Working in Wax at Cappaert Contemporary Gallery

“Double Coral” by Helen Dannelly.

Cappaert Contemporary Gallery (cappaertcontemporary.com) represents many artists working in wax as their medium. Encaustic painting and sculpture is a method of painting with heated beeswax and colored pigments. Cold wax painting, which is gallery owner Ginnie Cappaert’s specialty, has a texture and physicality of paint layers that no other medium has. 

The other artists creating in wax – whose work will be on view at the gallery for the entire season – are Shannon Weber, Helen Dannelly, Jeffrey Hirst, Bridgette Guerzon Mills, Helen Lewis and Mara Manning.

Weber uses natural materials, reeds and stones for her sculpture series focused on the vessel or boat shape. Dannelly’s series is a visual representation of what happens to coral as a result of increased water temperatures. Hirst’s current work investigates the relationship between the human-made architectural structure and the natural landscape. Mills integrates diverse layers of photos, paper, fibers, wood and metal into her encaustic paintings. Lewis captures light and luminosity through delicate layers in her abstract paintings. Manning gravitates to simple house or boat shapes, layering and abstracting the image, allowing them to dry, and then burnishing the wax to create a soft luster on the surface.