Local artist, Sharon De Valentin is showing her latest exhibition Fire and Wax at ArtSpace at Griffith Regional Theatre during April and May.
The exhibition explores the relationship between nature and our man made environment. The paintings reflect landscapes, farming and botanicals using the ancient art form of encaustic, which Ms De Valentin uses in both painting and sculpture.
Ms De Valentin said, "The sculptural vessels on display have a unique Australian heritage, as the nuts and seeds used in many of the works have been collected throughout Australia over many years and were gifted to me."
"I find the process of making my own medium from beeswax, resin and dry pigment an art form in itself, a kind of alchemy that leaves room for experimentation and creative expression. I choose to craft my own substrates, as it gives me complete creative freedom which is invaluable as an artist, and also fits in with my philosophy that every part of the process is part of the artwork itself," she said.
"I utilise the Japanese Yukisugi technique for the finish of my bespoke cradle boards as this is another ancient practice that I feel complements the encaustic technique superbly – both of them using fire as a creative force, essentially as a paintbrush.
"Although wild and volatile by nature, with practiced technique, encaustics can be tamed into beautiful pieces of art, while maintaining a unique unrepeatability – an element which I feel can be used to perfectly portray the complex beauty in the world around us".
Griffith Regional Art Gallery Co-ordinator Ray Wholohan said, "Sharon's passion for the often unheeded medium of encaustic is palpable. She has found her own visual language through trial and error and experimentation in the studio and has found a way to translate the ancient encaustic medium in a contemporary artist practice."
"Anyone who is interested in exploring the wider disciplines of painting outside of traditional oils and acrylics or who is a lover of contemporary art needs to see this exhibition," said Mr Wholohan.
Fire and Wax exhibition will open on Saturday, 10 April at 11am. All are welcome to attend and light refreshments will be provided. The exhibition will run from Monday 12 April to Friday 21 May.
ArtSpace is located at Griffith Regional Theatre, 1 Neville Place, Griffith. Opening hours are 10am-5pm Monday to Friday.
For all enquiries contact Griffith Regional Art Gallery on 6962 8338.
