"Ocean Shores," an encaustic painting by Marie Alice Hurst. Some of her works will be featured at Two Rivers Gallery in downtown Wenatchee during October.
"Ocean Shores," an encaustic painting by Marie Alice Hurst. Some of her works will be featured at Two Rivers Gallery in downtown Wenatchee during October.
WENATCHEE — Nature-inspired artist Marie Alice Hurst’s encaustic paintings and stained-glass creations are being showcased at Two Rivers Art Gallery this month.
A First Friday reception with music by Pat Thompson and Glenn Isaacson is planned for 5 to 8 p.m. at Two Rivers, 102 N. Columbia St. Regular gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Hurst was led to pursue art by taking classes in different media after being a bilingual ESL teacher for 27 years at Morgen Owings Elementary School in Chelan. Early inspirations came from an upbringing in the rainforests of Costa Rica and the mountains of Haiti as the daughter of an entomologist. She describes great joy, wonder and gratitude for the beauty that surrounds her, and how art emerges from this sensibility.
Regional and travel photography is another source of inspiration for art. Her largest piece yet — a 24”x36” work titled “Glorious End of Day” — is inspired by a photo of a sunset over the Columbia River. Hurst wrote in email that “skies, clouds and sunsets are especially fun and challenging. The process of fusing with a torch adds a serendipitous quality to the paintings. Encaustic is a fascinating and exciting medium.”
Encaustic painting is an ancient art method, sometimes seen in paintings of saints. It is made with a medium made of molten beeswax and damar tree resin with added pigments to create works with depth, texture and luminosity.
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