Sketch

About the Artist

I grew up in Little Rock, but moved to Northwest Arkansas in 1972 when I was 18.  My first husband and five friends moved to Madison County to buy land and become “back to the land” hippies.  That lasted a couple of years until everyone had to move away to get jobs or divorced. Fayetteville has been home for the past 35 years, with the exception of several years in Bentonville.  My husband, Cary, and I now live south of Fayetteville around Winslow.  I’m definitely a NW Arkansas girl.

I graduated from the University of Arkansas with a degree in Nursing in 1980.  I took as many art classes as my electives would allow at that time.  Drawing and watercolor were my primary focus back then, and I studied with some great teachers, Robert Ross, Neppie Conner, and Leo Davis.  Since that time I’ve studied with local artists, Joanne Kaminsky and Kathy Thompson.  I’ve traveled to California and New York to take workshops in the use of encaustic medium.  Throughout my life the creation of art has been important to me, although it is only within the last eight years or so that I have been able to spend a fair amount of time at it.

I quit nursing in 1993 when my husband and I opened our first coffee house in Fayetteville.  In the past 17 years we have started eight different businesses.  That and our three daughters and four grandchildren have kept me very busy, but I have made a concerted effort of late to devote myself to making art.  It’s been very rewarding and I’ve grown a great deal as an artist.  I don’t think I could have made the leap as easily to calling myself an “artist” without the help and support (and studio space) of Fayetteville artist, Kathy Thompson.  She has been a teacher and mentor and great friend to me.

It seems to me that life is art, and I have tried to live my life in that way.  I am very grateful for the help and grace that have come to me on this path, and am happy to be a part of Northwest Arkansas’ talented art community.

$1,500.00

The wonderful dove houses at the Mable Dodge Luhan house in Taos, New Mexico, inspired this piece.  They captivated me the moment I first saw them.  I took many photos of them, but then put the photos away and forgot about them. When the opportunity to create an Artery piece came up, I cast around in my mind for images that I might want to use.  Trees came to mind, because trees are often in my work, but I knew I wanted something else.  Suddenly I remembered these birdhouses and knew they’d be perfect. I think of this piece as an image of spring, and all the nesting it entails for the birds.

Materials were the next issue to be resolved.  I work in encaustic (beeswax and dammar resin), and I was concerned about whether or not the medium would hold up under outdoor conditions.  I also wanted an under layer to the piece that would create depth and interest while not interfering with the birdhouses.

I resolved the first issue by assuring myself that the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans all made use of the encaustic process to create beautiful murals that still hold their images and colors to this day.  Beeswax is a preservative and prevents oxidization.  It melts at high temperatures, but will remain stable under most normal conditions especially with the addition of the dammar resin. I’m very interested to see how it ages in this environment.

The issue of the background was a complete synchronistic mistake.  A friend gave me some acrylic medium thinking it would dry clear and help as a substrate to draw into if I didn’t use the wax.  I applied the medium over newspaper pages that had been glued to the MDO signboard we were required to use.  It didn’t dry clear; in fact, it resembled plaster when dry and provided a nice translucent coverage for the newspaper as well as a receptive base for the beeswax to fuse with.  I sanded it several times to smooth it down and then made my initial drawings directly onto it.

This piece, then, was an experiment for me in using new materials and working in a size I never dreamed possible for myself.  I thoroughly enjoyed the process, and have begun several new pieces, incorporating the new materials into my work.  I’m very grateful to the Artery for inspiring me to work BIG, and for providing such a rare opportunity to artists and to the community of Eureka Springs to enjoy art outside all year round.

Contact: 479-466-9519
cindyarsaga@yahoo.com