Art by Medium: Encaustic

The mathematics of the universe is behind the sky but we lack the senses to detect it. encaustic wax on board

The mathematics of the universe is behind the sky but we lack the senses to detect it. encaustic wax on board

This abstract floral encaustic painting by Linda Bigness features a cool green, blue, and violet palette, with large organic botanical forms and line work throughout the composition....

Contemporary pigment print 36 x 34 inches unframed Japanese Kozo paper infused with encaustic on 3 panels, each panel is 36 inches x 11 inches edition of 12 Jeri Eisenberg's photographs, which capture nature's beautiful moments, are printed on panels of thin Japanese Kozo paper. The paper's translucent quality compliments the image with delicate sophistication. A thin layer of encaustic is applied on top of the photograph panels, creating a matte, smooth surface. Here, three blue and white panels...

A peaceful landscape scene is set in shades of blue with pale ivory in this contemporary encaustic (pigmented beeswax) painting with oil paint, pigments from Morocco and India, volca...

Signed encaustic monoprint, #7 in a series of 12 pieces. Elise Wagner painter, printmaker, and teacher, is a recent recipient of the Pollock Krasner Foundation Grant. Originally fro...

For many years Susan Squires goal has been to create encaustic paintings as meaningful, evocative experiences for herself and for the viewer. She wa...

This is a vibrant red orange encaustic (pigmented beeswax) painting with light reddish orange and faint yellow accents on birch panel. Signed, date...

'The Way It Was' by Susan Thornbury is an abstract composition full of texture and movement rendered in mixed media on panel. Measuring 36 x 36 in, this piece showcases the artist's distinctive style and command of composition. A perfect addition for collectors seeking contemporary abstracts with presence and personality. Susan Thornbury creates richly layered mixed media paintings that feel both modern and timeless. Working on wood panels with plaster and wax, she builds surfaces that are as much about what’s revealed as what’s concealed. Her compositions often begin with structure—repeating motifs inspired by antique textiles, vintage wallpaper, or family heirlooms—then soften and evolve through an intuitive, hands-on process of scraping, sanding, and waxing. The result is work that feels quiet but deeply tactile, inviting viewers to linger and discover the nuance within every petal, line, and edge. A background in graphic design shapes Susan’s sensibility: there’s a balance between pattern and spontaneity, symmetry and imperfection. Whether working in soft sage greens, misty grays, or whispery whites, she leans into the beauty of restraint, letting texture and subtle shifts in color carry the emotion. Susan lives and works in Atlanta, where she shares a home with her husband, two daughters, and their spunky rat terrier...

A deep, bright cobalt blue encaustic (pigmented beeswax) painting with light purple and vibrant teal accents on birch panel. Signed, dated and titled on verso. Joanne Mattera’s paintings can be described as lush minimalism, the work is chromatically rich and compositionally reductive. Each painting in the ongoing Silk Road series is a small color field achieved by layers of translucent wax paint applied at right angles. The series, began in 2005, was inspired by the iridescent hues of slubbed silk, hence the title, but very quickly evolved into a more expansive exploration of color. In plying the richness of the encaustic paint against the austerity of a very subtle grid the artist sets in motion a dynamic in which color and texture jostle for primacy. A decade and almost 300 paintings later, the artist is still enthralled with this exploration. Mattera is the foremost expert in the field of encaustic painting and is the founder and former director of the International Encaustic Conference. Her artwork is in the collections of The New Britain Museum of Contemporary Art, US Embassies (Slovenia and Poland), US State Department, Bank of America, and Norwegian Cruise Lines, to name a few as well as numerous private collections. Mattera writes a contemporary art blog, she is a frequent guest speaker and curator and is a member of American Abstract Artists (NYC). The artist lives and works in MA and in NYC. Encaustic painting, also known as hot wax painting, involves using heated beeswax to which colored pigments are added. The word comes originally from the Greek word “enkaustikis” meaning to “burn in” and the process dates back to the 5th century. The liquid or paste is applied to a surface —usually prepared wood. Metal tools...

Brown, Orange, Blue, Pink, Green, Yellow, Red Mary was born in Ohio and has lived in Memphis, Tennessee since the mid-1990s. Following studies in graphic design and painting, she be...

Patricia Zippin The Sun 1980s Mixed Media 11.25"x 15", unframed Signed bottom right in paint Patricia Jayne Zippin (1930-2015) She was born to Ben and Dorothy Schubert on January 5...

Waddell's paintings are a combination of rough marks, thick paint, transparent elegant strokes, and, on a few occasions a slow, hard line scratched into the canvas. You can feel the ...

Brown, Orange, Blue, Pink, Green, Yellow, Red Mary was born in Ohio and has lived in Memphis, Tennessee since the mid-1990s. Following studies in graphic design and painting, she be...

Little Blue, 2020 Encaustic & collage on thin edged board 12" X 12" This abstract geometric composition on wooden board features a playful geometric motif that is inspired by the artist's interest in architecture and blueprint drawings. The geometric forms are made in a more painterly, gestural manner rather than with a hard edge. Paint is not heavily built up upon the surface but it certainly exhibits a tactile quality which is characteristic of the artist's aesthetic. English's work celebrates the quirky, unexpected qualities of shapes and colors. About the artist: Donise English is a Poughkeepsie-based artist who received her MFA from Bard College and is currently a Professor of Studio Art at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY. Artist Statement: I am interested in drawing and collaging multiple layers of information that refer abstractly to maps, architectural drawings and blueprints or patterns and structures found in such things as roller coasters, power lines and fences. I use gouache and collaged paper in a series of layers that are a visual and ideological response to the previous layer to define my pictorial space. For each piece I create a set of rules to follow about the use of a limited palette, a grid format, opacity of paper and whether a piece may include curving lines or maintain a rectilinear structure. Resume: EDUCATION Master of Fine Arts in Painting Bard College 1986 Bachelor of Science in Art History State University College at New Paltz 1977 Additional Study: New York Studio School (Drawing Marathons) Columbia University, School of Architecture Women’s Studio Workshop TEACHING Professor of Studio Art, Department of Art and Art History, Marist College, Poughkeepsie,NY Coordinator, Interior Design Program, Florence, Italy campus 1992-present AWARDS Finalist, “Saatchi Showdown” 2010 Invitational Award for Outstanding Contemporary Talent, University of Bridgeport, CT 2000 Purchase Prize, “11th National Juried Exhibition” College of Notre Dame of Maryland, Baltimore 1999 First Prize, “Women in the Visual Arts ‘95” Erector Square Gallery, New Haven, CT 1995 Joseph A. Cain Memorial Purchase Award for Sculpture Del Mar College, Corpus Christi, TX 1994 Honorable Mention, “National Juried Exhibition” University of Bridgeport, CT 1993 Individual Artists Fellowship in Sculpture Dutchess Arts Fund 1992/93 Tallix, Morris, Singer Internship in Sculpture Tallix Foundry, Beacon, NY 1990/91 SELECTED JURIED/INVITATIONAL EXHIBITIONS 2016 “Let’s Stay in Touch”, Howard County Center for the Arts, Ellicott City, MD 2015 “Off the Grid”, Arts & Culture Program, Albany International Airport, Albany, NY “Gridspace”, KMOCA, Kingston, NY “Abstraction”, Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson, NY “Assuming Identity”, NY Institute of Technology, New York, NY 2013 “Modern Artists”, Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson, NY “Artists of the Mohawk-Hudson Region”, The Hyde Collection, Glens Falls, NY Stone Canoe/Community Folk Art Center, Syracuse, NY 2012 New York Institute of Technology, New York, NY “Contemporary Painters (Who Just Happen To Be Women)”, Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson, NY “Strange Glue: Collage at 100”, Cambridge School, Weston, MA “Dear Mother Nature”, Dorsky Museum, SUNY New Paltz, NY “Fresher Paint”, Rockland Center for the Arts, Nyack, NY Courthouse Gallery, Lake George Arts Project, Lake George, NY 2011 “Process+Content: Donise English”, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY “Donise English-Paintings”, Orange County Community College, Newburgh, NY “Gender Matters/Matters of Gender”, Freedman Gallery, Albright College, Reading, PA 2010 Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson, NY “Encaustics: Wax and Image”, Westchester Community College White Plains, NY “Dots, Lines and Figures”, Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson, NY “Spring Awakening”, NY Institute of Technology, New York, NY “Clay City Dreams”, NY Institute of Technology, New York, NY “Texture, Pattern, Fragment”, Krause Gallery, Moses Brown School Providence, RI 2009 “Collage”, NY Institute of Technology, New York, NY “Working in Wax”, Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA “Encaustic 2009”, College of New Rochelle, NY “Three Artists”, Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson, NY “Convergence: The Human Experience”, Howard County Center for the Arts, MD 2008 “Suckers and Biters: Love, Lollipops, and Exquisite Corpse” Chashama Gallery, New York, NY Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson NY 2007 “Patterns and Light”, Blue Hill Gallery, Blue Hill, ME “Suckers and Biters”, AG Gallery, Brooklyn, NY 2006 “100 Artists, 100 Watercolors”, Jeannie Freilich Fine Art, New York, NY “On/Of Paper”, Kirkland Art Center, Clinton, NY “The Love Show”, Manchester Community College, Manchester, CT 2005 The Soap Factory, Minneapolis, MN “Small Tales”, Valdosta State University, Georgia National Juried Exhibition, Art Institute and Gallery Salisbury, MD, Juror: Stephen Haller “Greed, Envy, Jealousy, Fear”, TSL Warehouse, Hudson, NY 2004 “Women in the Middle: Borders, Barriers, Intersections” University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee “Girl Art Now”, Hera Gallery, Wakefield, RI 3 Person Exhibition, Monterey Peninsula College, Monterey, CA “The Feminine Eye”, Bradley University, Peoria, IL “Women Painting Women”, McNeese State University, Lake Charles, LA “Thought Patterns”, Kent Place Gallery, Summit, NJ “Surface, Matter and Artifice”, Dutchess Community College Art Gallery, Poughkeepsie, NY 2003 “Beefcake/Cheesecake”,Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Ana, CA,Juror: Jamie Wilson, Curator Halpert Bienniel, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC Juror: Jeff Fleming, Senior Curator, Des Moines Art Center “The Great White Oak”, Garrison Art Center, Garrison, NY Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson, NY 2002 “Cat Calls”, Red Clay Arts, Brooklyn “Hudson Valley Regional”, SUNY New Paltz Juror: Sydney Jenkins, Director, Ramapo College Art Galleries 2001 One-Person Exhibition, Davis and Hall Gallery, Hudson, NY “Beyond the Surface”, Womanmade Gallery, Chicago One-Person Exhibition, Garrison Art Center, Garrison, NY 2000 “Vision 2000...

This poured wax painting in green by Joanne Ungar, is composed with the geometric forms of recycled packaging, layered and infused with pigmented wax. A vibrant sculptural painting, ...

This abstract floral encaustic painting by artist Linda Bigness features a cool blue palette with metallic gold leaf accents. The painting is made with e...

Encaustic on board 10 x 12 inches This monochromatic encaustic landscape on board was created by Hudson Valley-based artist Leigh Palmer. Once a hard edge realist painter, the artist eschews those details, letting the stroke of his brush and moody palette leave an abstract implication of the landscape. The main image is bordered by white to give the impression of a window. About the artist: In the Openings series, Palmer integrates the frame into the painting. This element contributes to the narrative, suggesting the viewer is inside looking out. We are not a part of the landscape, rather we are a peaceful witnesses to nature that will transcend even our own existence and continue to change with the seasons long after we have passed. We are romanced by Leigh Palmer's unique ability to pare down and find the true essence of the landscape, gently veiled through his own soul. We are proud to have exhibited his work since the inception of Carrie Haddad Gallery in 1991. Today, the artist continues to work with both encaustic and oil paint. He is currently developing a new series in his studio right across the street from the gallery. We hope to reveal his new work to the public sometime in 2021. Artist Statement: My paintings are based on observation of the landscape in the Hudson River Valley where I live, and are improvised in the studio; the images are found or discovered in my memory of familiar places and developed during the painting process. Human beings do not appear, but their presence is felt in the marks left on the ground (furrows, fence rows, roads), and sometimes in the air (smoke, haze). About the artist: In 1987, Leigh Palmer moved with his family from suburban Duxbury, Massachusetts, to Tivoli, New York, a quiet town on the Hudson River, north of New York City. His subject matter shifted to the sprawling hills and countryside of the Hudson Valley. “I wanted to respond to the new landscape I was seeing, to catch something of the feeling I had just before dark,” says Palmer. “I took a lot of photographs, but I was happier with the paintings I created from memory.” Leigh Palmer has been represented by Carrie Haddad Gallery in Hudson, NY for over 25 years. Resume: EXHIBITIONS 2013 - 2017 Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson NY 2011 Graficas Gallery, Nantucket MA 2010 Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson NY 2009 Bachelier-Cardonsky Gallery, Kent CT 2008 Bachelier-Cardonsky Gallery, Kent CT Four Starr Gallery, Stonington CT 2007 Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson NY 2005 Bachelier-Cardonsky Gallery, Kent CT 2004 Segalas Gallery, Bernardsville NJ 2003, 04 Bachelier-Cardonsky, Gallery Kent CT 2000, 01, 03 Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson NY 1999 Barbara Singer Fine Art, Cambridge MA 1999, 98 Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson NY 1997 The Main Street Gallery, Nantucket MA 1996 Randall Tuttle Fine Arts, Woodbury CT 1995 James Cox...

Encaustic on panel. It's simple; I create art because it makes me happy. I try not to overthink the process of what I’m painting and let my intuition be my guide. I love laying do...

White What's Left (Contemporary Abstract Painting with Colorful Paper Collage) 20 x 20 x 2 inches encaustic, collage on wood panel Signed on rev...

Borderland II 2020 Encaustic wax on board Image 764 x 578 mm. Signed, In a Welsh Oak frame 2020

Edition of 8 Fixed is a series of photographs made by Rachel Phillips' alter-ego Madge Cameron: Until this project, Madge Cameron (b. 1935) had always seen photography as a sep...

"The location of 'Corot's View' is the island of San Bartolommeo on the Tiber River north of Rome. The encaustic painting is an approximate impression of Corot's prominent painting p...

Edition of 8 Fixed is a series of photographs made by Rachel Phillips' alter-ego Madge Cameron: Until this project, Madge Cameron (b. 1935) had always seen photography as a sep...

Brown, Orange, Blue, Pink, Green, Yellow, Red Mary was born in Ohio and has lived in Memphis, Tennessee since the mid-1990s. Following studies in graphic design and painting, she be...

22 x 22 x 2 inches encaustic on square wood panel Stella is an abstracted painting in rich encaustic (pigmented wax) on wood panel. Using a neutral palette of dark brown, light blu...

Abstract geometric encaustic painting in patterned ochre on white "Centuries Spliced Open" made by Hudson Valley artist, Alaina Enslen, in 2022 Encaustic & monotype mounted on panel 30 x 41 x 2 inches, sides reveal raw wood sides Excellent condition, ready to hang Lightweight Signed, verso This abstract minimalist painting is made with pattered ochre monotypes on an encaustic white background. The paper, which is adhered to a light wood Birch panel and layered with a subtle layer of encaustic, is arranged in a geometric motif that accentuates the play of negative space. The layered paper and encaustic create a textured, impasto surface. About the artist: Alaina Enslen expresses her artistic vision through repurposed fabrics infused with beeswax. The Cornwall-On-Hudson based artist collects pieces of textile that evoke memory, tradition, or experience like cherished worn heirlooms, discarded clothes, and religious garments, which are then assembled on panel in an abstract patchwork. Favoring fabrics with a neutral or subtle cool palette, she flattens and frays the material to explore color, form, and lines, reimaging used cloth...

Patricia Zippin Tillamook Flight 6 of 12 1980s Mixed Media 30.5"x 22.5", unframed Signed in paint on bottom right and signed and titled on reverse in pen Patricia Jayne Zippin (1930...

Abstract still life photograph of a magenta cana lily flower on a white sky background Photograph printed on Japanese Kozo paper infused with encaustic Edition 1/12, 36 x 22.5 inches...

Patricia Zippin Moon View VIII 1980s Mixed Media 24"x 16", unframed Titled, signed, materials, and dimensions in pen on reverse Patricia Jayne Zippin (1930-2015) She was born to B...

Series: Untitled 2 1/1 Encaustic and Oil On Wood Panel Size: 30" x 40" x 2" Using unconventional hardware - a blow torch, iron and other heated tools - along with paper, encausti...

Lisa Pressman earned her BA in Art from Douglas College, Rutgers University and an MFA from Bard College. Her work has been exhibited extensively throughout the U.S. and abroad, incl...

Lori Vrba's "Memoir" is a mixed media work created with encaustic photographs on tile, chain and piano bridge. "My recent foray into assemblage work feels like an organic extension ...

Born in Beacon, New York, returning exhibitor Laura Moriarty received training through an apprenticeship in hand papermaking (1986-1990), and is otherwise self-taught. Since 1992, he...

16 x 16 x 2 inches encaustic on square wood panel HOSTESS is an abstracted painting in rich encaustic (pigmented wax) on wood panel. A dark, cross-hatched pattern is overlaid with ...

Contemporary pigment print 36 x 45.5 inches unframed Japanese Kozo paper infused with encaustic on 4 panels, each panel is 36 inches x 11 inches edition of 12 Jeri Eisenberg's photographs, which capture nature's beautiful moments, are printed on panels of thin Japanese Kozo paper. The paper's translucent quality compliments the image with delicate sophistication. A thin layer of encaustic is applied on top of the photograph panels, creating a matte, smooth surface. Here, four blue and white panels...

Abstracted landscape sepia toned photograph of clouds and sky on 3 panels Japanese Kozo paper infused with encaustic on 3 panels, each panel is 3...

Abstract landscape color photograph of clouds and sky on 3 panels Japanese Kozo paper infused with encaustic on 3 panels, each panel is 36 inches...

Contemporary pigment print 36 x 34 inches unframed Japanese Kozo paper infused with encaustic on 3 panels, each panel is 36 inches x 11 inches edition of 12 Jeri Eisenberg's photo...

Abstracted landscape sepia toned photograph of clouds and sky on three panels Japanese Kozo paper infused with encaustic on 3 panels, each panel ...

Tony Scherman (1950-2023) is one of Canada's the most distinctive artists. He is renowned internationally for his encaustic paintings, a notoriously difficult medium to work in. Sch...

Dina Recanati Cosmos Series (they look like outer space or abstract desert landscapes) 2002 Metallic paint, acid etched on aluminum, wood Hand signed and dated on side Dina Recanati (born Diane Hettena; 1928 – 2021) was an Israeli artist, sculptor and painter. Diane Hettena was born in Cairo, Egypt. In 1946, she married Raphael Recanati in Tel Aviv, Mandatory Palestine. Went to London to study History and Art 1946-1948. Moved to New York 1948. Raised two sons, Oudi and Michael. Attended Art Student League 1959-1962. Studied with Jose de Creft and John Hovannes. Beginning in 1964, she was active on the board of the America-israel Cultural Foundation. In the 1970s, she was a member of the board of the Israel Museum and in the 1980s Bezalel Academy of Art & Design, Jerusalem. At the same time as she was working as an artist, she was also collecting artwork. She lives and works in Herzliya and New York. Most of Recanati's work is in the medium of sculpture. Her works, which contain images of books or parchment, have been influenced by American abstract expressionism in their use of swaths of color. In the 1980s and 1990s, she worked widely in sculptures in the public domain. Dina Recanati was a proponent of Israeli art and supported many Israeli artists. In the 1950s and 1960s, she showcased the work of beginning artists at the 5th Avenue branch of Israel Discount Bank in New York City, while growing Discount Bank’s art collection. She has gone on to exhibit worldwide with permanent works in the Israel Museum, Tel Aviv Museum, Ben Gurion Airport, The Jewish Museum (New York) among others. She is the recipient of the AICF AVIV Award and The Council for a Beautiful Israel Yakir Award. She was represented by Flomenhaft Gallery in New York City (was included in the Feminist Art Project along with Miriam Schapiro) and Gordon Gallery in Tel Aviv. Recanati died in Herzliya Pituah at the ate of 93. Israeli Art: Painting, Sculpture, Graphic Work. Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv 1971 Artists: Igael Tumarkin, Bezalel Schatz, Yehiel Shemi, Buky Schwartz, Dina Recanati, Menashe Kadishman, David Palombo, Itzhak Danziger, Sorel Etrog, Yaacov Agam, Jakob Steinhardt, Louise Schatz, Anna Ticho, Ruth Schloss, Moshe Castel, Yohanan Simon, Lea Nikel, Marcel Janco, Mordecai Ardon etc. 40 From Israel: Contemporary Sculpture & Drawing Israel: Contemporary Sculpture & Drawing Brooklyn...

"Rhopilema" made by Hudson Valley artist, Alaina Enslen, in 2025 Encaustic, dyed fabrics, and paper mounted on panel 20 x 16 x 2 inches unframed, sides reveal raw panel and wrapped f...

Encaustic on board. 4 panels, framed

Patricia Zippin Temescal 3 1980s Mixed Media 30.5"x 22.5", unframed Signed in paint on bottom right and signed and titled on reverse in pencil Patricia Jayne Zippin (1930-2015) She ...

This is an abstract encaustic painting by Linda Bigness. It features a green, blue, and grey multicolored palette with gold leaf accents and neutral sides. Dabs of paint and organic ...

64 x 44 inches

Denise Regan View, 2017 oil and encaustic on canvas 18 x 24 in. This oil painting on canvas by Denise Regan depicts a colorful view of the ocean, rendered in her signature primitive...

This is an abstract encaustic painting by Linda Bigness with silver leaf accents and neutral sides. It features a light blue and turquoise palette, with layered dabs of paint and org...

Encaustic and Digital Print on Plywood American artist, Richard Purdy, born in Chicago, IL, 1956 Received his B.F.A. Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana, PA Exhibitions 2013...

Artist Comments
Silhouettes of trees cut across the horizon, defining the beige sky and turquoise field. The layers of colors with accents of gold metallic finish add an ethe...

Patricia Zippin Tillamook Flight 3 of 12 1980s Mixed Media 30.75"x 23", unframed Signed in paint bottom right and signed and titled in pen on reverse Patricia Jayne Zippin (1930-201...

This abstract floral encaustic painting by Linda Bigness features a cool green, blue, and violet palette, with large organic botanical forms as the central focus of the composition. ...

Artist Comments
A diptych of trees boasts distinct silhouettes, with their roots seemingly reaching towards each other. Similarly, birds from their branches appear to exchang...

Artist: Daniela Nikolova Medium: Oil and encaustic on canvas Size: 39.3" x 47.2"

Marti Somers Surrealist dream imagery with fish 24 X 24 inches A California artist, Somers received her BFA at the University of Hawaii. She returned to California and worked as a g...

Encaustic and Laminated Paper on Plywood American artist, Richard Purdy, born in Chicago, IL, 1956 Received his B.F.A. Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana, PA Exhibitions 20...

Encaustic and Digital Print on Plywood American artist, Richard Purdy, born in Chicago, IL, 1956 Received his B.F.A. Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana, PA Exhibitions 2013...

Marti Somers Rice Bowl (an Asian inspired image with chopsticks and a bowl of rice) with fish. hand written poem verso. 24 X 24 inches A California artist, Somers received her BFA a...

Barbara Hocker sees her life’s vocation as being an ambassador for the natural world through her art. Nature is facing many challenges right now. Hock...