Nancy Natale creates encaustic paintings with metal, rubber, plant parts, oil sticks, cut up books and other objects.

[nonmember]This archived post is for Members Only. Click here to become a member or to get a one day pass. If you are a member, please login to view the post. [/nonmember] [private_archives]Look at the detail pictures to see how she tacks the materials to birch panels before fusing everything together with hot, pigmented wax.

Once Upon A Time
encaustic with rubber, tacks, crochet, beads, embedded painting, oilstick
24″ H x 12″ W x 1.5″D

Running Stitch (click image to see it full size)
patinated copper, rubber, cut up books, found metal and other objects,  encaustic on birch panels
24″H x 66″W x 1.75″D on three panels

Running Stitch, detail

Thinking About The Subliminal,
encaustic, embedded objects, rubber, tacks, patinated copper, oil paint, oilstick on panel
20″H x 16″W x 1.5″D

Natale’s intention is to make the mixed media elements as important as the encaustic paint by building up the surface with small strips of rubber or book pages (dipped into encaustic and cut into strips) that she tacks down, creating a new kind of mosaic surface.  They are extremely tactile and while many could be considered ‘dark’, I like the element of mystery the darkness allows.  The artist also has a blog.

Prologue, encaustic, mixed media dyptich – each panel 16″ x 16″ x 1.5″

Dancers In Mourning

“I see my new work as referencing but refuting loss, aging and death through the beauty and rich depth I find in the color black and in the human condition itself. What drives the work are my feelings and observations about aging, mortality and loss of memory. These concerns have become very important to me over the past couple of years as I have become more and more involved in the life of my elderly mother. I have strongly identified with her physical and mental losses and have become more aware of my own mortality and aging.” Nancy Natale

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