Ann Mitchell
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I’m drawn to the mystery of encaustic, how I can layer an image within layers of wax and continue that layering with the addition of shadow and highlight. I start with a process of photomontage, which is then printed, mounted on wood, encased in wax (encaustics) and finished with pastels. The round shape feels like a porthole, allowing the viewer to spy into a new world.
There are selections from two series: the first being LA Noir and Blanc. The mystery of encaustic is echoed in L.A. - a city that plays with the idea of “real.” The imagery takes the viewer from dark to light - starting with L. A. Noir, framing classic 1930s architecture - removing the context and allowing the structures to existing within their own world. Then the journey continues to light as you move out of the city towards the rambling layered hills as the fog rolls in and this is L. A. Blanc...L. A. Black and White.
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Arroyo Study, 8" round, encaustic and pastel on pigment print mounted on wood.
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Observatory Study, 8" round, encaustic and pastel on pigment print mounted on wood.
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Hollywood Bowl Muse Study, 6" round, encaustic and pastel on pigment print mounted on wood.
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Astronomers Monument, 6" round, encaustic and pastel on pigment print mounted on wood.
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The second series looks at "Home and Away" images that were made during the Pandemic of 2020.
In this time of crazy uncertainty, of anger, fear and unrest, I’ve found myself moved towards the eternal, finding ways to ground myself - to claim space that cannot be controlled by the chaos around me. The two sides to this journey are home which is both security and confinement, and the woods through which I can escape. I’m starting with constructed imagery, which is then printed, mounted on wood, encased in wax (encaustics) and finished with pastels.
I recently came upon the following quote, which really echoed what I was feeling.
“In the face of all the present turmoil and unrest and unhappiness…what can a photographer, a writer, a curator do? …To make people aware of the eternal things, to show the relationship of man to nature, to make clear the importance of our heritage, is a task that no one should consider insignificant. These are days when eloquent statements are needed.”
Beaumont Newhall in a letter to Ansel Adams, 3rd May 1954
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The Tides,
6" round, encaustic and pastel on pigment print mounted on wood.
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Ludlow Star, 6" round each, encaustic, oil and pastel on pigment print mounted on wood.
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Icarus 1.0, 14.5" square, encaustic and pastel on 16 pigment prints mounted on wood.
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The Woods Are Full,
8" round, encaustic and pastel on pigment print mounted on wood.
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Through the Thicket, 8" round, encaustic and pastel on pigment print mounted on wood.
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At the Heart, 8" round, encaustic and pastel on pigment print mounted on wood.
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Icarus with Road, 8" round with 3.5" square, encaustic and pigment print mounted on wood.
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By the Banks,
8" each round, encaustic and pastel on pigment print mounted on wood.
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Butte Road, 8" round, encaustic and pastel on pigment print mounted on wood.
