Encaustics
The Encaustic is a Greek word meaning “to heat or burn in” (enkaustikos). bees wax and dammar resin are melted to create the transparent encaustic medium, in which color pigment is suspended. Working on a wood panel, the colors are fused or burned in, layer upon transparent layer. The palette itself is a hot plate with containers holding the melted wax medium. The medium is applied by pouring and using a heated metal spatula, or applied with a brush. The layers are fused using an old clothes iron, propane torch, heat gun or even direct sunlight
Ignorance of Color
These encaustic paintings examine a color’s physical energy and aura. I’m interested in understanding colors as memes, and playing with that very primordial connection we have to individual colors. The Beeswax medium has a molten translucency to suspend pigments, memories, cultural and social influences.
 The Brown Series  Yellow Series Color Studies |
Grieving
Paintings in the series ‘Conversations with my dad’ revolve around grieving the loss of my father. The paintings mark his passage towards death, the Hindu rituals that follow, and then my own questions about the void felt. They explore how we accept/reject the mourning and sorrow of others in our post pandemic and politically polarized culture. The canvases became posthumous conversations with my dad about our shared and separate histories and secrets. The series has formed an intimate journal of my exploration and questions of the values that define me.
The Subway Series
Started during a residency at the Harlem Artists Residency and Community Arts Project, May, 2023
