Illuminations. Flag book with encaustic & handmade cotton paper laminates. © Haley Nagy.

As an artist, I am very interested in the concealed and disguised elements of our culture. These are the things that are “seen but not heard” or that “go on behind closed doors”. This fascination with the “hidden” has manifested itself in a variety of ways within my work. As a natural progression from these broader concepts, my art often delves into issues of censorship and secrets and conversely – the process of discovery.

In my recent body of work I am exploring the concept of the hidden in an abstract manner by embedding encaustic (wax) paint shavings inside layers of paper called laminations. A lamination refers to the process of sandwiching materials in between two freshly pulled sheets of handmade paper. Once the paper drying process is complete, these two sheets then fuse into one cohesive piece of paper with the materials trapped inside. The ability to both absorb and reflect light makes encaustic paint an ideal medium to be used in tandem with handmade paper and artists books, particularly because of the way that handmade paper absorbs the wax. These inherent properties of the medium (the way it reflects and absorbs light) physically mimic the many concepts I explore through my work.

The concealed elements in my encaustic-handmade paper laminations are revealed to the viewer in varying degrees. In some cases, such as the white cotton lamination titled Conceal, the paint hidden within is decipherable only by the evidence of its bumpy texture under the surface of the sheet. In the lamination titled Reveal I heated the paper until the wax-based paint inside melted, partially absorbed through the paper and literally blossomed forth from within. Laminations that have been fused in this manner can be held to the light in order to reveal an even more interesting image – the paper transforms itself into a glowing stained glass picture. This visual effect is due to the unique relationship between the paper and the wax, which is activated by light.

By holding the laminations to a light source, the viewer uncovers what was hidden while participating in the process of discovery. Other pieces in this body of work explore the many ways and subtle differences with which light can be used to reveal the “hidden” via the encaustic handmade paper lamination process. Using what I learned from the laminations in my Concealment Series I created Illuminations, a flag book comprised of densely fused, encaustic-handmade paper laminations. The process of reading this highly sculptural book form transforms the work into an exploration of both reader-book interaction and the many ways to conceal and reveal light within an artist book.

These are just some examples of the many ways in which I utilize the paper arts and encaustic to investigate concealment while allowing my viewers to participate in the act of discovery.

 

Photos by Stephen DeSantis.

Opening tonight in New York, Waxed in Time: Four Takes on Encaustics, showcases the work of artists Nancy Azara, Joan Giordano, Renee Magnanti and Kathy Stark. It runs at the Tenri Cultural Institute of New York until February 27th.

All four of these artists use encaustic in tandem with other media to stunning effect. None of their work is about the wax itself, which is a breath of fresh air in a “wax obsessed world”. To quote the show’s curator, Thalia Vrachopoulos,“These four masters express their concepts in wax creating a dialogue on issues such as communication, trans-culturalism and trans-spirituality”. This promises to be a smart juxtaposition of their work – I only with I could be there to see it.

P.S. If I had any complaint about this show, it would be about the rest of it’s brochure, in which Dr. Vrachopoulos goes on to preemptively defend these four female artist’s work against being “perceived as a woman’s touch, miniaturish, delicate or somehow detail driven”. She also manages to call their work “sensative” twice. Ouch. Need I say more?

Pulp painting is one of the many paper based process I’m studying in the graduate book and paper program at Columbia College right now. I’m specifically interested in exploring how pulp painted sheets integrate with encaustic (versus a standard painted paper). I also think there’s a lot of potential for using pulp painted sheets to create depth with encaustic monoprinting. I have some experiments planned for this semester – I’ll be sure to share the results with you.

In the meantime, here’s an interesting stop motion video showing the pulp painting process from start to finish. You may recognize the imagery – this is some of Chuck Close’s work as it is being produced in the studio. As you can see – it takes a team of workers over 6 hours to complete one pulp painting. Between the time, manpower and effort involved, not to mention the use of very expensive and specialized paper making equipment, this kind of work should be worth a lot more than it sells for. In general, the marketplace for handmade paper artwork is undervalued and under-appreciated… but hopefully not for long. (At least, not if I have anything to do with it).

P.S. Chicagoans, don’t forget to buy your tickets to see Chuck in person for “Chuck Close: A Conversation” on May 6 at the Art Institute of Chicago. I’ll see you there.

Now that the holiday season is over, I can finally share with you a special journal commissioned as a surprise Christmas gift for a very talented jewelry-maker, writer and all around crafty lady… who also happens to be one of my collectors. I decided to create a horizontal format journal because all the experts say this helps free up your writing. (Plus, as the maker of handmade journals, I wanted to create something that couldn’t be bought in a store. Commercially made or mass-produced horizontal journals are rare). I used acid free drawing paper made from 100% windpower, 30% post-consumer fiber and colored drawing pages from Canson acid free Mi Tientes paper so that the recipient could both draw and write with no fear of ink bleeding.

In fact, I threw in a couple of colored pages here and there just in case she’s a fan of the sparkly gel or paint pens. I bound the journal using a gorgeous teal colored, waxed linen thread and simple Coptic stitch, which allows the journal to lie completely flat – perfect for the serious journaler and versatile enough for both drawing and writing. (Not to mention, to the untrained eye, Coptic binding looks like knitted stitch. It’s a creative journal dream come true!)

Fabric Island. Encaustic & mixed media on paper. 4 x 6. © 2009 Haley Nagy.

Finally, I inlayed a small encaustic painting into the cover in the hopes that it would inspire the journal owner’s creative juices. This mixed media work was distressed to look like an old photograph or screen print. It includes imagery from my photographs of the Textile Discount Outlet in Chicago: This crafter’s Mecca is a 3 story warehouse filled with hundreds of bolts of fabric, spanglies, tassles and fun little thinga-ma-jigs. The perfect mental destination for a creative journaler.

Send me a message to find out how you can commission a journal just like this for a special person in your life (or for yourself – I won’t tell). Don’t forget to check my Etsy site too – I’ll be adding more of these pre-made journals in the very near future.

Concealment Series. Encaustic & handmade cotton paper laminate. © Haley Nagy.

In my new work the fusion of encaustic and hand papermaking is used to explore the idea of the “hidden”.
Read on for my mini-artist statement…

What is my art about? Although each series is different, my overall body of work explores the idea of the “hidden” within society. As an artist, I am very interested in the concealed and disguised elements of our culture. These are the things that are “seen but not heard” or that “go on behind closed doors”. For example, my series about homelessness dealt with the idea of the “invisibility” of an entire population of people.

In my recent work I am exploring the concept of the “invisible” in a more abstract manner by embedding (or “hiding”) encaustic paint shavings inside layers of handmade paper. The hidden elements in these works are then revealed to the viewer in varying degrees. In the work “Conceal”, the paint is only recognizable by the surface evidence of its texture. In the work “Reveal” I heated the paper (a replica of the piece titled “Conceal”) until the paint melted inside, partially absorbed the paper and literally “blossomed” forth from within. In this case, although the paint is somewhat evident from outside, the image cannot be really seen until it is “activated” by shining light through it. This is how the viewer uncovers what what was hidden.

One Interpretation…

Many viewers find religious significance in this interpretation of my work. For example, the idea of the “hidden” in my Concealment Series could easily be likened to that of “faith” or the “holy spirit”. Both are concepts that cannot be seen with the naked eye. Much like the hidden paint within my paper, faith too must be sought after to be found. Since the transmission of faith has traditionally been aided by the vehicle of the written word, it seems only appropriate that this artwork is too on paper. Furthermore, the seemingly random layout of the paints resembles a loose cross-like structure, which lends an even more religious reading to the works.

It may surprise you to find that this element of my art is rarely intentional, but instead seems to manifest itself subconsciously as I work. (You mean all those years of studying Marian iconography in art history class affected me?). It’s true. It is often only after the creation of an artwork that I discover it’s potential religious reading.

Other Interpretations…

Because of the “dual” nature of my artwork, I tend to leave my work open to multiple interpretations. It is my hope that these pieces may serve as a catalyst for dialogue across a variety of disciplines. I would love to hear what you think these works are about and what they mean to you. Perhaps on this All Hallows Eve a more sinister explanation of the “hidden” comes to mind…?

I had the pleasure recently of being interviewed by Jeff Gardner of Catholic Radio International. Please take a moment to listen to the broadcast here: The Heart of the Matter. The broadcast is also available for free on iTunes (Use the direct link or search “Catholic Radio International”, select “Heart of the Matter” and choose 10/15/09) . If you are short on time, feel free to skip ahead to 17:15 to hear the beginning of my interview.

Happy listening. I look forward to your feedback!

P.S. For your convenience, the images we discussed are below:

Lost Everything Trying to Start Over

In the Seen But Not Heard series, I explore how the homeless live outside of our consciousness, completely devoid of identity and how they are viewed by mainstream society. I explore our view of homeless people by simply creating portraits of the signs they hold to show we rarely look past their cardboard pleas for help. Works in this series are still available for sale on Etsy.

Lost Everything Trying to Start Over. 6 x 6. Encaustic & Mixed Media. © 2008 Haley Nagy.

Sweet Baby Rose

A hand-bound, commemorative artist book made in honor of Rose Marie Kerner. Read more about this special commission on the original blog posting.

Sweet Baby Rose. 4 x 6. Encaustic & Mixed Media on Paper. © 2009 Haley Nagy. SOLD.

 

Sweet Baby Rose. Hand-stitched Artist Book, Belgian Binding, Encaustic & Mixed Media. © Haley Nagy. SOLD.

Suburban Bird

Suburban Bird. Oil & Encaustic. 12 x 16. © 2009 Haley Nagy. SOLD.

FUSED: Art + Wax in Chicago

Members of Fused Chicago present recent work in encaustic and mixed media(s).

Opening Reception: Friday, October 9th from 5:00-9:00 pm
Show runs until October 30th with open hours on Saturdays and Sundays from 12-4:00 pm or by appointment, (312) 351-4949.

 

Gallery 537, Fine Arts Building
410 Michigan Ave #537
Chicago, IL

Participating artists include:

Donna Byrne
Tina Elkins
Alicia Forestall-Boehm
Shelley Gilchrist
Ken Gold
Andrea Hill
Cindy Jevon
Katsy Johnson
Catherine Keebler
Dawn Korman
Jenny Lerner
Barb Loevy
Jane Michalski
Bridgette Guerzon Mills
Haley Nagy
April Nomellini
Paul Rinaldi
Emily Rutledge
Karen Tichy
Brenda Thomas
Michele Thrane
Judy Trombley
Kathleen Waterloo

Enjoy & have a happy weekend!

P.S. And just for kicks, here’s the Reading Rainbow theme song. Watching this show as a kid probably explains a lot about why I’m studying the book and paper arts, right? I caaaan do aaaanything… with books!