Francesca Azzara "Fused, Scraped and Incised"
Francesca Azzara
"Fused, Scraped and Incised"
Works in Wax
May 14 - June 19, 2009
Artist Reception on Wednesday, May 27, 2009
About Encaustic painting
Encaustic painting is a process using molten wax that solidifies instantly as you work. The medium allows me to build up layers of paint. As I build these layers, I scrape, etch, collage and rebuild my surface. The very process of painting in encaustic allows for editing and reworking, thus permitting me to create my work much the same as a writer writes a book. The end result is paintings that emerge through a combination of drawings, layers of wax and collage.
Text is often a focal point in these mixed media paintings. In my most recent series,
"Windows and Whispers," ambiguous text is used to create an engaging narrative that explores the misrepresentation of information.
Previous abstract work and my iconic houses demonstrate the versatility this medium offers.
About the Artist
Francesca Azzara is an encaustic artist who exhibits extensively in the tri-state area and works out of her studio in Rahway, New Jersey.
For over ten years Francesca has been working in encaustic wax, a medium that pre-dates oil painting. Encaustic paints are beeswax mixed with pigment and damar resin that are heated on a hot palette and worked with a heat gun and brush. This challenging yet forgiving medium allows the artist to layer the paints, collage and etch into the wax to create unique and varied surfaces that cannot be duplicated with any other medium.
Francesca's work in encaustic has resulted in numerous awards including: two HEART grants from the Union County Division of Cultural Affairs and featured "Artist of the Month" on the state's Discover New Jersey Arts website. Her work has been cited in many publications including the New York Times and the Newark Star Ledger. For the past 9 years Francesca has been teaching encaustic workshops at the Newark Museum and the Arts Guild of Rahway. She also gives lectures and demonstrations to groups throughout New Jersey and teaches privately.
She is a member of the prestigious National Association of Women Artists and the New Art Group (NAG). This September, Francesca will be curating an encaustic exhibition at the Watchung Arts Center in Watchung, New Jersey.