Group promotes the artistry of working with hot and cold wax

Artists Madeline Sugerman and Sherry DeGennaro started a local chapter of I.E.A. (International Encaustic Artists) in 2018 called SWFL WAX.
Their mission is to promote, inspire and support the varied interests of encaustic artists in SW Florida through monthly meetings, demonstrations, workshops, group critiques and exhibitions, thereby raising an interest in encaustic art.
Encaustic is a Greek word (enkaustikos) which means “to heat or burn in.” Heat is used to melt the beeswax, damar resin and pigments and to fuse the layers of wax. Encaustic today is used in a more contemporary way through paintings, photography, sculpture and mixed media.There is also a cold wax process. The most significant difference between encaustic and cold wax is that the wax in the encaustic paints must be molten to work with and in cold wax painting there is no heat involved.
SWFL WAX will be offering a class in January and two workshops in February at Naples Art. To register, visit www.naplesart.org.
The group currently has an exhibit on display now through Feb. 15 at the Center for the Arts in Bonita Springs. COCO Art Gallery in Estero will host “Exploring Encaustic Art” exhibit March 17 – 30, with a reception on March 18.
To find out more about this art group, visit www.swflwax.com.