral portraits that were painted in a person’s lifetime and then placed on their mummy after their death!” says Park. Indeed, encaustic is one of the oldest artist materials in the world. It is made from beeswax and damar resin, which are melted together in specific proportions. Pigments are then added to create vibrant colors. Encaustic is applied hot and while the beeswax is molten. It is a very permanent medium as long as it’s properly cared for.
A lifelong artist, Margaret says, “I was born in West Virginia, grew up in Chicago, learned a lot in the suburbs, and am blooming in Tennessee. A trail of paint was left behind through it all!” Known for her work in watercolor and acrylic, Margaret now devotes herself to encaustic. “I find the techniques I used with other mediums enrich my work in encaustic. Sometimes I get a similar effect and sometimes a very different result that causes my art to shift in new directions.”
Showing the work of local artists, In-Town Gallery is located ‘Between the Bridges’ on Chattanooga’s North Shore at 26A Frazier Ave. Hours are Mon-Sat 11-6 p.m. and 12-5 p.m. on Sundays. ITG offers a diverse range of original art and fine craft.
Visit them at www.intowngallery.com, Facebook and Instagram!