Artist's Statement

These paintings were made last summer while I was an artist resident at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico. Working in a studio in a setting combining astonishing physical beauty and a fascinating blend of cultures with time free from distractions provided an unparalleled environment for creativity. I continued to investigate the two painting subjects I most enjoy: tree images and geometric abstraction, now infused with colors of the Southwestern landscape.

To benefit from the Taos environment, I made drawings and paintings outdoors, hiked in the mountains, visited pueblos and historical sites, contacted old friends, and visited Santa Fe. I met stimulating writers, composers, filmmakers, and Taos characters. Research I did as a graduate student at the University of New Mexico was suddenly relevant as I was asked to contribute an essay on Richard Diebenkorn’s New Mexico paintings for a book in conjunction with a planned show at the Harwood Museum of Art.

The paintings typically begin with a digital photograph that is hand-drawn onto the canvas or panel from my laptop. I then apply one or more layers of hot-wax encaustic paint over an oil or pastel underlayer. Some of these underlying passages are revealed by reheating the wax and scraping paint away.

Encaustic painting is an ancient and highly permanent technique in which the vehicle or binder is beeswax. Unlike linseed oil or synthetic resin (e.g. acrylic) binders that dry to harden, the beeswax is heated until molten, mixed with dry pigments to make paint, and, when applied to the painting surface, cools and hardens instantly. When the painting is completed, the entire surface is reheated to fuse the layers and bond them to the support. This is called burning-in, which is the literal meaning of encaustic.

- Mark Lavatelli, 2005