Deborah Howard-Page
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(415) 305-6440
My Garden Variety series began from images of wild birds in a U.K. newspaper, which compelled me to save them. As I later painted back home, gentle hints at disappearing wildlife habitats crept in: a ghostly tree branch, empty nests, holes in trees, eldritch bracken, or abandoned bird houses. Bits of decorative "wall" paper appear through the wax, hinting at human domesticity; our relentless, invading progression into vanishing wild domains.
I render figures with oil paint over a ground of wax encaustic, melted in layers onto small wooden panels. Bits of gold leaf, bones, feathers, leaves, flowers, fabric, glitter, old wallpaper, origami, or decorative papers are embedded in the wax layers. Once the paint has dried, I add finishing touches of pastels, inks, and/or colored pencils. A luscious ground for oils, melting beeswax smells SO lovely (reminiscent of my Waldorf school days), plus it lends an element of mystery to the finished work.
After a few injuries, I've been making tiny paper houses, and covering empty small matchboxes with mixed media collage (vintage photos, maps, paint, etc.), such as "Eva #1 (my mother, when she was a schoolgirl)," as shown on this profile. And an updated version of my website should debut soon. I hope to rejoin Open Studios in 2025!
