“Going Home” by Suzanne Hauerstein.

The Nave Gallery Annex hosts a group exhibition from December 5-22 of encaustic art in its Davis Square location. 65°: An Exhibition of Contemporary Encaustic Art, is an exhibition on the techniques, materials and subject matter used by today’s wax artists, and features the work of 22 local and national artists.

The exhibition is curated by Leika Akiyama, a multimedia visual artist who has worked with encaustic. The show includes work by Akiyama, Deborah Bohnert, Jodi Colella, Barbara Cone, Kindra Crick, Evelyn Davis-Walker, Joanne F. Desmond, Suzanne Gibbs, Eileen P. Goldenberg, Elizabeth Harris, Suzanne Hauerstein, Deb Neiman, Laurie Johnston, Suzanne LoManto, Lazaro Montano, Julie Nussbaum, Beth Page, Melissa Rubin, Sarah B. Shallbetter, Sophie Truong, Mariana Vieira and Catherine Weber.

Traditional encaustic involves adding pigments to beeswax heated at approximately 65 degrees Centigrade. The effect is a rich, thick texture that can make the viewer feel as if the images or items presented under wax are in a dreamlike state. In 65°, Akiyama takes traditional encaustic several steps further.

“In this show, I have tried to showcase encaustic work that had wide range of application and synthesis of varied materials in contemporary artistic processes,” Akiyama states. “Encaustic attracts traditional painters as well as fiber artists, sculptors and installation artists alike because of its versatility and 3D properties. I have chosen work from artists from different backgrounds and expertise who are all using the encaustic medium to create work that is unique to their sensibilities.”

“The Iron Zipper” by Evelyn Davis-Walker.

One such artist is Somerville’s Jodi Colella. Colella’s series, APPENDIX, is an addendum to the original installation INDEX. In APPENDIX, Colella applies encaustic to everyday objects situated on 4×4 panels. An ethnographic exploration, the pieces are arranged in a grid with chronologically numbered panels and a corresponding catalog of definitions.

Subject matter in the exhibition ranges from the scientific to the domestic. Pacific Northwest native Kindra Crick’s images and mark-making build upon each other in layers, creating a dichotomy between the elusiveness of the images beneath the rich surface texture and the rationality of these original scientific diagrams.

Evelyn Davis Walker‘s recent body of work revolves around the social role of the American housewife. As an artist, she explores the role of the 1930-1960’s housewife in mixed media collage, the work ultimately assisting in forging her own new identity.

Suzanne Hauerstein uses her work to tell the stories of everyday domestic life as her source images show life as seen through the lens of wife and mother. Some of the memories shown are images of her mother and grandmothers; others are imagined, but each tells a story. The hazy, smooth plane of the wax juxtaposed with the dark, saturated graphic image lends itself to the telling of visual memories, some of which may not be quite clear in all of their details.

65°: An Exhibition of Contemporary Encaustic Art will be on exhibition from December 5-22, 2013.

Opening Reception: Thursday, December 5, 2013, 6:00-9:00 p.m. at Nave Gallery Annex, 53 Chester St, Somerville.

Exhibition Dates and Hours: December 5-22; Wednesday-Friday, 6:00-8:00 p.m.; Saturday, 2:00-8:00 p.m.; Sunday, 2:00-6:00 p.m.

Visit www.navegallery.org for more information.

“Thought” by Kendra Crick.