A new exhibition in Ceredigion features paintings which use an ancient technique known to the Romans and employed for hundreds of years in religious icons and Egyptian mummy portraits.

Artist Andrew Francis, who has a studio and gallery in Adpar, recently completed a Master’s Degree in Fine Art at Aberystwyth.

He is now working with ‘encaustic’, a method which uses hot wax as an additive for oil paints and pigments in many quick-drying layers. This technique is less common in the UK but more popular in the United States.

A new solo exhibition, The Weight of Air, a collection of Andrew’s recent works showcasing this technique, can be seen in Oriel Jays Gallery, a vibrant new venue in the heart of Tregaron.

“The exhibition title comes from a series of paintings looking at landscapes as a patchwork of scenes and exploring the differences between big panoramas and tiny close-up details,” explained Andrew.

“The sheer volume of air between the viewer and the subject of the paintings affects how we see them.

“Many of the paintings use encaustic wax. The results are very textural. I love working with encaustic because it’s almost like adding a third dimension to my paintings.”

The starting point for encaustic painting is beeswax. Unrefined beeswax has a browny hue and is a little translucent, whereas bleached wax is white and slightly more transparent.

“It smells great – a bit like mead,” commented Andrew. When combined with approximately 10 per cent damar resin (gum crystals obtained from trees found in India and Asia) the wax becomes tough and flexible.

“This makes it ideal for combining with colours,” added Andrew. “You can use powdered pigments but it works just as well with oil paints straight from the tube.

“The main distinguishing characteristic of encaustic paint is that it dries almost instantly. As soon as the wax solidifies, you’re ready to add the next layer. This means you can build semi-transparent layers really quickly, giving depth and texture to the painting. You can embed almost anything in the wax, making it ideal for collage work.”

Andrew will be on hand to answer questions at a ‘Meet the Artist’ session from noon till 2pm on Saturday, 22 February, in Oriel Jays Gallery.

The Weight of Air exhibition can be seen until 7 March, 10am to 4pm (except Wednesdays and Sundays) at Oriel Jays Gallery, The Square, Tregaron.

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