The Art Association of Jacksonville is pleased to welcome Encaustic painter Maeve Young Erickson to the David Strawn Art Gallery, 331 W. College Ave., Jacksonville Feb. 2-24. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, Feb. 2 from 6-8 p.m. Introduction of the 2013 Beaux Arts Ball Co-Chairmen Jodi Heitbrink and Patty Anderson will be held at 6:30 p.m. with “Gallery Talk” by Ms. Erickson to follow. The opening is free and open to the public.
Ms. Erickson of Elgin, Illinois is an encaustic painter. Encaustic painting is an ancient form of painting and is achieved when oil painting is added to bees wax, melted, and then applied to heat resistant materials such as wood or masonite board. Erickson explains, “Since the hot wax dries so rapidly, I must work quickly and accurately if I want to achieve certain painting effects.” Erickson has developed a master’s hand for this technique and has been creating one of kind pieces exclusively for the past 50 years.
Simultaneously naturalistic and abstract, Erickson’s paintings are multiple layers of color coupled with highly tactile surfaces, which give Erickson’s pieces a somber, yet promising, dream-like quality.
Gallery hours Feb. 3-24 are Sundays 1-3 p.m. and Tuesday through Saturday 4-6 p.m.
