address, each in their own way. Row discovered that she has a condition
called aphantasia which means she does not have a “ mind’s eye” - a lack
of visual memory and imagination. The concerns relative to this condition
made me stop to question how artists process visual information, and what
role the imagination plays, especially in the early stages of creating a piece
of art. What role does the mind’s eye play? What are the concerns that
compel or urge us to make artwork? Is art-making solely process-oriented,
or may it also be driven by a germ of a visual idea in the mind and
expressed in the artist’s work? Essentially, this comes down to what drives
each artist to create, and how do they approach the blank canvas?
With that in mind, how do the other artists in the issue approach these
questions? The impetus for mark-making may begin in “random marks,
over time, coalesce[ing] to spawn perfectly symmetrical, logical patterns”
as in Dylan Gebbia-Richard’s work. Or may come from the grid structures
that feature prominently in Kathryn Bevier’s paintings. In Dale Roberts’
case, he finds a grounding in painting from life that leads into creative
editing of the visual world to create a sort of hybrid of the concrete and
the imagined. Similarly, Larry Rose’s “photo-painting” experimentation
follows an adjacent path yet reaches entirely unique results. Madeline
Sugerman seeks a sense of tranquility and to connect the material with
the spiritual to express those states in the work she makes. Each
approach valid, and all so different.
Please don’t miss Clare O’Neill’s interesting article on tissue paper prints
and photo encaustic process.
And, as always, I appreciate the artists of this issue sharing their thoughts
and images, and hope you will enjoy reading and seeing their work.
Kari Gorden
Editor
Encaustic Arts Magazine
[email protected]
Deanne Row’s article raises an underlying theme that the artists in this issue