Page 67 - Enso Circle Catalogue Term Four

ABOUT THE CONTINUING GAIL BYRNES

ENSO CIRCLE RESIDENTS

WHO BEGAN IN JANUARY, MARCH, OR AUGUST 2021 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
FLO BARTELL largely about reflections and the macro world. More recently I have begun working with collage, and

mixed media, and love combining different modalities. I have been an acupuncturist and shamanic

When I make art, I excavate stories, scars, and symbols and give them form with encaustic and practitioner for many years and enjoy experimenting with light, energy, and flow in my art and my
mixed media. I work with encaustic because the smooth, glossy surface, the pleasant aroma, the work.
soothing rhythm of my torch, the unpredictable and preservative nature of the medium, and the

intense color and movement possible with hot wax and pigment are seductive and satisfying. I
sculpt and paint with determination, passion, and with a spirit of exploration that I hope the viewer
can feel in my art.
SUE CONNER

The encaustic medium’s rich colors and sculptural qualities, for me, are intriguing and exciting.
ANNE BOEDECKER I find satisfaction when I let the spontaneous nature of the wax guide me as I explore ways to

I have been on a journey towards the full expression of my authentic self through art for the create textures, embed found objects, incorporate images, and integrate paper where the wax is
past 20 years. I have explored collage, altered books, art journaling, watercolor, fabric art, the unifying factor. I have learned that life is essentially about the journey, what we encounter as
assemblage and ink on yupo paper. I founded Art Heals the Soul in 2006 to share the power we move forward, and how we choose to react. This is how I approach the creative process — I
of art with others.
embrace my failed attempts and think more purposely about the process, deriving more value from
I retired from my psychotherapy practice in 2018 to devote more time to Art Heals the Soul the lessons learned than in the final product itself.
and my own art and spiritual practice. The pandemic has limited what I can offer others, but
given me the opportunity to focus on my own growth as an artist. I am currently working on a
series of mixed media pieces to accompany poems about grief I’ve written over the past 20
years.

ANN BONESTELL MARIAN MCKENZIE-CONE

Inspiration for my work often comes in the form of poetry and I am particularly moved by the work
of Sufi poets Rumi and Hafiz. Additionally, my collection of antique and vintage photographs often I am a qualified pre-school and primary teacher who currently resides in Timaru, NZ. I believe that
provides fertile ground for story. Often, a photograph will send me on a journey of exploration and art is the freedom to explore ourselves and teach us who we want to become through trial and
research, a catalyst for the creative imagination.
perseverance in the application of medium and never giving up when we think the world is against us.
I seek to work from an archetypal place, exploring ways to represent the things that we all
know and feel. I like to probe the world of opposites, illustrating either a unified holistic vision or,
conversely, one that describes a sense of separateness or isolation. I attempt to create a narrative For me it is about colour and imagination, feeling the color in ourselves and the world around us. I
in my pieces, whether simply in the language of color, texture and shape or, more elaborately, by combine these two aspects and leave the viewer to decide what they see in the work.
suggesting a life, a place, a person, or a social statement.

It is my personal mission and commitment to do what I am able to add to the sum of beauty in the
world.

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