Encaustic is a process that uses heat to fuse layers of pigmented wax together and to direct its flow across the surface. Each layer reacts to what is underneath the surface and in response to the amount and direction of the heat. There is an element of unpredictability in working with encaustic; It is in a constant state of flux while working. Even when not working in encaustic, interplay between each material added, and flexibility with what happens next is an important part of the process.

The changing state of an encaustic painting, or any mixed media work, mirrors my thought process. As each layer reacts to and bonds with the next, ecologically reminiscent and biomorphic forms emerge, shifting between places I have been and small observations of nature. Similar patterns organically appear: wood grain, water flow, venation patterns on wings, wind ripples on sand, and the movement of land over time. Reproduction of nature is not the goal, however. Details of my surroundings and feelings of place are absorbed, and connected with past experiences. Through visual analogy, an aesthetic fusion is made between seemingly disparate elements, creating something new.

My aim as an artist is to expand human experience beyond what is physically seen by encouraging an imaginative reconstruction of our understanding of the world. The human brian naturally makes connections. A single experience is not insular; each experience affects how we perceive the next. Analogical thinking disrupts established thought patterns as new connections emerge, allowing the formation of ideas that might not be imagined otherwise. Perception, memory and time all give rise to our subjective experience of the natural world. I hope that in encountering my work viewers share in the process of meaning creation: their own experiences are involved in what they see.

Laura Pereira | Visual Artist

Laura Pereira | Visual Artist