These new Encaustic Altar Paintings recently came to me as a idea when a friend visited from upstate New York. She came to my salon, Crown, to have her hair done, and to spend some time together. Her mother had just died, and I really wanted to take care of her. My friend left NYC last year, and has been living with her parents so that she and her father could take care of her mother who was suffering from dementia. I knew I could not lessen her grief, but I also know a good cut and color can lift someone in inexplicable ways. Part of my taking care of her was to make her a little painting, and I had found a package of small encaustic boards in my art supplies earlier. So, I heated up my encaustic paints and began to explore, until I came to a painting that I knew was for her. The next day, I gave her the painting and she was so happy and said, "I am going to put this on my altar!" She sparked this idea to make altar paintings, and I am pleased to introduce these.

Written by Alexis Wheeler and edited by Frances Beebe.