ENCAUSTIC EXPANSION
Beth Sievers

June 14 – August 6, 2023

Rochester-based artist Beth Sievers presents Encaustic Expansion, an exhibition of encaustic paintings alongside a collection of earrings inspired by the large-format works of art.

ARTIST RECEPTION & DEMONSTRATION
Sunday, June 25 | 1 2- 2 pm

Join us as we celebrate Beth with a gallery reception, on Sunday, June 25 from 12 - 2 pm. Admission is free, and all are welcome. Light refreshments are provided. Advance registration is appreciated.

 ARTIST STATEMENT

Encaustic painting is an ancient art form dating back to the 4th Century AD. Encaustic paintings are created by mixing beeswax, tree resin, and pigment together and painting it while in a molten state onto a porous surface. It is then fused into the surface with a torch, and each layer of wax must be fused to the layer below.

I always think of encaustic painting as using two “brushes”: the actual brush you use to place the encaustic medium where you want it, and the second “brush,” your torch. Depending on how much heat you apply, the medium will stay in place or melt everywhere. 

This exhibit showcases how my encaustic, large-format, two-dimensional pieces of art can be translated into smaller, functional pieces of art as encaustic earrings. I have taken salvaged items, like tree bark, discarded wooden shapes, and chipboard, and incorporated them to create a substrate using a process I developed. Just like with my wall art, my earrings fall into three categories, birch bark earrings, live edge earrings, and what I call “finished edge” earrings.

Each encaustic earring is unique, lightweight, and earth friendly. My live edge and birch bark earrings were created by salvaging bark from locally fallen trees. Our backyard wood pile supplied a lot of the bark for this exhibit. Each earring was cut and sanded by hand and glued to reinforce the strength and longevity of the material. The glue creates a glossy finish on the bark.

The “finished edge” earring substrates were created using a process I developed using salvaged items from: 

• chipboard sourced from used coffee carriers and coffee sleeves (Café Steam, Old Abe Coffee Co., & Caribou Coffee).

• chipboard sourced from corrugated toothpaste boxes

• wood shapes salvaged from a local school dumpster 

• birch bark sourced from locally fallen trees

The shapes are cut out of the salvaged material and then several layers of plaster are applied to create strength and to make the material more porous so that the encaustic medium could be fused to it.

Each earring is then painted with encaustic medium. Some are painted by hand while others have a monoprint I created fused into the medium. Encaustic medium can be smooth or applied to create a lot of texture. All of the hardware used for the earrings is hypoallergenic.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts & cultural heritage fund.

Image: Hoppin’, 2023. Beeswax, tree resin, pigment, shellac on salvaged bark, 18” x 5”.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Beth is a self-guided artist who first discovered encaustic painting in 2010 and began showing her work publicly in 2016. Her art is often nature-inspired and uses locally salvaged wood whenever possible as her substrate. Creating on unusual, live edge wood allows her to take inspiration from her canvases. 

Beth has a Master’s degree in nursing and works at Mayo Clinic Hospital Rochester. She finds her compassionate care of patients fuels a creative spirit geared towards creating art as a healing practice. She is pleased to have created an artistic family with her husband and two daughters. 

Beth is a member of Threshold Arts and curates the 125 Live art gallery spaces. Find her work online at bethsieversart.com or at local businesses including Art Heads Emporium, Clover & Rose, or Gathered Goods located at Forager Brewery.

Additional paintings from this series are on view at Cafe Steam (315 South Broadway) and at the Historic Chateau Theatre on the Peace Plaza.