Labyrinth Encaustic Paintings

Ancient symbols from folklore and mythology are Melinda's sources for images and motifs. These paintings are her engagement with labyrinth themes, mixing textiles and fibers with encaustic. Encaustic is a paint made of melted beeswax mixed with damar tree resin and pigment that has been in use since ancient Greek and Egyptian times. The surface is malleable and fluid for only a moment until it cools, and then it can be carved or scraped. To bring the drawings into the wax, Melinda fuses layers of paper or fabric as undercoats with drawings in ink, charcoal or oil pastels.

"Lady Bug"

Encaustic on board

8 x 8 inches square, 1.25 inch thick

Price includes shipping   $99.00

"Blue Goddess"

Encaustic on board

9 x 9 inches square, 1 inch thick

Price includes shipping   $144.00

"Rock"

Encaustic on board with stones and fabric

9.5 x 9.5 inches square, 1 inch thick

Price includes shipping   $135.00 ~  SOLD

"Rust Tree White Rays"

12 x 12 inches square, 0.5 inch thick

$180.00 ~ SOLD   Price includes shipping

CARE OF AN ENCAUSTIC PAINTING
Once or twice a year your encaustic painting will benefit from a quick buff with a soft cloth. This shines up the deep translucent surface, which over time can get a thin cloudy film from reaction to air moisture. The resin in the wax makes it more durable, but as with any paint, care should be taken to protect it from scratches. To avoid the possibility of softening the painting surface, keep it from exposure to direct sunlight, or the high heat inside a closed vehicle. (It would not actually melt until well over 175 degrees F, and if that temperature is reached, there would be more to worry about than a painting.)

“Owl Woman”

Rainbow colors encaustic on board

12 x 12 inches square, 0.5 inch thick

Price includes shipping   $180.00 ~ SOLD

"I Met Myself"

Encaustic tree drawing on board

7.5 x 11.5 inches, 0.5 inch thick

$89.00 ~ SOLD   Price includes shipping

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Labyrinthos is Greek from 'labrys,' the shape of the double axe, a door, and the butterfly, the shape made by the turns on the circle. A symbol of rebirth in use worldwide since 2000 BCE, it is the image of the ancient serpentine spiral dance, drawing the Chamber of Renewal. I find deep resonance to the image of the fairy castle of Celtic myth, Caer sidi, the revolving fortress, a place of action, gathering energy. The labyrinth in Welsh is CAER (hill) DROIA (to turn), "city of turns," the hill temple of refuge sanctuary.

The mythical hero Theseus kills the Minotaur in the center, and is shown the way out by Ariadne¹s clew of golden thread, which tells us he was in a maze with dead ends. Today, labyritnths are defined as unicursal, having one winding way to the center and back. We can trust them, knowing we will not become lost. They are in focus now, in a wave of 'retronuevo,' the reclamation of the best qualities of the past and using them in a new manner to serve the present.

SOLVITUR AMBULANDO (It is solved by walking)
~ Diogenes of Sinope

"Everything the power of the world does is done in a circle."

~ Black Elk

"The center of the universe is everywhere."

~ Lakota saying

"Creation is continuous."

~ Lakota saying

Each painting is wired on the back, ready to mount on a wall.