CV

Artist's Statement

I paint on wood panel using the encaustic medium; a mixture of beeswax, damar and pigment. The hot, liquid wax mixture is painted, then fused to the wood with a propane torch. Many layers are put down and fused atop the first. Sometimes I collage, sculpt, and scribe into the work. This medium suits me because it has a warm aroma, a lush, sensuous touch, and an unrivaled luster.

The land is the inspiration for my abstractions. As a child, I was fascinated with the wonders of the natural world that I experienced in my own backyard, in the forests of girl scout camp, and in the gardens of my grandparents.

I find that these wonders have laid claim on me. Gathering the findings and symbols of my past, and connecting them to the present, I am driven to make something elemental and evocative. I envision each painting as a medley, a melded place, where both the gritty and sublime combine.

Education

Northern Illinois University, Master of Fine Arts Degree, DeKalb IL, 1990-1994
Extensive Post-Graduate Study

Solo Exhibitions

Gathering, WomanMade Gallery, Chicago, Il 2007
Melting Palette, Quincy Art Museum, Quincy IL, 2004
Wishing, One Person Show, Lake County Museum, Wauconda Il, 2002

Selected Exhibitions

Suzanne Randolph Fine Arts, Rotating Exhibition, New York NY, 2005
Edge, G.R.N’Namdi Gallery, Detroit MI, 2004
Waxworks 3, Gwenda Jay Addington Gallery, Chicago IL, 2004
Two Person Invitational, Marshfield Clinic, Marshfield WI, 2003
Burning In: Four Encaustic Painters, College of Lake County, Grayslake IL, 2002
Departure: American Contemporary Landscape, Indiana University NW, Gary IN, 2001
Joanne Mattera and Friends, Art Mecca Gallery, Chicago IL, 2001
Beyond the Surface, Womanmade Gallery, Chicago IL, 2001

Awards

Illinois Arts Council Fellowship Award, 2002
Cover Design for Allyn and Bacon Publishers, 2002
Lalla Anne Critz Scholarship, Ox-Bow, Saugatuck MI, 1998
Artist in Residence Award, Ox-Bow, Saugatuck MI, 1997
Recent Works Award of Excellence, College of Lake County, Grayslake IL, 1996

Collections

Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago IL
College of Lake County, Grayslake IL
International Travel Services, Northbrook IL
Prudential Preferred Properties, Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL
Schiff, Hardin, and Waite, Sears Tower, Chicago IL
Strauss and Associates, Bannockburn IL
Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership, Seattle WA