Mats Reslow Art
ABSTRACT PAINTINGS
The paintings are mainly abstract with some simplistic figurative elements. I am attracted to the unknown rather than the known. Painting is a process to discover something new. Working intuitively allows images to reveal themselves. The abstraction is a natural choice.
As a scientist by training within the field of biochemistry, I am interested in evolution of life and cosmos from both a philosophical and a scientifically point of view. I am also fascinated by ancient texts, manuscripts and graphs. Often the beauty of these objects has been enhanced by the patina of age.
My paintings are the visual record of events that take place in my studio. In the abstract paintings, I begin by laying out layers of pigmented bees wax. As I put layer on layer, then scrape away, new images or a history are coming to me.
Scratching and digging into the encaustic surface is as important as putting on new layers of oil or wax. I am exploring the structures, contrast between dark and light, fluidity, and density, and the visible effects of light through the pigment.
T H E M A T E R I A L S
The abstract paintings are composed of layers of bee wax, oil glazes and transfers from digital media. I use encaustic to create different surface textures.
The basic ingredients for the encaustic medium are beeswax, damar resin and pigment. It is the oldest known paint binder which history goes back to the 5th century before B.C. The medium must be heated to about 75-100 degree Celcius in order to be moved with a brush or spatel.
Heating element like electric fryer and or a heat gun is used to melt the wax. The bee wax is hardened in minutes and multiple layers can be built up. . Encaustic allows me to build up textures similar to oils but without waiting weeks for each layer to dry. Opaque and translucent layers of pigmented bee´s wax can be used. The encaustics are applied onto wood panels which has been primed with a coat of wax. The surface can be drawn on, scratched into, heated again and rubbed. What I enjoy about encaustic is how close it is to nature; from the labour of the honey bees to the natural resin, with no are no chemicals involved. The surface feels like an organic skin with a nice scent.
Encaustic is extremely stable. It is extremely durable as it is inaccessible to moisture. It does not yellow, darken or deteriorate. Encaustic surfaces do not require varnish or glass over them. Its permanency is proven by its history; encaustic use goes back to the Greeks in 5th century B.C. The best known encaustic works are the Fayum funeral portraits that were painted in Egypt by Greek painters in the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D
Contact
Location
27 Montblanque St App.56 New Bangleed City
Tel.: +78-098-0987654
E-mail: name_site.com
©MatsReslow 2010-2011
