CHRISTY BRANSON

artist statement

My work is all about process: the action of slowly adding thin layers of melted wax and pigment to a wood surface. I love the physicality of the process and my paintings are not as much “painted” as they are built. The work develops by application of melted wax, fusing with fire, scraping away and repeating. Slowly, the paintings emerge, leaving behind a history of colors and marks made along the way.

Growing up in a small family with working parents that moved a lot, I was often left to my own devises. Luckily, even at an early age I had an amazing capacity for creativity that has always been my constant companion. Determined to work my way through college I studied and explored  fine arts. I excelled in painting, although pottery and sculpting were also of great interest to me. It wasn’t until years later, that I learned what encaustics were and fell in love with the medium. I knew I had to paint in wax.

In 2013, by accident, I witnessed and artist melting chunks of beeswax with a strange tree resin. I was immediately transfixed and knew that this is what I had to do. Ferociously learning everything that I could about this ancient art form, very naturally made everything in my creative life fall into place. Setting up an encaustic studio quickly followed. For me, the medium lends itself to what I have to say in a way that no other art form is able to do. Abstract landscapes tend to emerge frequently in my work, as well as shifts in color and mood that coincide with the seasons. Being able to apply thin layers of wax, mark making and pigment allows for me to create an atmospheric quality to my paintings that draw the viewer into the luscious surface of the wax, only to discover a peaceful world that lies beneath.  

Today, I continue expanding the process by employing original techniques and developing new ways of expressing myself through wax.