Opening at Lanoue Fine Art, Boston, MA
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Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy. Guillaume Apollinaire
The Clarksburg Decision, encaustic and mixed media, 40×40″ © Marybeth Rothman 2011
I just finished my first quarterly Studio Newsletter and would like to send it to you. I just found out that Constant Contact will cancel my account if I enter your email address and send the newsletter to you without your permission. I’m sending it out tonight and will send the next one in April. Click here to subscribe to my quarterly Studio Newsletter.
I am giving a talk, Wax Collage: Beyond Technique at the 6th International Encaustic Conference on June 1, 2012 in Provincetown, MA. This conference draws from an international roster of exhibiting artists who are fully engaged with encaustic. I will be presenting the work of 15-20 contemporary painters, bookmakers, printmakers and photographers whose Wax Collage transcends both encaustic and collage to form a singular expression. This is not a “How To” revealing the secret techniques of a sub-group of “encaustic artists”, but an examination of the expression of Wax Collage. This exposition will emphasize the message rather than the medium.
To be considered for inclusion in Wax Collage: Beyond Technique, please follow the submission requirements exactly: >Deadline: Friday, December 16, 2012 >Send 5 jpgs., 72 dpi >Label your images: 01.Your Name-title.jpg >Image list: 1. Title, medium, size H x W x D” >Short bio >Contact info: name, email and website >Please send to: marybethrothman.studio@gmail.com
I look forward to seeing your work.
I am giving a talk, Wax Collage: Beyond Technique at the 6th International Encaustic Conference on June 1, 2012 in Provincetown, MA. This conference draws from an international roster of exhibiting artists who are fully engaged with encaustic. I will be presenting the work of 15-20 contemporary painters, bookmakers, printmakers and photographers whose Wax Collage transcends both encaustic and collage to form a singular expression. This is not a “How To” revealing the secret techniques of a sub-group of “encaustic artists”, but an examination of the expression of Wax Collage. This exposition will emphasize the message rather than the medium.
To be considered for inclusion in Wax Collage: Beyond Technique, please follow the submission requirements exactly: >Deadline: Friday, December 16, 2012 >Send 5 jpgs., 72 dpi >Label your images: 01.Your Name-title.jpg >Image list: 1. Title, medium, size H x W x D” >Short bio >Contact info: name, email and website >Please send to: marybethrothman.studio@gmail.com
I look forward to seeing your work.
Please consider making a contribution to support Contemporary Paper and Encaustic: International Trends , a groundbreaking E- Publication project created by Pollock-Krasner Grant receipient, Catharine Nash.
Typically my encaustic mixed media portraits, include vintage photography. Recently I decided to branch out and use my own photography. Posted here is a portrait of one of my sons.
After many months of following my son Jack with a camera, I realized this would not only be portrait of him, but also his autism. I recorded the severity of this disorder that has defined his place in the world, excluded him from society, and denied him the beauty and subtleties of life. Portrait of My Son Jack and His Autism is a story told from a distant, isolated and awkward place. Armed with a only a few utterances, Jack wanders through the world overwhelmed by words and sounds that he cannot understand and people he will never know. Jack responds to the world viscerally, indifferent and at times with small sparks of recognition. The photograph that I chose for this painting portrays my son as he blocks out the sound in an ordinary situation, which for him is a swirling storm that he cannot navigate.
My encaustic and mixed media approach to portraits is cumulative, adding many subtle layers of paint, paper, and photographs to form an amalgam of biographical texture. In response to this intensive examination in Portrait of My Son Jack and His Autism, I worked more intuitively. I observed that I had unconsciously added more layers than usual of biographical annotation, more vigorous incising, scraping and a rougher surface. I sculpted and enlarged the image to allow for more intimacy between the viewer and the work. The interplay of the opacity and translucency of the encaustic paint became an essential element in this narrative portrait. The many-layered process created a visual depth that uniquely describes the complex life of this young man.
The October 5th, 2011 opening reception of Kindred Spirits, an exhibition of encaustic paintings, prints and sculpture at Clark University’s Schiltkamp Gallery, was attended by a lively, inquisitive crowd. Toby Sisson curated the exhibition masterfully. The juxtaposition of the work and beautiful lighting were stunning. Kim Bernard, Lisa Pressman and I gave a gallery talk about our work and there was an engaging exchange between the speakers and audience. After the reception Toby Sisson hosted a wonderful dinner for the artists and a few Clark University Faculty. Kindred Spirits will be in the Clark University Schiltkamp Gallery,Worcester, MA through December 12, 2011. Below are installation shots from the exhibition.