Elemental Flow

The Elemental Flow series reflects impressions of the North American landscape stimulated by two unique travel experiences. I had the opportunity to traverse the United States in a single engine plane piloted by my son. We flew from the mid-Atlantic region to the southern Pacific coast, followed it north, then returned east over the northern states. Flying at low altitude afforded an unprecedented view of our nation. A second journey of 13,000 miles by car spanned the distance from the mid-Atlantic region of the US to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, and back,via alternate routes whenever possible. The profound dichotomy of the Alaska pipeline snaking its way over the stunning and rugged Brooks range and subsequent miles of tundra, compelled a visual response. The continent is vast and astonishingly beautiful, but surprisingly rife with human incursion.

The elemental flow paintings do not represent specific places, but filtered remembrances. They are created by layering multiple encaustic colors and subjecting the surface to radiant infra-red heat - analogous to the sun’s rays striking the earth. Color rises and falls according to how the elements of composition absorb heat. Once cool, the surface is carved or “etched” with tools, followed by the inlay of encaustic and pigment stick color.