Encaustic art can sometimes be seen as a niche or purely material-driven practice, but contemporary wax-based artists approach the medium from many diverse and idiosyncratic directions. Join exhibiting artists from Fire & Form for a conversation about materials and meaning in contemporary encaustic art. This panel will explore the evolving definition of wax-based work, the interplay of craft and process, and how personal, environmental, and conceptual narratives are embedded within each work.

This talk will be moderated by Pat Deluca, a member of Rochester’s Working With Wax group and an exhibiting artist. The talk is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Fire & Form, a juried exhibition celebrating the depth, diversity, and innovation of encaustic artists across New York State.

IMAGE

Learn more about the artworks featured in the graphic HERE

ABOUT THE PANELISTS

Linda Bigness (Camillus, NY) is an internationally exhibited artist who maintains a gallery/studio in Syracuse, New York. Her work has been exhibited in several prestigious solo and group shows that have involved notable jurors such as art critic Clement Greenberg, Ivan Karp, director of OK Harris Gallery in NYC, and Tom Piche, director of the Daum Museum of Contemporary Art. In addition, Bigness’ large scale paintings are often selected and commissioned for corporate and residential clients, including the Turning Stone Resort, Merrill Lynch Corporation, Haylor, Freyer and Coon, and Bausch and Lomb. She continues to exhibit professionally at several venues with artwork featured frequently at the Nan Miller Gallery in Rochester, NY. Presently, she is working on her latest book and exhibition about abstract art and the contemporary processes used by working artists today. Part of the research for this book is taken from the workshops she teaches and her oil painting and mixed media collage experience. For over 30 years, Bigness has used her expertise to share with others the unique beauty and processes of her chosen medium through writing, teaching, and professional exhibits. Her first book, “Paint It, Tear It, Create It,” offered the reader insight into visual abstract thinking through the process of collage into painting. She continues to explore the abstract through surface manipulation using encaustics and oil, and is currently working on a new series, the “Journey Stones Revisited,” that reflects her extensive travels through the United States and Europe.

Domenica Brockman (b.1968, Pittsfield, MA; lives in Ithaca, NY) works in paint and collage, using oil and encaustic paint to visualize an inner landscape. Domenica holds a BFA from Cornell University and a post-baccalaureate degree from the School of Visual Arts. She has participated in many solo and two-person shows, including Lift Trucks, in Croton, NY, the Southern Vermont Arts Center, Manchester, VT; Yellow Studio Gallery in Cross River, NY; Corners Gallery, Ithaca, NY; and the Gallery at East Hill in Ithaca, NY. Domenica manages the Petrune Gallery in Ithaca and is co-founder of the Cayuga Arts Collective, a non-profit for artists in the Finger Lakes Region. Her work is in private and public collections worldwide, including Emory Institute in Atlanta, GA, Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD, and Citizens Bank, New York City, NY.

Pat DeLuca (Rochester, NY) is a seasoned artist and entrepreneur with a lifelong dedication to creating meaningful artwork through drawing, encaustic and oil painting. She has served as President, Board and committee member in several regional art associations. Pat also brings over 30 years of small business experience into her art practice. She’s known as calm, credible, generous, and professional — a leader in both business and art. Her work has been widely exhibited, awarded, and collected, and she continues to grow through study, collaboration, and teaching. Every aspect of her client experience — from gallery walls to online touchpoints — is intentional and polished. Notably her encaustic painting, “Drowning in Blue” was juried into the FingerLakes bi-annual show at the Rochester Memorial Art Gallery.

Nickolas Viele (Rochester, NY) was born in West Covina California in 1982. He grew up the youngest of three children. As an infant his family relocated to Rochester, New York where he still resides today. Growing up in poverty he learned to appreciate all aspects of life around him. Art was an outlet for Nickolas, and he found his place in the world of art as a sculptor. Nickolas completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture at the College at Brockport in the fall of 2019. Nickolas moved on to completing his Master of Fine Arts at the Rochester Institute of Technology in the spring of 2021. His knowledge of traditional techniques with practices in metal-working and fabrication, along with a clarity of form, Nickolas creates minimal visual confusion for the viewer. He still lives in Rochester, and his work has been showcased in the Brockport and Rochester area since 2017.