Artist Statement
    Vicky Radel
    
 
I am a woman that belongs to the prairie.  I am a mixed media artist primarily working in encaustic and cold wax and oil paints. I draw inspiration from the amazing beauty and healing of the 50 acres of prairie where I live in Minnesota, often working from my photography of nature as a reference. That beauty infuses my work and is seen in the horizons, prairie fires, flowers, grasses, trees, big skies and the colors and textures of nature. The evening light on the trees and the prairie has inspired many paintings and the unending horizon of the prairie often shows up in my paintings as well.
The encaustic medium is made from natural, living things– bees and trees – and has life to it. It is beeswax and resin to which various pigments are added. Layers of wax medium are applied to wood or another porous substrate in a molten state then fused and manipulated with heat. It is an incredibly pliable surface receiving impressions, marks, images and collage elements creating depth, texture and interest. Creative options are many and make work in this medium very enjoyable.
In my experience with encaustic painting, the medium itself is as much a participant in the process as my own ideas. We work as co-creators of each painting. I am often surprised by the interactions of fire with the pigmented wax which will move and shape with my guidance yet often gives birth to a texture or blending of color that is unexpected and out of my control. When working with cold wax and oil I use tools like credit cards, squeegees and brayers instead of paint brushes to purposefully give up some control in the process. This creative process is an interactive and interesting journey of discovery and joy.
My “Raw Wood Series” required me to expand my mediums as a mixed media artist working with pigments, stains, carving and alternative elements. It also reinforced my process of listening to the mediums I use.   The wood I use has “imperfections” or “flaws” that I incorporate into the art. As I work with these and other “imperfect pieces”, I find I need to really look carefully and listen to the wood. I often don’t have a plan but follow the natural flow and beauty already present in these pieces.
We live in a throw-away culture, always ready to discard, disregard or control that which doesn’t fit into our idea of how things should be. My work demonstrates that things or people that don’t fit, in one respect, can be seen or approached in a different way and be valued and beautiful through a new way of seeing. 

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Vicky Radel 

Norcross, MN