Kate Huser Santucci

My work is primarily in encaustic- a mixture of beeswax and damar resin mixed with pigments and applied in layers. Each layer is fused with a torch, built up and then scraped back to both obscure and reveal symbols and images. Each piece involves using writing to set an intention and direction for the work. I use mostly illegible script, mark making, and asemic writing as part of an underpainting created with charcoal, graphite and encaustic medium. As I work with the layers in my pieces, I am drawn to the idea of signs and sigils, which are symbols that are thought to have magical value, a power, a spell, a way of connecting to something beyond our concrete understanding, or a prayer of intention. I use these techniques to explore themes such as communication, time, place, and our perception of the way things change, both in the short and long term. My current body of work combines both abstract mark making and figurative realism to help convey my thoughts on how we interpret meaning and context in our struggle to understand one another, our world and our role in it. My work involves multiple layers and textures, inviting the viewer to look deeper into the piece and glimpse imagery floating beneath the surface of the wax.