Page 74 - Enso Circle Catalogue Term Four

About

the

Artist & MICHELLE BELTO

the

Work In elementary school we played a game called, Two ENCAUSTIC, MIXED MEDIA ON
RETURNING TO THE SOURCE
Steps Backward. I was reminded of that game this Spring
when in a funk, I asked advice from artist friends about
PAPER
getting unstuck. Each in their own way suggested that I 15X15X1” (FRAMED 18X18X2”)
revisit my old work. With nothing to lose, I two giant steps $425
back to 2008.
At the time, new to encaustic, I had begun building di-
mensional supports using lightweight materials and my
own handmade paper. I was intrigued with these two
organic materials, paper and wax, but It took me several
years to harness this medium in service of the stories I
wanted to tell.

During this residency I have been steadily reworking
older paintings by first taking them back to their original
handmade paper support. Once stripped or covered over,
I was able to think past its original intention. Using the THE BEAUTY OF WHAT
structure of what came before added a satisfying sense REMAINED
of history to the new work. ENCAUSTIC, MIXED MEDIA ON
In this reiteration, I moved from the original neutral pal- PAPER
ette to color. Since the original forms were dimensional, 15X15X1” (FRAMED 18X18X2”)
I aimed to incorporate the raised areas as a voice in the $425
story. “The Beauty of What Remained” grew out of my
recent explorations with cold wax while “Returning to the
Source” became a celebration of taking two steps back-
ward to a confident step forward.

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