Hatching 12" x 12" encaustic, oil stick, lace on panel.

Own a one of a kind piece of art made out of wax!

 I remember sitting on the floor of my grandmother's linen closet sifting through her button box, one item at a time. This treasure trove of domesticity found its way into my art studio -- buttons, thread, sewing needles, hair pins, bits of old lace...

These found object collages created from the detritus of generations of women's domestic work are sometimes inter-twined with newly created hand loom weavings inspired by the pot holder creations of my girlhood. In some pieces, pencil drawings and graphic messages are woven into the body of the piece offering conceptual underpinnings to the works. My newest work explores Encuastic oil painting and collage. Encaustic is an ancient medium in which melted beeswax is combined with a small amount of damar varnish. The warm wax is applied to a ground while in its molten state. As the liquid cools, the wax dries hard. I often draw into the cooled wax and then pepper the surface with dried pigment. Rich in surface texture, these paintings are also subtle in visual layering. These pieces often possess a penetrating conceptual message created by the layering of typed messages carefully placed along side the tools of traditional sewing and mending. The marriage of old and new within all of my work represents conversations about my family, past and present, as well as my ongoing struggle to reconcile my personal tension between "traditional craft" and "fine art."

For more information about Milisa Galazzi, or to view more of her works, please visit www.milisagalazzi.com.