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| Working Morning |
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| Ghost Bridge |
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| Airy Equation |
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| Criss Cross |
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| Environment |
From Beeswax, Poetry
By Tom Wachunas
Encaustic \ in-ˈkȯ-stik (noun) : a paint made
from pigment mixed with melted beeswax and resin and after application fixed by
heat; also: the method involving the use of encaustic or a work produced by
this method; from Latin encausticus,
from Greek enkaustikos, from enkaiein to burn in, from en- + kaiein to burn
“…I am drawn to the idea of encasing the
subject, so it can be studied at a later date…Through the layering of wax,
adding color and texture I aim to create an environment which allows the viewer
to bring to it their own story and hopefully enjoyment of that journey and also
with anticipation invite the viewer back over and over again to find different
elements not noticed in the original viewing….” - Dawn Tekler, from http://dawntekler.com/
EXHIBIT: Dawn
Tekler: Mental Structures / In Studio M, at the Massillon Museum through February 24, 2019 / 121 Lincoln Way
East in downtown Massillon, Ohio / 330.833.4061 /
On February 3, from
2-4pm, Dawn will be presenting an artist demonstration of her encaustic
painting process.
Cleveland-based
Dawn Tekler has written that this series of encaustic paintings began during
her morning commutes along Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River, prompting her
vigorous attention to weather conditions, to the colors and textures of the
atmosphere, and to the light reflected off the industrial landscape. She
depicts unforgivingly flat terrains, with big, sweeping skies pierced by the
earthy browns and rust tones of various buildings and towers, utility poles and
power lines, or imposing trestle bridges.
Most painters know
that photo-documentation of their work has its limitations. They’ll tell you
that even the most technically advanced cameras and photographers are often
simply incapable of accurately capturing the whole truth of a painting. As you look at the photos of Dawn
Tekler’s pieces that I’ve included here (courtesy of the artist) keep in mind
that what you can’t readily discern are the paintings’ alluringly tactile
character, which is as sumptuous as it is subtle. But don’t just take my word
for it.
Go to the gallery
and feast your eyes. These works aren’t laden with the raised, curling edges of
thick paint imprinted with brush trails that we often see in impasto technique.
Instead, the picture planes are imbued with an ebb and flow energy that turns
their waxy materiality into slow, smooth waves. So while you’re at it, go ahead
and breach gallery etiquette. Be naughty, as if sneaking a taste of luscious
icing on a cake. Run your fingers ever so gingerly along the paintings’ gently undulant
surfaces. Sweet tooth indeed.
Some of the
pictures are emblazoned with the electric, translucent hues of spectacular
sunrises – lavish bursts of luminous air, as in Working Morning. In others, such as Ghost Bridge, the distant structure we see has been reduced to a
skeletal remnant, veiled and embedded in misty light.
More ghostly and reductive still, Airy Equation is stunning in its sheer
simplicity and quietude. Those wispy
lines floating on and within the surface have a calligraphic elegance about
them. Writings on the sky. With its muted glow of warm color peeking through
that white air, the painting brings to mind a spirit present in varying degrees
throughout the entire exhibit.
Some of the
structures rendered here might have once been remarkable feats of
practical engineering, dominating our field of vision in a decidedly bold
manner, such as in Criss Cross, or Environment. Curiously enough, they also exude fragility, lyricism,
and something even mystical. Call them meditations on the vestigial and the
ethereal. In that, they’re the probative stuff of poetry.
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