BY CHUCK ADAMS
Beasts and Bee’s Knees
Beeswax can be mixed with
pigments and resin to make
encaustic paintings, an art
process practiced for more
than two millenia.
Encaustic show shines pretty
T
o make beeswax, the honeybee must
literally work its ass off. Produced
by thin scales secreted by glands on
the surface of the bee’s abdomen, beeswax —
once collected by the beekeeper — can be
made into candles, cosmetics or pharmaceu-
ticals (e.g. that goop that keeps your bones
from bleeding). It can also be mixed with pig-
ments and resin to make encaustic paintings,
an art process practiced for more than two
millenia. The current show at La Follette
Gallery is called “Encaustics,” but “From a
Bee’s Butt to An Image of a Bee’s Butt”
might be more apt of a title, such is the syn-
thesis implied in Portland-based Karen
Ehlers’ and Jan Cavecche’s graphically strik-
ing portraits of natural clones. I use “clones”
because the mimetic symbolism in their work
removes nature from the equation. And yet,
this is a show all about nature.
According to Cavecche’s artist statement,
working in encaustic is a challenge that allows
her to “transcend the everyday obstacles” she
encounters while making her art. She claims
the “happy accidents” of working in a “hap-
hazard and erratic” medium usually yield her
best work, and she’s not far off the mark. Her
series of stone imagery, armoured with peb-
bles, three agates and floating rocks are the
only works in the show that attempt either tex-
ture or shading, a painstaking feat to get right
in the rather flat encaustic medium. But
Cavecche basically pulls it off by half-assing
it, scraping and dripping the hot wax in sloppy
gestures to give the rocks actual quality (rather
than turn them into mere symbols).
Similarly, Cavecche’s Honeycomb Puzzle
is a loving tribute to the medium. She
achieves texture this time by monoprinting
honeycomb patterns directly over the bril-
liantly warm oranges, reds and yellows of en-
caustic. What we have are snapshots of the
beeswax in its prenatal state, half complete
but coming together beautifully. Conversely,
Deer Branches by Karen Ehlers (left)
and floating rocks by Jan Cavecche
Cavecche’s series of cross-sectioned plant
matter, including dens leonis and lost men,
are nice, simple portraits of dandylions and
other weeds. But is art supposed to be nice?
In lost men, Cavecche tosses in a few toy sol-
diers under the soil and expects us to contem-
plate something about post-war renewal. But
the toy soldiers are mere symbols (they could
easily stand for childhood), and
the gesture feels like afterthought.
Karen Ehlers’ work also ex-
tensively relies on symbols.
Chairs, deer, trees, firehoses,
teapots, vases, cut plants and ar-
rows combine in grids of rigid
structure that recall stencil de-
signs from 1950s wallpaper and
wrapping paper. Deer Branches makes good
use of spatial arrangement not only on the
surface, but with actual depth. Ehlers lays on
thick and thin layers of encaustic (including
unpigmented beeswax) to show a depth of
field that achieves a high level of energy
without being too clashing or cluttered.
In a series entitled Bestiary, Ehlers relates
a story (on a cue card) of a rumor she heard in
grad school about the trees outside of the
National Gallery in Washington, D.C.
Apparently the rats, pigeons and squirrels
who shared the cavity of the trees were mat-
ing, and monstrous crossbreeds were discov-
ered by the construction workers after they
cut the trees down. Ehlers illustrates this
rumor (and her memory of it) by imaging the
creatures: a squirrel with a rat’s tail, a rat with
pigeon’s wings, etc. The creatures are whim-
sical and cute in that way you see on display
at Fred Meyer’s mass-produced reprints sec-
tion. Indeed, there’s something a bit too fa-
miliar about these images, as if I’ve seen
them somewhere before. Like many of
Ehler’s pieces, Bestiary is well-intentioned,
graphically appealing and comes with a rich
backstory but is thoroughly uninspiring as
anything other than wall art. On her website,
Ehlers has a handful of striking mirror-image
encaustics, but unfortunately they didn’t
make it into this show.
“Encaustics” runs through Dec. 31.
For more information on these artists,
who have priced their work quite
affordably, visit www.cavecche.com and
www.karenehlers.com
ew
trekking?
medical advice for
global travelers
T HE T RAVEL C LINIC
John D. Wilson, M.D.
1200 Hilyard St., Suite S-560 • 343-6028
Start traveling healthy today at www.TravelClinicOregon.com
Did you know?
Pamper your mind, body, spirit & soul
G IFT C ERTIFICATES FOR C OMPLETE S PA S ERVICES !
Massage • Facials • Tanning • Nails
Body Wraps • Sauna • Hair Salon • Waxing
We also offer corporate groups, weddings & other custom packages!
Excellent products for hair, makeup & skin.
The Perfect Christmas Gift!
The Broadway sells over 200 beers, including seasonal
and holiday beer on tap. Open seven days a week.
Breakfast/lunch/dinner
200 W. Broadway
541.685.0790
oregonwineandmore.com
CAPRICE DAY SPA • Mon-Sat 10am-8pm • 541.744.8743
1623 21st Street Suite B Springfield • thecapricedayspa.com
DECEMBER 13, 2007 37