Patricia Nitschke (PAN)

Encaustic painting has a rich and interesting history dating back to the 1st – 3rd centuries AD, from Egypt and Ancient Greece. It is a painting technique which combines beeswax, damar and then either oil paint or natural powdered pigments to give it colour. Encaustic wax is a hot wax method, where the medium (beeswax and damar) is heated to around 170 degrees Fahrenheit, on electric frypans and then colour is added to make a hot paint.

Patricia graduated from the University of South Australia in 2006 with a Bachelor Degree in Visual Communications and Graphic Design and worked as graphic designer and photographer before becoming a full time artist. Her unique art comes from a love of the natural beeswax material, experimentation and exploration. Wax goes through several transformations from soft to solid, by way of heat and fire. The Encaustic process is a physically demanding layering process, where each layer is fused to the one below with a blowtorch.

It is a co creation medium, as the natural force of fire and wax has the ability to surprise and transform instantly. It is flexible, adaptable, and has the most beautiful texture and surface quality. The medium changes colour depending on the light source and illuminates with direct light, viewers are encouraged to use their phone light and lightly touch work as a sensory experience.

Patricia’s work is driven by a spiritual and intuitive journey of discovery, including the physical experience, of scraping past layers, building up and burning down layers.

She strives to ensure that her work is simultaneously contemporary, abstract and modern and her aim is to produce work that takes the viewer on an endless journey of discovery.

Her work is being recognised in galleries across South Australia and she was recently awarded special commendation by judge and artist Georgia Button for Egg series collection.

Having Patricia on board is a bonus for everyone involved in Sollys Shed and we cant wait to learn more about her art and see many more brilliant works.