Encaustic Arts Magazine Spring 2012 | Page 26

Dorothy Masom ENCAUSTIC PAINTING – Creating Luminous Works in Wax DOROTHY MASOM Baltimore Inner Harbor, 30” x 36”, 2011. I always carry a camera when traveling and look for unusual subject matter. After taking many photos, I end up using a few bits and pieces of material from each one for the final painting. Portfolio 26 Summer I have been called a pioneer in the revival of encaustic painting and “Dean of American Encaustic Painters.” My first book, Encaustic Painting was written in 1981 while I was obtaining a Master of Fine Arts at Bloomsburg University, Bloomsburg, Pa. I received this degree while teaching at Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, Pa. My husband, Richard, taught Business Administration and I taught Drawing and Painting. We lived in Selinsgrove with our two children, Susan and Jeffrey and retired early after teaching there for 18 years. Before that time, I won an art scholarship to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia, PA and later ran my own art school in Sussex, N. J. Prior to attending the masters program at Bloomsburg University, I was painting in oils and print-making, however, I was never satisfied with the slow-drying oil paint medium. For my thesis, my art professor, Ken Wilson, suggested I try encaustics because I loved the tactile qualities of painting. His suggestion changed my life dramatically. www.EAINM.com