IEA Here and Now Exhibit in the Press

IEA's Here and Now: Encaustics and Time exhibit has been written up in an article at absolutearts at http://www.absolutearts.com/artsnews/2007/07/23/34595.html

Here is the article:

"Here and Now - Encaustics and Time"
2007-07-21 until 2007-08-25
MMGalleries
San Francisco, CA, USA United States of America

MMGalleries in collaboration with the International Encaustic Artists presents: Here and Now - Encaustics and Time, July 21 to August 25, 2007, a juried art exhibit hosted by MMGalleries and organized in co-operation with International Encaustic Artists. Here and Now - Encaustics and Time is a group show featuring a breadth of contemporary encaustic works. Twenty artists from all over the United States have been selected for this show by a 3-person panel of judges. Their works range from abstract to figurative, and include some sculptural pieces as well. The show aims at illustrating the infinite versatility and the contemporary appeal of encaustics, an art form continually reinvented as artists explore their visual expression. The sensuous surfaces, richly applied materials, and dynamic colors in these works present updated takes on a millennium-old technique, and in several instances, synthesize the newest in design with a venerated traditional practice.

Textured, thick, shiny, translucent, colorful, subtle, engaging, encaustic is a cutting edge medium, yet millenniums old. Made of beeswax, tree resin, and pigments melted together on a heated palette, it is then applied in layers on a wooden panel. Each layer is then fused to the next. The process is time consuming, but provides infinite possibilities of expression. The earliest known examples of artifacts made of tempered beeswax and pigments, are a series of portraits from 350 BC, excavated from the Egyptian village of Fayum, that were meant to identify the people inside the sarcophagi. The Fayum portraits are now in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, their colors as vivid as if they had been created yesterday, because beeswax is an organic, preservative medium.

Artists included in the exhibition are: Natasia Chan (OR), Eileen Goldenberg (CA), Ruth Gooch (CA), Regina Herod (CA), Howard Hersh (CA), Nikkole Huss (IL), Lauren Lipinski Eisen (CO), Laura Moriarty (NY), Susan Najarian (WA), Carol Paxton Juliano (CA), David Price (WA), Susan Joan Schenk (NE), Patricia Seggebruch (WA), Adele Shaw (CA), Gail Steinberg (CA), Sheary C. Suiter (AK), Rodney Thompson (CA), Tina Vietmeier (CA), Gary Voss (CO), Daniella Woolf (WA).

International Encaustic Artists is a non-profit organization of 100 artists. Their mission includes introducing the myriad varieties of contemporary encaustic work to the public.

MM Galleries: Here and Now - Opening Reception

Here are notes and photos submitted by IEA Board Member, Eileen Goldenberg:

The Opening for the show at MM Galleries, "Here and Now: Encaustics and Time" was great! Lots of interested people showed up as well as many of the artists and members of IEA. There was diversity in technique, everything from figurative work (Regina Herod), to bright color (Eileen P. Goldenberg), to sculptural pieces (Laura Moriarty). The Gallery is a big space, and it looked wonderful. There were a few sales, and we all talked to lots of people.

IEA President Gail Steinberg led a general meeting afterwards and a few people talked about the benefits of membership, and a couple of people wrote checks to renew right there!

Please stop by to see the show and bring friends..MM Galleries, 101 Townsend St. #207, San Francisco, CA. The exhibit runs from July 21, 2007 through August 25, 2007.

Regina Herod



Laura Moriarty



Adele Shaw





Carol Paxton Juliano




Eileen Goldenberg



Gail Steinberg





Gary Voss




Rodney Thompson




Tina Vietmeier




Daniella Woolf

New IEA Regional Chapter! Portland, Oregon

The following news item was submitted by IEA Member Linda Womack:

Last night I invited all of the Portland encaustic artists I could find to meet at my studio to talk about starting a local chapter of the International Encaustic Artists (IEA). Everyone is busy this time of year so I was happy to see that six people attended and several more expressed interest in future meetings.

As I had hoped, it was a very casual event where we shared a couple of bottles of wine and talked about our art. I showed images from the IEA Member’s Retreat in California this spring and the recent National Encaustic Conference in Massachusetts, and eventually we got around to talking about what form a local chapter would take. We decided we would most like to participate in organizing group shows, trading studio visits, and networking with each other. Based on that the Portland Chapter of the IEA was born!

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, September 5 at 6:00 pm.

If you would like more information on how to join the Portland Chapter of the IEA please email me at lw@lindawomack.com or call (503) 348-9139.

- Linda Womack


Our inaugural members are, from left to right: Kimberly Kent, Natasia Chan, Melinda Fellini, Andrea Benson, Amy Stoner, Judy Wise and Linda Womack.

Montserrat First Annual Encaustic Conference June 8-10, 2007

Many IEA members both participated and attended Montserrat College of Art's First Annual Encaustic Conference held in Beverly, MA June 8-10th.

Board Member Eileen Goldenberg submitted the following photos to give you a taste of the event:


Joanne Mattera's house party, the painting in the background is the one on the cover of her book.


Hylla Evans, Kim Bernard and Lissa Rankin at Joanne's party.


Cari Hernandez with her birthday cake at the IEA hosted party at the Salem Waterfront Hotel.


Alesandro with crowd at artists talks at the Encaustic show at Montserrat.


A piece with copper wire at show.


The Collaborati working it, from left Cari Hernandez, Eileen Goldenberg, Daniella Woolf.


State of the Art panel with, from left, Joanne, Tim McDowell, Katherine French, Richard Frumass, Hope Burwell, Barbara O'Brien.


Eileen's Wax head.


Linda Womack making repairs in the gallery.


Joanne at a demo...James Meyer to the left.


George Mason demo with paper stencils.


Amazing piece at the show.

Off the Grid Encaustic Exhibition

Gail Steinberg, President of IEA, passed along some photos she took at the IEA Exhibit, "Off the Grid", which showed at the Lauryn Taylor Gallery in Carmel, CA last month.

Here are her photos:

Marin Open Studios May 5-6, 2007

While this is not an IEA-specific event, a visit to Marin Open Studios at the Hamilton Art Center this weekend had a couple of prominent IEA members in their studios and talking with visitors, namely Sandi Miot and Kathy Knebel. IEA President Gail Steinberg also had encaustic work on display but was not present (because she also had another exhibit the same day in San Francisco and could not be in two places at once!) when we visited on Sunday. It was a beautiful warm day and seemed perfect for an Open Studios weekend.

Sandi Miot in her studio

Kathy Knebel talking with a visitor

2007 Second Annual IEA Encaustic Retreat

Report/Impressions by IEA Board Member Eileen Goldenberg of the IEA Second Annual Encaustic Retreat, held in Carmel, CA April 27-29, 2007:

IEA Art Camp 2007, WAX ON!!

This was such a fun event. Getting together with this group of artist was wonderful. Everyone was so excited and glad to be together and in such a beautiful place, Hidden Valley, Carmel.

We saw demos of everything from creating texture with leaves (Lissa Rankin), focusing a magnifying glass to fuse (Adele Shaw), painting on paper with the hot box (Sandi Miot), to Chester Arnold making Rabbit skin gesso and leading an informative and fun critic.

I personally was grateful to have feedback on my current “Tea House” series from quite a few people and to see how to print photos on tissue paper (Linda Womack). I also love to see new tools and get to try them. I would have liked to take a photo of everyone in the wax lips, maybe next year...

Many people commented on how everyone is so open and generous with sharing info and techniques, and how we all love to spend time together.The late night gathering after the opening at Lauryn Taylor’s Gallery, in the fireside room was a hoot. Kimberly’s story (our newest member) about how she got to the retreat from North Carolina via Big Sur was hysterical. And the Fusing contest got everyone going with Nancy Pollack bumping Lissa Rankin and Lauryn Taylor, and Lauryn trying to blow out Nancy’s torch. Lissa won and Lauryn got the wax lips.

Cari did an amazing job of organizing, setting up (with the help of Wendy, Judy, Lauryn and Daniella) and staying on task. She worked very hard on this project. We all thank her profusely.

- Eileen Goldenberg

Here is a sampling of photos from the retreat:

Above: Lauryn Taylor and Cari Hernandez

Above: Cari Hernandez getting her tiara

Above: Daniella Woolf at her Highlands Gallery show

Above: Chester Arnold demo

Above: Chester Arnold demo 2

Above: "Off the Grid" opening reception

Above: "Off the Grid" show

Above: Eileen Goldenberg w/ her pieces

Above: People's Choice Award

Above: Adele Shaw and Tina Vietmeier

Above: Rodney Thompson using the tacking iron

Above: Sandi Miot encaustic on paper demo

Above: Lauryn Taylor and pigment sticks demo

Above: Linda Womack and photos on tissue paper demo

Above: Lissa Rankin demo

Above: Mary Farmer graphite demo

Above: Fusing Contest

Above: Gail, Kim, Cyndy, Sandi, Rodney, Linda at retreat

Above: Judith Williams collage demo

Above: Artists watching Judith Williams

Above: Thank You Awards