The Encaustic Invitational at Conrad Wilde Gallery in Tucson, Arizona is an annual event that celebrates artworks created with encaustic, and the exhibition is always exquisitely orchestrated by gallery owner and curator Miles Conrad. Encaustic,  a mixture of beeswax, resin and pigment, is one of the world’s oldest fine art mediums and can be traced back to the ancient Greeks in the 5th century BC. The process of using encaustic is unique because it must be heated in order to activate it and make it fluid. Contemporary artists have embraced this ancient medium and there has been a wave of interest in its use in the last several decades. This 9th Encaustic Invitational is devoted to the encaustic print and the exhibition highlights the many ways in which artists create prints using these materials. There is also an exhibition highlighting new encaustic printwork from the artist Paula Roland running concurrently. A post on that exhibition will follow shortly.

Here is a link to more information about the gallery, the artists and their work.

http://www.conradwildegallery.com/encInv9.html

From left: Debra Blair, Deborah Martin, Donna Hamil Talman, Birgit Huttemann-Holz, Amelia Currier, Nanette Newbry and Larain Matheson

Debra Blair Outpost, 2011, Encaustic Monotype 19″ x 23″

Donna Hamil Talman Timeless the Flow, 2013, Encaustic, India Ink and Pastel on Kitakata, 37″ x 25″

Amelia Currier 35 Blooms 2, 2013, Encaustic Monotype 20″ x 26″

From left: Nanette Newbry, Larain Matheson, Karen Riley and Binnie Birstein

Binnie Birstein Untitled Black & White 10, 2014, Encaustic on Paper, 22″ x 16″

From left: Mari Marks, Pat Spainhour and Kay Hartung

Mari Marks Thoughts and Afterthoughts 4, 2011, Encaustic Monotype, 12″ x 18″

Pat Spainhour Ocular, 2013, Encaustic on Paper, 40″ x 26″

Kay Hartung Pathways 4, 2013, Encaustic Monotype, 9″ x 12″

From left: Pat Spainhour, Kay Hartung and Winston Lee Mascarenhas

Winston Lee Mascarenhas 105 Sonnets, 2014, Encaustic Monotypes on Thai Mulberry Papers, 24″ x 24″

Tracey Adams Imago 3, 2008, Encaustic Monotype and Encaustic on 5 panels, 11″ x 55″

From left: David A. Clark, Deborah Kapoor and Milisa Galazzi

David A. Clark Study for Relic #2, 2013, Encaustic Monoprint on Sakamoto Heavyweight 25.5″ x 38″

Deborah Kapoor Cloud Messenger 7, 2013, Deconstructed and transferred Monotypes with Encaustic on Wood, 12″ x 16″ x 1″

Milisa Galazzi Loose Ends 1, 2 & 3, 2013, Layered Encaustic Monotypes on Japanese Papers, 18″ x 15.5″

Milissa Galazzi Loose Ends 2 (Detail)

Elizabeth Harris If Such Things Are Possible, 2013, Encaustic on Kozo, 22″ x 17″

Eileen P. Goldenberg Circles 3, 2014, Rice Paper and Encaustic, 72″ x 18″