“Beeing Hear” The Nature of Sound

Kaviar Forge & Gallery waxes artistic with Diana Brockway Klem and her exhibition “Beeing Hear”, a collection of non-representational encaustic paintings based on the theme of sound.  Depictions of reverberations are vividly presented in each piece as color takes on an expression all its own.  Klem’s highly textured work is a unified series with a core message encompassing experiences of hearing, sound, being, and beekeeping.  An Artist’s Reception for Diana Brockway Klem will be held at Kaviar Gallery on Friday January 29, 2010 from 6-9 PM in conjunction with the FAT Friday Trolley Hop.

Dedicating two decades to encaustic work Diana Brockway Klem pays homage to the bees that make the encaustic painting process possible having worked as a beekeeping apprentice at the Clifton Community Center Garden’s beehives.  The intensity of the buzzing in and around the beehives as Klem experienced it plays a significant role in the visual aspect of sound as she translates the physical sensations into images.  Beeswax is the main ingredient to this artistic style where pigments are added creating an incredibly durable medium.  “Beeing Hear” also incorporates the idea of connectedness between sound, sight, and being in the present moment of creation as an artist begins the painting process.  Klem does imply reference of her exhibition “Beeing Hear” to the book Be Here Now by Ram Dass which advocates embarking on a spiritual quest by being present to the moment and becoming attuned to greater possibilities.  This exhibition is an experience in possibilities through a very ancient technique that has bridged millennia.

The origins of encaustic painting date back over two thousand years having first been used by the Greeks.  The word encaustic itself is based on the Greek word enkaustikos, meaning “to burn in”.  Heating is the key element to encaustic painting as the wax needs to be melted down, thinning it in order to add and mix pigments creating the colors of paint.  After the application of paint the wax needs to be set with heat fusing the work to the painting’s surface.  Not only is beeswax impervious to water, it does not deteriorate, yellow, or darken with age which provides lasting works of art.  Fayum portraits, a type of funerary mask created for mummified remains, are excellent examples of this permanence. These portraits were found intact as they were unearthed in the 1880s and dated to the Roman rule in Egypt.  Following the Fayum portrait discoveries encaustic painting found resurgence in the 20th Century virtually single-handedly by contemporary artist Jasper Johns in the United States.  With the use of the encaustic painting technique throughout his career, Johns has influenced the next generation of encaustic artists to explore the versatility of the medium.  The modern convenience of electric heating tools has made encaustic painting a less painstaking process and has given way to more textural possibilities.  Diana Brockway Klem has depicted sound as a visual experience in color and texture.  Join us for “Beeing Hear” on exhibition through February 27, 2010.

Kaviar Forge & Gallery is a fine arts gallery with a hand forged twist!  The gallery is an extension of artist/blacksmith Craig Kaviar’s studio that displays over fifty local, regional, and national artists.  Kaviar Gallery provides rotating displays of fine, hand-crafted works in metal, ceramics, fiber art, glass, jewelry, wood, painting, sculpture, and artistic wedding rings and is committed to facilitating support for the artistic community by providing opportunities for new and emerging artists along with well seasoned artists who continue to perfect their craft.

Gallery Hours:  Wednesday – Friday 12 to 6 PM and Saturday 12 to 4 PM or by appointment.