Lace and Sea

Exploring a new medium! I recently spent some awesome time in a series of classes — an introduction to encaustic.

Vivian East and Julia Ramdeholl operate Freehand School of Art in Toronto, offering classes in a variety of media for adults and children. Encaustic is taught by Andrea Nesbitt and the next 5 class session starts in April.

I made a few pieces including this series of three panels …

Lace and Sea #3. (detail) Valerie Knapp© 2015.  Seaweed, scan, antique lace, paper, wax, on panel.

Lace and Sea #3 2015 Valerie Knapp© Seaweed, seaweed scan, antique lace, paper, wax, on panel.

I'm intrigued by the interaction of organic and manmade structures, so I like how fusing them together, this juxtapositioning, creates a conversation between these opposite forms of networking. 

Lace and Sea #2. Valerie Knapp© 2015.   Sea fan, antique lace, wax, on panel.

Lace and Sea #1. Valerie Knapp© 2015.   Seaweed scan, antique lace, wax, on panel.

I love how my work and materials takes me in diverse directions researching. I was reading about seaweed, searching the web for images to identify what I have collected, scavenged. I found this beautiful picture of ocean fields of seaweed cultivation off the tiny Balinese island of Nusa Lembongan, looking like a patchwork quilt! The picture took me to the Botany Photo of the Day page … to see more — UBC Botanical Garden site for the article about this cultivation. Life is full of riches.

Farming two species of seaweed, Eucheuma spinosum and more commonly Eucheuma cottonii, in the sea off a small island off the eastern coast of Bali. Photo: Ingrid Hoff