Artist Statement/Resume

Artist Statement & Resume

Artist Statement

I began primarily using encaustics because I was captivated by its ancient history and was challenged by its process of heating and cooling which captures the dynamic of chaos and demands control unlike that of any other painting medium. If one tries to fight wax’s essential characteristics to harden the instant it leaves it heat source, one will be defeated. In encaustic painting one needs to literally go with the flow and let the wax find its place. That means working quickly to place your stroke, even if you have to contemplate for twenty minutes on precisely where to place it.

This medium reflects how my mind processes and stores the environment around me. Encaustic is a layering process. Layering the surface of the painting with beeswax is much like the way that my memories are layered and reworked in my mind. Beeswax preserves brilliant pigments and adds luminosity for thousands of years just like how my mind preserves my memories as colorful and fresh as the day that they were created.

What I value most in this medium is its inherent qualities to withstand the test of time. What I value most in my work is my ability to preserve the vitality of the preliminary sketch. Each finished wax painting is embedded with its original beginning charcoal sketch and then fused into the wax to preserve each line, displaying where the image started from.

The process of encaustic demands a confident hand that can control the medium as well as a hand that can allow the spontaneity of the flow of the wax. This balance of discipline and disconformities are reflected in my work as well as my life. I try to let life take hold and just go with the flow instead of worrying about everything all the time, and unlike life, encaustic is forgiving. If you don’t like what you put down, just scrape it off and start over.

If only life were as easy.

Resume

I am a self-taught encaustic painter. I began primarily using encaustics seven years ago because I was captivated by its ancient history, and I was challenged by its process of heating and cooling which captures the dynamic of chaos and demands control unlike that of any other painting medium.

Education:

Graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts May 2006

University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Experience:
           Owner of Jessie Fritsch Encaustics since 2006
              2009-2011 Custom Painted Beer Taps for Central Waters Brewing Co. Amherst, Wi
Awards and Grants
             -2011-
              “Honorable Mention” Waupaca Fine Arts Festival
            -2010-
             “2nd place” Baraboo Art Classic
             “3rd place” Waupaca Arts on the Square
             -2009-
             “1st place 2-D” La Crosse Art Fair on the Green
             “Award of Excellence” Winnebagoland Art Fair-Oshkosh
             “1st Place” Waupaca Fine Arts Festival
             -2008-
               “Merit Award” Sturgeon Bay Fine Art Fair
               “Award of Excellence” Marshfield Art Fair
               “Award of Excellence” Stevens Point Festival of Arts
              “Award of Excellence” ArtiGras Art Fair Green Bay, WI
             -2007-
                “2nd place” Cedarburg Wine and Harvest Festival
                “2nd place” Waupaca Arts on the Square
                “Newbie Award” Madison Art Fair off the Square
                “1st place & Milo Cushman Award“ Winnebagoland-Oshkosh
                “2nd place” Sturgeon Bay Fine Art Fair
                “Best of Show” Marshfield Art Fair
                “2nd place” Waupaca Fine Arts Festival
               “Best of Show” Festival of the Arts-Stevens Point
                “Award of Excellence” ArtiGras Art Fair Green Bay, WI
               -2006-
                “Judges’ Choice” Award, Summer Art Classic Art Fair Baraboo, WI
                “Artist Merit Award” Neville Public Museum 62nd Juried Exhibition Green Bay, WI
               -2004-
                “Festival of the Arts” Award, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
                “Cityscapes with Encaustics” Student Research Fund Grant,
                    University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
                “Midwest Printmakers Conference” Student Research Travel Fund Grant,
                    University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Current Galleries
Dovetail Gallery, Egg Harbor, WI

Solo Exhibitions
-2010-
Exhibits at Evergreen, Oshkosh Jan 15-March 25
-2009-
Lucille Tack Center of the Arts, Spencer Feb. 6-27
-2008-
Portage Center of the Arts, Portage Jan 4-26
Wild Apple Gallery, Menasha Feb 19-April 13

Professional Affiliations
Wisconsin Visual Artists
The Wisconsin Alliance of Artist and Craftspeople, Inc

Published Work
Werner Electric Supply, Neenah, WI - 2010 promotional art calendar – 3 works
Werner Electric Supply, Neenah, WI - 2011 promotional art calendar – 1 work

Public Works
Marshfield Clinic-Marshfield,WI – 4 works
University of Wisconsin-Marathon-Wausau, WI - 2 works
West Bend Mutual Insurance- West Bend, WI - 3 works
Northwest Mutual Insurance-Milwaukee, WI - 8 works
Marathon Public Library, Wausau, WI - 1 work
Fox Cities Children’s Hospital, WI - 2 works

Media Coverage

ehow.com- "Techniques Of Ancient Greek Painters" May 16, 2011 "Art Of The Piece" Spring 2011 Article- "Waxing Poetic"
R&F Encaustics Featured Artist of the Month- Dec. 2010
Marshfield News Herald- Featured Article “Encaustic: An Endurance in Time” - 02/09
The Portage County Gazette-Featured Artist for “UWSP will host Festival of the Arts”- 3/08
Portage Daily Register- Feature Article “The mummy's legacy: Encaustic paintings
recapture an ancient art form” - 1/08
Wausau WAOW television-“Someone you Should Know” segment - 11/07
Wausau WAOW television-“Encaustic Painting at Art in the Park - 9/07

Demonstrations & Teaching
▪Studio Demo for Lakes Area Artist- June 2011
▪ UWSP-Art after college-Senior seminar 2011
▪Appleton Children’s Museum- 2 day encaustic demo-2010
▪WI Beekeepers convention-encaustic demo- 2010
▪UWSP-Art after college-Senior seminar- 2010
▪Pittsville High School-encaustic demo- 2009
▪UWSP-Art after college-Senior seminar- 2009
▪UWSP-encaustic demo- adv. painting class- 2008
▪Portage High School-encaustic demo- 2008
▪Pardeeville High School-encaustic demo- 2008
▪UWSP-Art after college-Senior seminar- 2008

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