Inside the college’s Gary L. Freeburg gallery, onlookers of the show “Cranial Pathways” will find about twenty pieces of art that resemble a mix of ceramic work and wax paintings. The unusual medium, known as encaustic or hot wax, allows an artist to manipulate beeswax, resin and pigments by heating them with a small torch on a canvas. The art form’s root word ‘caustic’ means ‘to burn in’.
“The encaustic medium is very old, it goes back to Egyptian days and was initially used as a boat repair," said Marion Nelson, the artist behind the pieces in the gallery. "It’s sturdy stuff. Somebody got clever and added a little color to it, and then it became part of Egyptian mummies, and they still exist. Wax is not going to deteriorate, it just has to be protected from getting broken or kicked apart.”
The gallery features creations of varying sizes, styles and colors, most of which were made within the last few years. She says she discovered the encaustic medium by accident through a friend.
Before working on any encaustic pieces, Nelson must allow her studio to “heat up.” She’s also a night owl, and sometimes works on her art until two or three in the morning.
“I have often said the wax makes as many decisions, or more, than I do, or the heat, or the movement," Nelson said. "I am often not starting with anything in my head and will just see what works out this time.”
One thing that sets encaustic apart from other art forms is its overall fluidity. If you’re unsatisfied with your work, you can always go back and change what’s on the canvas.
Nelson says one of her favorite pieces in the gallery is one she altered this way. Titled “Walking,” the large canvas is filled with rectangular shapes, some with lines that contour them. Nelson was unsure if she wanted to add more or less of these lines, and even asked friends for their opinions.
“I obviously made the decision to put the lines in that surrounds some of those shapes, and I left it like that," she said. "I’m glad I did.”
Although the gallery consists mostly of Nelson’s hot wax work, it features a number of her cold wax pieces, which do not require heat to create. Also on display is a mixed paper creation that has never been on view in a gallery setting.
While the encaustic medium is more popular in art hubs like New York City or Seattle, Nelson hopes her display will help expand the Kenai Peninsula’s artistic breadth. She says many Alaskans have never heard of encaustic art.
“As a person said in a workshop I gave at one point ‘So, I guess you’re never really done?’ I said ‘That is correct,’ because you can always heat it up and move things around. There isn’t anything in the gallery here outside of the cold wax pieces that I couldn’t change right now if I wanted to,” Nelson said.
“Cranial Pathways” will be on view through early May. The gallery is open Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Fridays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
