Regina B. Quinn President Grants Director
Lyn Belisle Vice President Editor, Wax Fusion
Isabelle Gaborit Social Media Director
S. Kay Burnett Executive Editor Wax Fusion
Michele Randall Secretary
Rhonda Raulston Tech Director Treasurer
Mary Jo Reutter Membership & Chapters Director
Melissa Stephens Exhibitions Director
Amanda Pierce Editor Wax Fusion
Front cover, Beyond, detail
Encaustic mixed media on antique Turkish windows by Kathy Manthei Coulson
The theme for our Fall 2025 issue is Borderlands—art at the intersection of cultures, identities, and geographies, using encaustic as a medium of passage, blending, and belonging. This issue celebrates the development of new ideas that cross borders and challenge boundaries.
We invited artists from around the world, many of whom draw on both their cultural heritage and the places where they now live. They use encaustic to explore deeper connections to heritage, ancestry, and identity. In these uncertain times, when so many are divided, displaced, and separated, Borderlands ofers a space to explore tensions as well as the potential for fusion, healing, and connection.
Deanne Palmer opens the issue with Borderlands, setting the tone and inviting readers to consider how we encounter the unfamiliar. Jenny Kallis follows with The Border of Something New, a thoughtful delineation between what was and what can be. Kathy Manthei Coulson’s Crossroads and Borderlands merges technique with insight, providing a guide through creative intersections, while Silke Wieland’s Between Layers demonstrates how encaustic becomes a medium of self-expression and dialogue, exploring personal and cultural narratives. Finally, Cheryl Cobern Browne’s Thin Spaces reminds us of thresholds where the boundary between the earthly and the divine becomes permeable—a place of reflection, wonder, and connection.
Together, these five artists create a rich tapestry of ideas, inviting readers to explore the intersections, contrasts, and possibilities that define the landscapes of our shared and individual experiences.
We hope you enjoy this Borderlands issue of Wax Fusion and feel inspired to push your work forward through bold experimentation. As always, we welcome your feedback at WaxFusion@International-Encaustic-Artists.org. This journal is created for IEA members but is also free to the public—feel free to share it widely.
S. Kay Burnett
Lyn Belisle
Amanda Pierce
Glass, fossils, shells, glass tiles
4 x 6 ft
Deanne Palmer
I live and work on Wallumedegal land, of the Eora Nation and pay my respects to Elders past and present. I honour the traditional custodians of country/place throughout Australia and recognise the ongoing connection of First Peoples to lands, waters, story and culture.
There is a moment, just before the wax cools, when colours drift into one another in ways that can’t be planned. A pigment cloud swirls cobalt blue skies into eucalypt green and lightfilled turquoise beneath the surface, caught between solid and liquid, edge and centre. In that moment, the piece feels alive— a conversation between material, intention, and chance.
For me, this space is like a borderland: a blending of boundaries, an in-between zone where identities overlap, where cultures meet, and where ecology and geography shape —and are shaped by—those who inhabit them. It is also the zone where encaustic comes into its own. This ancient medium has the ability to hold contradictions: opacity and translucence, fragility and endurance, surface and depth. Adaptable and responsive, it becomes the perfect medium of passage for exploring intersections of blending and belonging.
Between Two Rivers Encaustic, shellac, repurposed lace, metal scourer, and gold leaf 10 x 7 x 7 in
My work traces quiet connections—between place and memory, presence and feeling, what is seen and what is sensed. The process is meditative, time-intensive, and often patient. Each of the many layers is fused with heat, sealed yet translucent enough for light to pass through. It is concealing, revealing, and sometimes repairing. The gradual accumulation of layers allows a slow unfolding of form and atmosphere. Natural pigments and the eco-friendly, textural qualities of encaustic create a link to the earth itself, a physical connection to place. Rooted in the Australian environment yet open to emotional and imaginative space, my work focuses on resilience, restoration, and respect for Country.
The wax itself has a capacity for repair that I find deeply resonant. In my sculptures, I often represent fractures with repurposed material, highlighting rather than hiding the break. This echoes the Japanese art and philosophy of kintsugi, where broken pottery is mended with gold, the repair becoming part of the story. For me, these mended lines speak of healing—not the erasure of damage, but its transformation into something strong and beautiful.
Devastation to our Great Barrier Reef has compelled me to investigate the process of healing oceanic vulnerability. In coral restoration projects, new scientific solutions introduced into damaged reefs act as forms of Kintsugi. My recent encaustic sculpture, Coral Garden, incorporates repurposed hand-tatted lace to highlight ‘Kintsugi’ details and reflects both fragility and resilience. Although delicate in appearance, it was built patiently from many translucent layers, each attentively fused so as to not overheat, creating an underlying strength. Metallic glimmers of gold leaf catch in the vibrant coral-coloured wax like sunlight glancing of warm reef water. The sculpture is a quiet reminder that beauty often sits in the seams of repair.
Much of my work abides in the fragile meeting places between beauty and vulnerability. In nature, borderlands can be ecological edges like tidal zones, riverbanks, and coral reefs— places of great diversity, but also of great risk. I see parallels in the emotional landscapes we navigate: threshold spaces where loss meets hope, and damage meets the possibility of renewal.
The geographical isolation of Australia means our environment provides habitat for many unique species that can’t exist elsewhere. Good science and careful management are essential, but increasingly, community understanding, inclusion, and localised action have become invaluable recovery strategies.
Indigenous Australians have been caring for Country for tens of thousands of years. Indigenous-led approaches to land and marine management are not only restoring ecosystems efectively, they are strengthening cultural knowledge and creating opportunities for fusion, healing, and connection across communities.
This is where I see artists as having a relevant role—not to present ecological data or policy, but to ofer an emotional point of entry. A painting or sculpture can bypass resistance and draw someone in through curiosity, beauty, or even humour. Art is the hook—the way to catch the light in the corner of the eye, so the bigger picture can be seen.
Coral Garden, detail
Encaustic, repurposed hand-tatted vintage lace, shellac, and gold leaf
11.5 x 7 x 7 in
The Forest Encaustic, handmade plant fibre paper, repurposed cotton mesh, and copper leaf Image on the right is The Forest illuminated with LED lights
1.5 x 8 x 8 in
Art is also a way of exploring connections to heritage and ancestry. I think about the threads we inherit, the ones we weave ourselves, and how they intertwine with the history of the place where we live. My work is created on Wallumedegal land, where earth and water meet, and is intrinsically informed by the deep time of the land, with an acknowledgement that respect for Indigenous custodianship is fundamental—where fusion can foster healing rather than appropriation.
The Forest responds to the pressures of climate change on the fragile beauty and shifting realities of the NSW bush, increasingly reshaped by fire, drought, and ecological disruption from urbanisation. This sculptural encaustic was created using sustainable materials, including my own handmade plant-fibre paper. The work embodies resilience and renewal. A soft glow radiates through the form, symbolising the ever-present rise in temperature. This illumination speaks to both the vulnerability and the enduring spirit of the bushland, inviting reflection on our interconnectedness with nature and the responsibility we hold in protecting and reimagining a more sustainable, regenerative future.
I’m also drawn to the creative possibilities of Australia’s multicultural crossovers—where traditions meet, not in competition but in conversation. These are the human borderlands: the shared tables, the blended languages, the adapted rituals. I see them in my own Italian, Scottish, and Irish-influenced family. Like encaustic, they require a certain heat to fuse, and a certain patience to set. When done with care, these intersections can ofer moments of genuine connection.
In my painting Fisherman’s Granddaughter, I drew on my family’s Italian heritage and the shifting forms and rhythms of Sydney Harbour. Layer by layer, I added colour and tone into the beeswax surface, scraping and incising channels that echoed both the rocky sandstone shoreline and the tidal pulse of a working harbour. In his early immigrant years, my grandfather fished these waters day and night in a small wooden rowboat, from Woolloomooloo’s southern shore west along the Parramatta River.
Coming from a coastal village in Italy, this was not just a living for him but a way of belonging through respect and understanding for both water and place. When a local friend later saw the painting, she told me it reminded her of the weathered, peeling colours of old boats abandoned along the foreshore. I hadn’t set out with that in mind, but it revealed how art can hold many readings, allowing diferent stories to surface in the same work.
Fisherman’s Granddaughter
Encaustic, oil paint, shellac & gold leaf on panel 24 x 24 in
Encaustic, repurposed cotton mesh, shellac, and gold leaf
7.5 x 12.5 x 13 in
Frothing
Encaustic, repurposed cotton mesh, shellac, and gold leaf 13 x 7.5 x 8 in
I often think about how everything subtly shifts over time. Colours deepen, surfaces dull but can be polished, and textures catch the light diferently as the days and years pass. Like the land itself, my works are never truly final.
Borderlands is my way of living in those shifting spaces— cultural, ecological, emotional—and of inviting others to step into them with me. Through layers of wax, tree sap, and pigment, I try to make visible the beauty in repair, the strength in fragility, and the potential in places where edges meet.
The work is not an answer, but an ofering—an invitation to look closely, to linger, to witness, and to carry that awareness into the landscapes, both natural and human, that we inhabit together.
The Wind Blows You Back Encaustic, oil, and gold leaf on panel 20 x 16 in
Encaustic, repurposed cotton mesh, shellac, and gold leaf 11 x 12 x 2 in
Deanne Palmer is a contemporary Australian painter and sculptor whose practice is grounded in sustainability and ecological awareness. After beginning her career in oil painting, she transitioned to encaustic art—a medium of beeswax, damar resin, and pigment—drawn to its natural origins, archival qualities, and expressive versatility.
Her works explore the delicate interplay between human presence and the environment, often highlighting themes of restoration and repair within both land and aquatic ecologies.
Deanne’s encaustic techniques have evolved beyond painting into innovative sculptural methods, where she frequently integrates repurposed and found materials. These hybrid forms, at once tactile and luminous, reflect her ongoing commitment to art as a space for both beauty and environmental responsibility. Her slow, layered process mirrors cycles in nature, creating works that invite reflection and hope in the face of ecological change.
The Shimmer In-Between traces quiet connections—between place, memory, and feeling. Through translucent, light-filled layers, these encaustic works evoke the meditative rhythms of nature and renewal. Rooted in the Australian landscape, this work invites stillness, care, and quiet wonder. Created with beeswax, tree resin, and pigments, the medium itself reflects cycles of transformation and preservation.
Gallery NWC Katoomba
March 5 - 15, 2026
Deanne’s work is included in the Museum of Encaustic Art, New Mexico, USA and in several private collections in Australia, USA, Canada, England, and Spain.
You can view Deanne’s work at www.deannepalmerart.com www.instagram.com/deannepalmerart www.facebook.com/DeannePalmerArt
Fire and Rain
Encaustic, oil, and gold leaf on panel 20 x 16 in
Also featured on the Back Cover
Borderland definition: (n) An outline, a frontier, an edge.
The Borderland is a delineation between what was and what can be. It might be a threshold, or a place of learning and preparing before the leap. The borderland doesn’t have to be a line, it can be a field, a place for study and experimentation and reflection.
I am on the fringe of what is “new to me”, exploring a concept, gaining knowledge and preparing to make my vision into reality. When you are creating something that you believe in and building a relationship with your art, you want to get it right, look at it from all the angles and smooth over the rough spots. There is no rush.
For the last 10 years, my artistic focus has been working with pyrography (wood burning) and encaustic. I make and sell art from my studio in Laguna Beach, California. The studio is also my gallery. My worktable is in the window where the public can view the process or if they choose, they enter to learn about painting with wax and wood burning techniques.
It has been a wonderful collaboration to share the knowledge and history of encaustic with adults and children from all walks of life while simultaneously receiving constant feedback from the visitors.
Bachata Girls
The combination of pyrography and encaustic still inspires me, and this avenue of art will always be in my repertoire. But something was missing. My desire to make something that felt light, simple and elegant kept evading me on the 2D surface. I couldn’t envision what it was that I wanted to create but a change had to happen. Then one day it was before me: I found wire mesh bent it into shape and with a stroke of my wax covered brush, I held up the results to the sun light and saw the future. It was a magnetic attraction to something with no guarantees of lasting.
In the beginning, working with wax and wire was pure experimentation: would the wax stick to the wire? How could it be shaped and held together? I played with abstract forms— swimming fish, flying birds, even a life-sized illuminated female figure that now floats from the ceiling of my storefront; all pieces born from curiosity and the question: “could it be done”? With each new sculpture, my technique expanded, including how to “sew” the pieces together—the forms became stronger and more refined.
Sculpting with wax allows for a certain level of weightlessness that metal, clay and stone cannot express. The sculptures can be simultaneously delicate and coarse, refined and rudimentary. The light passing through them, the exposed wire and tactile experience all came together, drawing me in further.
Examples of simple shapes and colors created while learning about sculpting with wax and wire
The female form became the focus of my creations, but the most interesting revelation was the relationship I learned to build with art process itself. I had to learn to “listen” to the materials and to have more of a shared experience.
Reclining woman, Work in progress Wax and wire on wood, 7 x 10 × 5 in
The limitations of the wire material itself, the fragility, where to make the cuts and how it appears after applying the wax all inform and direct me to the ultimate shape and position that the form will take. It is a process of discovery. Once I see the figure and the shape, the next steps become clearer. Soon the story of each figure also began to unfold before me. Ideas for pieces or flashes of intention may happen and they may work themselves into current or future work; but I rarely begin with the outcome in mind. Instead, there is a working relationship with the material, the idea and the art itself guides me.
While the pieces might be figurative and “story telling” in nature, in its simplest concept I hope to create sculptures that are uncomplicated and quiet; the shapes are engaging, the wax is luminous and that each would feel restful and have a spaciousness quality…and ultimately, I hope that the viewer might have the same experience.
Feedback from visitors to my studio has been positive and encouraging but the journey isn’t over. My plan for the near future is to incorporate colored plexiglass and LED lighting where possible, to find more professional ways to show standing pieces and to create better methods to suspend the floating pieces from the ceiling and walls. Each piece brings with it a unique challenge because ultimately the way the sculpture is displayed may play into the action and story.
Though many steps remain on the path toward my dream of a “big, illuminated show,” chasing the vision, experimenting with the “new to me”, co-creating with the art has been its own reward. It feels like stepping into a new land that is light and airy, with fertile soil and lots of room to grow. It is an exciting place to be.
Swimmer on Koi Field
Encaustic wax on wire frame with fishing line 21 x 41 w x 14.5 in
Half Pike
Encaustic wax on wire frame with fishing line
39.5 × 15.5 × 8.5 in
Letting Go of the Wall
Encaustic wax on wire frame with fishing line 15 x 12 x 7 in
Swimmer
Encaustic wax on wire frame with fishing line 5 x 21 x 6 in
Swimmer
Encaustic wax on wire frame with fishing line 7 x 48 × 9 in
Encaustic wax on wire frame with fishing line
8 × 45 x 17 in
To be an artist working in encaustic is already to be experimenting on the border. To be in the moment - in the shared experience and creative process is key to finding authenticity.
The art piece you create is a communion of three entities:
1. The artist – is the vehicle and spark, motivation with techniques.
2. The art piece –is the manifestation and the ultimate storyteller/communicator of the feeling. The artist must partner and co-create with the art piece.
3. And the viewer – the receiver.
Whether we paint landscapes or abstractions, or create political statements—in the end, we aim to create an authentic moment from inspiration to outcome. Remember, when you are on the borderland you aren’t alone in your adventure; You are co-pilot to the creation and the outcome.
Deepak Chopra said: “When we step outside of the known -we enter into the field of all possibilities” and that is where the magic is.
Experimentation is the soul of creativity. Imagination is vision without boundaries.
Top, Woman Escaping the Box
Jenny Kallis
Wax on wire frame, wood box, 9 x 8 x 6 in
Bottom, The Gift, Wax on wire frame, wood box, and silk flower, 12.5 x 17.5 x 4 in
Jenny Kallis’ highly crafted “wax and wood” art pieces are imbued with the up-beat California color and vibe reflected in the surroundings of this Los Angeles/Laguna Beach artist.
Jenny’s unique method combines pyrography and encaustic. The warm graphic details created by the wood burning are enhanced by the luminous wax colors. The pairing of these two independently dynamic art forms ofers a platform for creating a layered multi-level conversation.
The wax can be applied thickly and carved out to expose the wood burn, or translucently like a watercolor, revealing the pyrography through the wax. Alternatively, it can be given dimension from the 2D surface and sculpted
In recent years, Jenny has ventured further into sculpture, using beeswax and construction wire to make forms. This new art method is still a work in progress, with new techniques being discovered throughout the process. Stay tuned for the full release of the sculptures in a future showing.
Wax and Wood Gallery is an open to the public studio at 899 South Coast Hwy, #1 in Laguna Beach. The Gallery/Studio aspires to educate the public both in the art and history of Encaustic (Painting with Beeswax) and Pyrography (Wood Burning) as well as the importance of Bees explained via “where does wax come from”. As the Gallery is an open studio, all the art is made on site which ofers the visitors the opportunity to see how Encaustic art is created.
You can view Jenny’s work at www.JennyKallis.com www.instagram.com/jennykallisart
Kathy Manthei Coulson
The invitation to write this article comes at a major intersection or crossroads in my life especially as I find myself living between countries. Borderlands speaks to me on so many levels in life and in my own artistic process. I am just beginning my foray into retirement from full-time art teaching in an international school in Thailand to pursue a new body of work while splitting my time between Asia and the beautiful, inspiring coast of England. Embarking on this next chapter of my artistic journey is liberating.
I am originally from the United States. I grew up in California and completed my university studies at UC Davis. When I left for a one year English teaching stint in South Korea in 1996, I could never have imagined what my life would look like today. I stumbled on the island of Phuket, Thailand in 1999 thinking I would be there for a short time. As it turns out, Phuket has been my home and creative space to this day.
My initial introduction to encaustic was through a workshop taught by the wonderful artist Charlotte Cooper in 2008 while on a trip to the Sacramento area. I enjoyed the tactile qualities of working in wax immediately and have experimented with incorporating it into my already heavily layered mixed media repertoire ever since. Access to encaustic materials in Thailand has its challenges in which case they have a very well-traveled history in my luggage to my studio space before the fusion can even begin.
Beyond, detail
Encaustic mixed media on antique Turkish windows
Also featured on the Front Cover
I now primarily use premade encaustic paint but I still have damar resin and beeswax on hand to create some of my own mixtures. I often use iridescent dry pigments which I add into my heated mixtures or rub into final layers. Using oil bars to pick up textures and highlight areas or draw into my work is another technique I employ.
My work is heavily experimental and influenced by what can be layered, stitched, woven, wrapped, fastened, unearthed, and fused.
My time spent near and on the sea and its myriad of coastlines has enthralled me. I am inspired by the infinite horizons of the ocean meeting the sky or a distant outcrop of land that seems to paint the surface. The ever-changing luminescent light is elusive and captivates me in my attempts to document it in all of its beauty.
Copper, as a substrate, is one of my favorite materials to work with. It appears prominently in my fusion of mixed media artwork. I absolutely adore its rich colour in all of its oxidized, treated and unaltered states.
Pictured below is a heat treated copper experiment that led to a small series of abstracted mini seascapes.
Dry pigments and gel medium on heat-treated copper
The dazzling rainbow efect can still be seen beneath the acrylic gel medium mixed with two-way interference dry pigments.
Below are further experiments on copper with cold wax and two way iridescent pigments. Some areas were layered quite heavily using palette knives and brushes and left to harden before working back into them. I used needles to etch back into areas of the copper that I wanted to unearth and softer rounded palette knives so as not to disrupt the surface of the copper and only carve through the wax.
Dry pigments and cold wax on copper, details
Working in a tropical environment requires me to channel much patience, letting the cold wax be, it can take days depending on the thickness applied in order to cure. I have been known to gouge out areas unintentionally when I have rushed to work back into things.
This particular piece began by inscribing into the copper with a printmaking etching needle throughout. Then blue-green pearlescent pigment was rubbed into it with light use of cold wax to pick up the inscribed details. Letting areas set over time was the key to building layers of rich, thicker cold wax and interference.
This piece radiates light from the copper itself while appearing blue or green depending on the angle it is viewed from. Light source and time of day also become additional factors in this truly interactive piece.
Heating and fusing encaustic on a copper substrate can be tricky. I have learned to keep my heat gun on a low setting in between layers. I have also learned from experience that the copper retains its heat for longer than I expected. It is best to walk away from time to time or risk destroying hours of inspiration in a single, sudden flash point, with no return.
Fusions 21
Fusions 21 is built up on copper sheets mounted onto a thin wood support, using copper tacks to afx them.
Fusions 21
Encaustic mixed media on copper, 43 x 43 in
This is by far the biggest of my early works at 43 inches square. It was highly experimental with diferent areas of copper worked into it with acrylic paint in some areas and encaustic in others.
Weathering in Wax
Encaustic mixed media on copper, 14 x 47 inches
Weathering in Wax began as a single sheet of copper fixed with copper tacks to a wooden panel.
I worked in detailed layers that were incised and then thickly layered to add expressive depth in the skies and sea areas. I applied the wax at opposing angles and accentuated the textures created by the brushwork.
Weathering in Wax, Details of the heavily textured encaustic
My preferred tool for incising into the wax is an old embroidery needle and when I need a finer edge, I use a sewing needle. Patience in between layers was essential here so as not to lose the underlying textures or thick impasto wax build-up while fusing or incising.
Mica pearlescent pigments were rubbed in to capture the glow of the light on the sea, rainfall and the stormy cloud areas. Final touches were added of encaustic in the same way that I often use dry brush technique in my acrylic mixed media work.
The turquoise encaustic “picked up” the rainfall and settled on it, bringing it out further from the background so it floats on the surface.
Fusions 1 began in 2013 on my travels to the US to spend time with my mother who was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. The foundation for the work was created using Modern Masters reactive iron paint treated with rust activator and oxidizing solutions on Thai mulberry or “Sa” paper.
Fusions 1
Encaustic mixed media, 47 x 47 in
The paint was applied generously with palette knives and large squeegees to scrape across the surface of the paper. I was surprised and pleased with the abstracted outcomes. Each one became an individual mini-scape in my mind.
Rusted and oxidized sa paper, details
Some of the solutions seeped into the paper creating its own subtly oxidized efect while other areas rusted and patinated the paint. This process takes time for the full efect to materialize and mature into being.
Rusted and oxidized sa paper, details
Due to the nature of my travels, I needed to work on a much smaller scale in order to fit the individual pieces of rusted and oxidized Sa paper back in my suitcase.
Sewn rusted and oxidized sa paper, details
Once back in Thailand, the pieces were then sewn and layered further with sail cloth and metallic plasters for a thick textured efect.
Fusions 1, Details
Embellishing areas throughout the composition with clear, cool blue and green encaustic paint layers brings the notion of the sea and sky back into the rusty earthy landscape.
Beyond accentuates the idea of melding media even further in its multiple layers of encaustic, cold wax, oil bar and oil paint with iridescent and interference pigments fused onto an antique Turkish window which I acquired on a trip there more than 20 years ago.
Encaustic mixed media, antique Turkish windows, 14 x 15 x 3 in
The clasped windows subtly reveal another interior layer, an encaustic work on copper that glows in the light, almost as if from within.
of Beyond
Detailed textures of Beyond
Each thick abstracted and textured layer collides and merges like the ever changing stratified layers of the skies above, which is another recurring motif in my work. The circular mirror-like pieces resemble portholes leading to imaginary worlds perhaps.
Detailed textures of Beyond
The windows themselves are well traveled. They crossed borders from Turkey to my studio in Thailand and then onward as their encaustic mixed media version to the juried (re)Building art exhibition at Atlantic Gallery in New York City in 2021. It has also just virtually traveled to STRATA III, an online exhibition put on by the Verum Ultimum Gallery in 2025.
Passages incorporates encaustic paint on perspex, illustrating a watery sky. Below it are used sailing charts of Thai waters, noting plots of a journey taken. They have been fixed to a wooden panel and patinated with metal reactive paint and oxidizing solution to create the deep turquoise.
Finally the piece is brought together by multiple layers of dichroic glass and copper which were then kiln fired.
Passages originally travelled to The Mapping As Source juried exhibition at Arts Benicia in 2017 and is now living out its days in a beautiful yurt in Fort Bragg, California.
Passages
Encaustic mixed media, 18 x 19 x 3 in
Fused glass detail Copper can be seen within the layers
Moonlight Monsoon
Moonlight Monsoon utilizes metallic leaf backgrounds under thick, textured layers of encaustic paint.
Moonlight Monsoon
Encaustic mixed media with handmade fused dichroic glass, 19 x 19 x 2 in
The metallic qualities of the blue leafing creates light shift and shimmering colour play depending on the angle viewed or time of day. The encaustic palette was restricted to pale blue, silver and white for a monochromatic approach. This piece made it across the ocean to Blueline Art’s Membership Medley exhibition in 2017.
Each piece of glass art is created by bringing together multiple layers of dichroic glass and copper which is then fired in the kiln.
I had the absolute pleasure of taking some fused glass workshops during various trips back to the US. I was captivated by the fusion of layers becoming one in the high heat.
The inclusion of copper had an interesting efect depending on how deeply embedded it was.
I found it intriguing as to how I might incorporate fused glass into my encaustic mixed media work, given both mediums delicate yet opposing natures.
Preparing the glass to be fired in the kiln
My sculptural work in encaustic pushes the boundaries of the medium’s delicate nature. I was intrigued as to how I could create armatures that would incorporate the encaustic yet still retain the feeling of mixed media assemblage and merge the two ideas.
Sculptural experiments, initial stages
I first built an armature from handmade paper I was experimenting with at the time, wrapped it with copper wire, copper wire mesh, and thread before adding layers of encaustic and more lashings of copper wire. I arrived at my first seahorse.
I tried a few more versions with copper wire and thread wrapped armatures and fell in love with the creative process. All of the seahorses then had to be suspended somehow for exhibition using various gauges of copper wire so they would appear to float in their surroundings.
Encaustic mixed media sculpture 12 x 12 x 2 in
Seahorse required the help of a stabilizing brass piston hank and heavy curved copper wire secured into the surrounding frame in order to appear suspended.
Seahorse was invited to Call of the Wild, an online juried exhibition at San Fernando Arts and Culture Center in 2021.
A-Sail was attached to its own island-like base with brass screws. Some of the internal armature’s copper wire details were accentuated in encaustic paint to better describe the form.
I added long lengths of copper wire to wrap and illustrate the tail as well as repurposed copper string lighting. I found that it kept its fluid quality when experimenting with it.
In the end, I kept the malleable wire that now flows and trails throughout the piece.
14
For the base, I used two carved wooden printing blocks layered with a sailing chart and iridescent gel medium.
A-Float
Encaustic mixed media sculpture 8 x 8 x 2 in
A-Float
A-Float began as a delicate wire and thread wrapped piece. I used a green encaustic mixed with a green metallic dry pigment to heighten the colour. The whole sculpture floats in its copper wrapped surroundings, almost camouflaged in seagrass as if it were in the wild. Heavier copper wire secures it into the wooden frame with heavy brass screws.
Both A–Sail and A-Float were invited to Call of the Wild, an online juried exhibition at San Fernando Arts and Culture Center in 2024.
Encaustic mixed media sculpture 17 x 17 x 5 in
The Nautilus came about through meticulously folding, bending and hand stitching multiple layers of copper wire mesh. I used copper wire (acquired from an old electrical shop in Phuket Town) and an embroidery needle to secure the layers.
Sewing into the copper mesh
This particular piece required many preliminary layers of wax and rice paper over the copper wire mesh armature in order to build it up enough to take the final encaustic layers of paint.
Building onto and securing the Nautilus to its wooden base
The Nautilus was attached to a wooden piece that washed ashore in Phuket but it still needed securing with heavier copper wire bent into a spiral and copper wire mesh molded into its outer shell frame.
Finally dry iridescent pigments and oil pastel were rubbed into the surface. I left some parts merely copper wire to invoke a fossilized sense of these ancient creatures that are now endangered and rarely seen in the wild. I was fascinated by all of the frayed wire edges that emerged, which I incorporated into the final design.
Nautilus also traveled (I like to think “swam”) to the Hot and Cold: Wax Artists of California juried exhibition held at Blueline Arts in California in 2023.
As I embark on this new chapter in my studio career, I hope to continue my encaustic practice to see how much further it could be possible to push the borders of this lustrous, fluid and limitless medium.
This time around, my travel bags contain a few encaustic supplies and vintage memories documenting my grandmother’s journey from Germany in the late 1920’s to a new life in the USA. I have long been fascinated by the idea of personal geographies as a theme. Now just might be the perfect time to explore this idea and meld the here and now with the roots of the past.
Influenced by the dramatic tropical skies and coastal landscapes encountered on her travels, Kathy’s experimental mixed media and encaustic artworks radiate with shimmering, reflective layers. She enjoys working in a wide range of media and melding techniques on a variety of surfaces to create both 2D-based work and 3D forms.
Over the years, her work has been accepted into numerous juried art exhibitions. Many of Kathy’s pieces have traveled the world, crossing many borders to become part of private collections and gallery shows.
While originally from California, Thailand has been her creative space since 1999. She worked for many years as a teacher of Art at the British International School, Phuket. Now retired, Kathy is fusing her time in Asia with the UK, along the beautiful, inspiring Isle of Wight coastline. She looks forward to this exciting new chapter in life affording her time to focus on creating new work and expanding her creative endeavors.
You can view Kathy’s work at www.mantraART.com www.instagram.com/kathycoulsonart www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100052050852521&pnref=story
The Dark Side of the Moon, 10 x 8 in Encaustic and oil stick on panel
Silke Wieland
Serendipity
About 15 years ago, I visited an exhibition by Mercedes Felgueres. Her mixed-media artworks had a depth I had never seen before – and I knew I wanted to explore this language of layers myself.
In my search for answers, I discovered encaustic art. At the time, there wasn’t much information available, especially not in Germany or Europe. (I was convinced; encaustic must be it. Back then, I didn’t know that such depth can also be created with layers of acrylic medium, often called “faux encaustic”.)
The moment I began working with wax, feeling its softness in liquid form, scraping it back, and maneuvering a torch across its surface, it all clicked. And from that moment on, it never let me go.
pi - or the colors in me, Encaustic and oil on panel, 40 x 80 cm (15.7 x 31.4 in)
Encaustic is my IKIGAI. It inspires me to wake up each morning with excitement and brings me calm at night. It lives constantly in my thoughts, guiding me toward the anticipation of what lies ahead.
It gives a deep connection between artistic practice and a sense of purpose. Encaustic is not just a technique but an inner drive – a medium that unites creativity, craftmanship and personal expression, while continuously pushing me toward new creative horizons. Working with wax requires patience, curiosity and dedication, yet rewards with unique depth and luminosity.
pi - or the colors in me, Draft on panel, 40 x 80 cm (15.7 x 31.4 in)
My artistic roots date back to 2001, shaped by encounters with inspiring mentors mainly working with acrylics and mixed media.
Rainer Kaiser taught me the discipline of working in series and the creative potential that emerges from exploring variations. His approach to artistic expression has been an important influence on my artistic development.
scream series, Oil and wax on paper, 35 x 25 cm (13.7 in x 9.8 x)
Kandy Lozano introduced me to the fundamental principles of encaustic painting, opening the door to a medium that continues to challenge and inspire me. In many ways, it was Kandy’s guidance and example that encouraged me to pursue my path and shaped the artist I have become today.
I am also influenced by artists such as Crystal Marie-Neubauer, who pursues the truest, most authentic version of her own voice; Laurie Frick, who tells stories through striking data visualizations; and Stefanie Posavec and Giorgia Lupi, who explore connectedness through data.
My work often revolves around themes of identity, inner dialogue, connection and the interplay of data and structure. I explore how we define who we are – through the gaze of our parents, the roles we take on, and the reflections we see in others. I seek to calm the inner noise, to listen to the voices within, and to translate emotions into visual form.
Connection plays a vital role in my art: examining what binds us together, how we perceive ourselves through others, and how individuality and shared experience coexist. Some works, like Robin, carry deeply personal narratives, touching grief, memory and gratitude. Equally fascinating to me is the realm of data and structure. In series like I love data, I merge my passion for information with artistic interpretation, visualizing human behavior through intricate patterns.
I move between diferent roles in my life. I am an artist and a teacher, but I am also a communication expert, an art therapist, a project manager and a data enthusiast leading an international team of brilliant people. So, who am I? I am all these, and each role shapes who I am and how I live.
Crossing borders – between art and management, creativity and analytics, empathy and strategy – has become second nature to me. Each transition enriches the other. Creativity helps me find solutions to highly complex challenges. I am fascinated by data and love using it to better understand human behavior. And I find it deeply rewarding to use art to explore someone’s life challenges and to discover solutions together – through a conversation sparked by a painting. I love the intense exchange with people, as much as I cherish moments of solitude.
dialog
Encaustic and oil on panel, 70 x 50 cm (27.5 x 19.6 in)
Encaustic and mixed media on cardboard, 70 x 50 cm (27.5 x 19.6 in)
Encaustic
jump and i will (top down) from Echoes series
Encaustic and mixed media on panel 30 x 30 cm (11.8 x 11.8 in)
Wax is an ideal medium for assemblage, mixed media and collage. It not only preserves elements but also securely bonds them to the artwork. I use various encaustic techniques such as layering, embedding, subtractive impressions and immersion. Materials like paper, cardboard, fabric, wood, and metal are combined and permanently fused, creating new surfaces and spatial dimensions layer by layer on the panel.
I explore how shape and color transform through layering. I paint and draw on paper, then apply thin layers of wax to create a unique transparency and permeability. This results in delicate gradiations, painterly textures, and an incomparable depth of color. It becomes truly exciting when multiple papers are layered, forming new surfaces and spaces that give the artwork a physical presence.
I love a smooth surface, and I add language to my work. I often write my thoughts directly onto the surface (always in reverse script) as though embedding my reflections into the painting itself. Occasionally the writing rises to the surface. I have a particular love for Sütterlin script and weave it throughout my pieces.
When a painting becomes too chaotic or organic, I feel the need to impose structure. Like slicing and dicing data into digestible points, I use grids to bring order to the chaos – finding balance between spontaneity and precision.
tiles
Encaustic and oil on panel, 40.5 x 30.5 cm (15.9 x 12 in)
Encaustic and oil on panel, 100 x 70 cm (39.3 x 27.5 in)
Encaustic and mixed media on panel, 100 x 70 cm (39.3 x 27.5 in)
Encaustic and mixed media on panel, 40 x 40 cm (15.7 x 15.7 in)
I am currently working on three series, which will be presented in various exhibitions next year.
1 Black Matter: intrigued by the shapes of the moon, I explore black as a color
2 I remember: collecting my late father’s artwork and objects of daily use and embedding them in wax
3 The voices in me: based on the inner team, a communication concept model developed by Friedemann Schulz von Thun, I listen to my inner helpers that come up in certain situations and create a series of encaustic assemblages.
At the same time, I am excited to continue ofering encaustic workshops with diverse themes and creative approaches.
Even after 14 years, working with encaustic remains a challenge, and that challenge motivates me every day. I strive to understand the material deeply, master it, and push it to its limits.
scream series, Oil and wax on paper, 35 x 25 cm (13.7 x 9.8 in)
scream series, Oil and wax on paper, 35 x 25 cm (13.7 x 9.8 in)
Silke Wieland (1975 in Biberach, Germany) is an encaustic and mixed media artist whose work blends tradition with innovation, exploring layers as spaces of memory, identity, and dialogue.
Artistically active since 2001, she has developed her practice through studies with renowned mentors including Günther Reil, Andrea Rozorea, Gabriele Middelmann, Kandy Lozano, and Rainer Kaiser. Since 2014, she has been working in her own studio near Munich, where she also teaches mixed media and encaustic painting.
Her artistic path has been marked by solo exhibitions such as white space makes me happy (2018, Landsberg am Lech) and ECHOES (2022, Munich), as well as a residency exhibition (2023, Untermeitingen). Her encaustic series stitch, which layers cross-stitch patterns beneath wax, evokes both personal nostalgia and cultural memory, bridging past and present.
Alongside her studio practice, Silke brings extensive professional experience in communications, analytics, and leadership. In senior roles, she has enabled data- and AIdriven decision-making, led global analytics and communications projects, and guided teams through agile transformations. She is also a certified creativity trainer and a psychoanalytic art therapist.
Silke is a member of the International Encaustic Artists (IEA) and European Encaustic Artists (EEA) and lives and works near Munich, Germany, where she continues to create, exhibit, and teach.
You can view Silke’s work at silkewieland.com ilovedata.blog www.instagram.com/silkewieland.art
Selected Series: white space makes me happy, 2018 scream, 2019 pi - or the colors in me, 2021 ECHOES, 2022 the voices in me, 2025 BLACK MATTER, 2025
Links:
Mercedes Felgueres: mercedes-felgueres.com
Chrystal Marie Neubauer: crystalmarie.substack.com
Laurie Frick: www.lauriefrick.com
Isabel Posavec & Giorgia Lupi: www.dear-data.com/theproject
Rainer Kaiser: www.artmail.de
Kandy Lozano: www.instagram.com/kandylozanostudio
Friedemann Schulz von Thun: www.schulz-von-thun.de/f-schulz-von-thun
satellite
Encaustic and oil on panel, 80 x 60 cm (31.4 x 23.6 in)
Cheryl Cobern Browne
The theme of this issue, Borderlands, resonates deeply with me, as I am drawn to the Irish notion of “thin spaces.” Living in the west of Ireland—on Europe’s edge, overlooking the vast Atlantic —I feel we inhabit such a place, poised between the tangible and the intangible.
A thin space is a threshold where the boundary between the earthly and the divine grows permeable, drawing us near to what we seek. In these moments, the senses are heightened, and the pull of the natural world fosters a profound sense of belonging—of being part of something greater than ourselves. Within this portal, this thin space, creativity flourishes. A sense of sacredness emerges, carrying both heightened energy and deep tranquility. Here, in the beauty of the landscape and the company of fellow travellers, it becomes possible to experience connection, inspiration, and creativity with ease.
The quiet yet powerful essence of being in that process is not just a phrase but an invitation—into a journey with materials and ideas. It is here that the creative flow invites us forward, leading from one stage of our work to the next. I am sure we have all felt it: failing and recovering, trying again, and finally reaching acceptance—letting go and releasing our art into the world (perhaps even to your mother-in-law).
Glass Sculpture in Window
Next page, View of the bay in Mulranny
I would not call myself an encaustic artist. In truth, I am never quite sure what kind of artist I am, for my materials are diverse and ever-changing. A dabbler, perhaps, but happiest when experimenting and combining them.
What I truly am is a space-maker, and my real palette consists of spaces: gathering rooms, studios, tools and equipment, walks, gardens, labyrinths—and, of course, people.
The retreats began in Ireland in 1999, when I grew tired of all the international travel I was doing while facilitating retreats around the globe. I wanted to stay in one place where the work could continue, here in Ireland. Encaustics became a major part of that journey about ten years later, when, in my late sixties and on the verge of retirement, I discovered the medium through Lora Murphy. I invited her to take over the retreat business I had called Essence of Mulranny. I thought I could step aside and gently support her business in the facilities I had built—but encaustics as a medium seemed to have a life of its own. Soon, I was using it in my own work with mosaic and glass. I began running classes again and eventually formed Mulranny Arts, where Lora and I connected in a special way and carried out our work in tandem.
Shell Tower
Local sea shells, corals and seaweed, with encaustic surround
2.5 x 1 ft
Local stone, rust, turquoise chips
Glass and porcelain tile with encaustic wash
2.5 x 1 ft
Bog Beauty
Bog wood with encaustic coating
Glass, lichen and gem stone crystal
Visitors often describe what we have built here as “magic.” I always smile when I hear this, because I understand what they mean. It is no trick or illusion, but the quiet transformation that occurs in a thin space—where the border between the natural world and the inner world of reflection grows faint. In this merging, a sense of awe arises, and with it the possibility of deep connection, inspiration, and renewal through the creative act of making art together.
With encaustics—melting and applying wax over a substrate or form, adding colour or texture, embellishing or polishing to a shine—the process is all about transforming elements from one state to another. A metaphor for life. We are all engaged in that process, each of us at diferent stages of our lives and in our work.
As our projects evolve, we strive for that moment of completion when we can say: done! Here it is, finished—and then we move on.
There are many thin spaces in Ireland. They can be found unexpectedly in captivating landscapes across the country— places where ancient traditions have been practised and honoured. Holy wells, for instance, are scattered throughout the land. They are believed to be thin spaces where healing could occur, often in locations with openings into the ground such as caves or wells.
So, why not an art studio where a transformative practice is taking place? Melting, blending, moving material to create a dynamic reflection of some inner thought emerging through the hands. A connection with the inner world of personal space, transcending barriers and borders of time and place. Today, science afrms the extraordinary power of the hands in the act of making—how it enhances well-being and reveals the healing, connective force of creative expression.
Working with Lora, her groups, my own students, and guest teachers is both a privilege and a deep pleasure. Nature, culture, and creativity form our shared ethos, and together we provide a platform where guests can connect with their own Essence of Being. They return to their studios across the world and create art within their personal thin spaces, carrying the magic forward and making the world a better place—one small space at a time!
4 x 6 ft
The Mackerel Run mosaic had many local hands contributing as people gathered worked on diferent sections.
Interestingly, the shelter had long been neglected, littered with trash. Yet once we cleaned it and installed the mosaic, the problem vanished entirely.
Cheryl Cobern-Browne lives on the shores of Clew Bay, on the west coast of Ireland where she draws inspiration from the unique and pristine environment to create and teach her eclectic mix of mosaic, glass flame work and nasc-assemblage.
As a founding member of the Mulranny Arts School, she shares her impressive studio and the re-furbished old convent with other community art members and their guest teachers.
by Cónan Kilcoyne
Cheryl grew up in South Africa, trained as a nurse in the UK before continuing her career in the USA in Intensive Care. Being creatively driven since childhood, her second vocation surfaced when she immersed herself in the creative fields. She opened a bead shop in 1993 and spent years teaching beadwork and related crafts. She started Beadventures, an International Cultural Tour business, and later became the Director of The Bead Museum. In 2004 she and her husband, Pádraig Browne, moved to Mulranny, County Mayo, where her international Art Workshops gained recognition.
Cheryl enjoys writing and has had several articles published in various craft magazines. She is a founding board member for the protection and recognition of Ireland’s rare indigenous Old Irish goat that inhabit the mountains behind the village where she lives. The sales of her children’s book Handlebars, An Irish Goat supports the work.
Cheryl Cobern-Browne, founder of the Mulranny Arts Centre (along with Lora Murphy), is in the process of creating a Masterpiece, a beautiful retreat centre where nature, culture and creativity meet on the west coast of Ireland inviting people into a field of creative bliss.
Creativity is both life force and human birthright. I feel privileged to have the time and place to play in that field and to share my skills and knowledge with others.
Cheryl Cobern-Browne
You can view Cheryl’s work at www.cherylcobernbrowne.com www.cherylcobernbrowne.com/mulranny-arts
You can view upcoming workshops and events at www.mulrannyarts.com www.facebook.com/MulrannyArts www.instagram.com/mulrannyarts
Borderlands explores the creative space where difference becomes dialogue. Through encaustic’s layered forms, artists trace the meeting points of identity, culture, and place. Each work reminds us that crossing boundaries can also mean discovering home—within ourselves, and within one another.
