Page 55 - Enso Circle Catalog September 2021

ABOUT THE CONTINUING JOANNE DESMOND
ENSO CIRCLE RESIDENTS The notion of hiding, covering-up, obscuring the truth – the reality of

WHO BEGAN IN MARCH 2021 who we really are at any given moment in time – has always intrigued
me. Discovering what lies beneath the surface of someone or something
is what I pursue. My current work straddles the thresholds of identity,
experience, and memory as they connect to ancestry, relationships,
and the fear of loss of connection. It is an exploration of the relationship
FLO BARTELL between the visible and invisible, the gaze, the subject, and the other.

When I make art, I excavate stories, scars, and symbols and give them
form with encaustic and mixed media. I work with encaustic because
the smooth, glossy surface, the pleasant aroma, the soothing rhythm of KATHERINE DYER
my torch, the unpredictable and preservative nature of the medium, and
the intense color and movement possible with hot wax and pigment are Before COVID, I was an adult educator and leadership coach for the
seductive and satisfying. I sculpt and paint with determination, passion, and business sector. This last year I have been recalibrating the “who” I am,
with a spirit of exploration that I hope the viewer can feel in my art.
and the “what” I do as a retired person who hadn’t planned to be one. Your
Enso Circle replicated my Enso collage in my journal I started last July
signifying this new beginning. At that time Spirit Dolls found me. And Lyn,
your faces graced my first two dolls which lead me to my next two stick
dolls, and now I am exploring needle-felted Compassion Dolls.
GAIL BYRNES

I inherited an old treadle sewing machine when I was 16, which began my
passion for creating. I was an avid sewer for many years, and eventually
did fiber arts, including weaving. I worked with clay for several years, and
photography for a decade, having several solo shows. My work was largely HARLEEN OSBORN
about reflections and the macro world. More recently I have begun working
with collage, and mixed media, and love combining different modalities. I I work predominately in charcoal, pencil and watercolor. Most of my
have been an acupuncturist and shamanic practitioner for many years and drawings have been done from life, but I occasionally work from
enjoy experimenting with light, energy, and flow in my art and my work. photographs. I have had three one man gallery shows and one of my
charcoal drawings was published in “Strokes of Genius”. I have no
formal art training, but I have taken workshops with several classically
trained artists. I recently retired from my job in healthcare and am ready
to grow as an artist.

SUE CONNER
HEATHER TINKHAM
The encaustic medium’s rich colors and sculptural qualities, for me, are
intriguing and exciting. I find satisfaction when I let the spontaneous nature I create fiber based mixed media art to express aspects of our
of the wax guide me as I explore ways to create textures, embed found deeply human experiences in their conflicting yet intimately
objects, incorporate images, and integrate paper where the wax is the integrated ways. These unique pieces are designed to intrigue and
unifying factor. I have learned that life is essentially about the journey, what capture your imagination. My art challenges the labels we rely on
we encounter as we move forward, and how we choose to react. This is so heavily, focusing on core essences and relationships, bringing
how I approach the creative process — I embrace my failed attempts and more authenticity into our chaotic world. Ideally, my pieces end
think more purposely about the process, deriving more value from the up like drops of water at the intersections of a grand spider web,
lessons learned than in the final product itself. magnifying the heart of the matter and focusing our attention on
questions that are not easily answered while drawing us close with
their haunting familiarity.
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