Laura Martinez-Bianco

Artist Statement

I am drawn to landscapes, capturing and preserving the views that have been seen over the years by many. I work in pastels on site, en plein air. Each plein air experience provides me with a study, an under painting or a memory that is the inspiration for my encaustics. Encaustics encourage me to simplify and work abstractly, starting with broad, quick strokes; while small shapes and lines follow to complete the image. I am always eager to manipulate the wax and the pigment with heat. I am obsessed with the materials that are fluid and have life of their own, until I can rein them in to a controlled and organized image. The spontaneity of the molten wax and pigment excite me throughout the entire process. Each encaustic painting is a sealed image of a landscape I once stood in.