The Dyptich Project: a Collaboration in Wax- in two Portlands!!
Date Posted: March 28, 2008 Posted By: Ben Pink
International Encaustic Artists (IEA) and New England Wax (NEW) present parallel exhibitions of
The Diptych Project: A Collaboration in Wax.
Pleas join us for the west coast launch of the touring exhibition
Opening April 4 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m
at Brian Marki Fine Art
on view though April 30, 2008
Hours: 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday.
Artist talk by Laura Kleinman Saturday, April 5 at 3 pm.
Kleinman, who has worked, taught and shown in NYC, Boston, and San Francisco will discuss her creative path as a printmaker using plates built from wax to the transition into using the wax. She will also elaborate on the involvement of collaborating in The Diptych Project.
The corresponding east coast exhibition will begin at Whitney Art Works Portland, ME from April 4 – 26, 2008.
The tandem exhibitions are the first of their kind featuring collaborative work in encaustic media created by member artists paired from each organization. Each artist in the 36 pairings created one half of a two-panel painting or “diptych” then sent the work to the partner artist to answer in visual dialogue and complete the piece. Works completed by IEA artists will debut at the Brian
Marki Fine Art in Oregon, and works completed by NEW artists will be introduced at Whitney Art Works in Maine.
The idea for the twin shows emerged from member discussions held during the first National Encaustic Conference at Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, MA in June 2007. Members of both NEW and IEA shared their enthusiasm for encaustic art and its vast possibilities. Rodney Thompson, an artist member of IEA expressed, “The exciting aspect of the project is how each artist must respond creatively to their partner’s style, technique and content to achieve a cohesive, balanced and unified work of art – the results will be compelling to see.”
Selected works of the project will tour nationally throughout 2008 - 2009 with upcoming 2008 exhibitions confirmed for Montserrat College (Beverly, MA) in June, Conrad Wilde Gallery (Tucson, AZ) in September and Steamboat Springs Arts Council (Steamboat Springs, CO) in November.
West coast based IEA and East coast based NEW are both professional artists associations that share in similar missions to further excellence in encaustic art. Encaustic is an extremely durable and versatile medium containing beeswax and tree sap then applied to a rigid support with heat to create exquisite visual effects. Artists credited with early uses of wax include Arthur Dove,
Diego Rivera and Karl Zerbe – and Jasper Johns.
For more information about Brian Marki Fine Art
visit www.brianmarki.com or call (503) 249-5659.
For more information about Whitney Art Works
go to www.whitneyartworks.com or call (207) 774-7011.
For more information about the project, including links to IEA and NEW, participating artists and future exhibitions, visit http://thediptychproject.googlepages.com/home.
