Meet R&F’s International Encaustic Conference Scholarship Recipients
We are delighted to announce the two recipients of R&F’s Virtual Scholarship Giveaway to attend this year’s International Encaustic Conference. Our recipients hail from Norway and Australia respectively, truly embodying the “international” aspect of the conference. It was fun to help promote this year’s conference and hear all your favorite colors. With nearly a thousand entries, we know that you enjoyed it too.
The International Encaustic Conference is a special experience. We recommend you take advantage of the fact that the conference is going virtual this year and register. If you’ve never been, this will give you a taste of what it’s like - a chance to connect and be inspired by artists across the country and around the world who work with wax.
And without further ado, our winners are Janet Sandø and Deanne Palmer. We’ll let them tell you a little about themselves and what attending this year’s conference means to them.
Image credit: Janet Sando-Healey
Janet Sando-Healey
I live in Horten, Norway. I was fascinated when I encountered encaustic in 2012. A whole new world opened up for me. Here in Norway, encaustic is relatively unknown. Very few work with it. But online I found inspiration, history, and instruction on how to begin. Up until today, all my work in encaustic is based on self-study, trying, succeeding, and learning from failures.
Encaustic has given my inner voice a visual expression. My ongoing goal is to explore juxtapositions of the ancient versus the contemporary. I have a deep interest in symbols and scripts, and exploring the duality between old and new.
I am fascinated with surfaces, textures, and the traces of history hidden in the layers of wax. I use my own drawings, prints, and sometimes photography as elements. Time is essential in my work. I try to allow the past and the future to stream into the present moment.
It has long been a dream to attend the International Encaustic Conference. I was going to attend last year but then the world closed down because of the pandemic. I am so grateful that the conference went virtual this year. It gives all artists the possibility to receive inspiration and collaboration while staying safe in our own studios. Thank you so much! I am so happy! janetsando.com
Image credit: Deanne Palmer
Deanne Palmer
I was born in Sydney, Australia and have been working in various areas of the visual arts since 1980, exhibiting in both in solo and group exhibitions. My current work reflects a strong interest in our natural surroundings, especially the ocean, which has always been influential in my life.
I teach art from my workspace, Limelight Studios Gladesville, which was established in 2008 and offers art programs for school age students and adults designed to develop elemental art skills and promote individual expression. We offer private, group, and corporate workshops in drawing, painting, mixed media, clay, sculpture, cartooning, printmaking, and mosaic.
I am excited to be given the opportunity to be part of the International Encaustic Conference. It was The Art of Encaustic Painting by Joanne Mattera (as well as the work of Jasper Johns) that sparked my fascination with working in wax. I have mostly worked with oil and encaustic is a natural extension for me, as I like to work both technically and intuitively. Encaustic is full of wonder and surprise and yet demands some technical control.
The conference will be a wonderful source of knowledge and inspiration. Thank you again R&F for this opportunity to meet others in our global encaustic community! In these difficult times, I believe it is important to keep positively communicating especially on a creative level. You can find me on Instagram @limelight.studios and on Facebook at Limelight Studio Gladesville.