Frédérique Stref’s pictorial world is multifaceted and dense. Different tones of wax overlap and melt onto the wood board, reproducing the variations in the structure of matter found in nature. These infinite variations fascinate the artist, catching her attention each time she enjoys a stroll outdoors. The diversity of formal and emotional tonalities that encaustic allows enable Stref to closely render the impressions gathered by her senses. The beauty and wellness consultant, adept at handling luscious balms, also feels an elemental fascination  for encaustic’s fragrance and tactility. The slow process of kneading dough to give life to one’s reverie is a sweet and sensuous pleasure. By spreading out the soft and deliciously warm wax with her fingers, Stref gives material form to the ideal images she envisions. Her involvement with the matter of encaustic is so deep that, for her, immersing her hands into it is akin to immersing her whole being into the viscous liquid. The delights of the touch become the delights of the heart. Her creative efforts materialise in sensuous effects of transparency and translucent density that recall epidermal radiance and exert a magnetic attraction on the viewer. The artist, who has been using the sense of touch to provide spa and beauty treatments for many years, has found her accomplishment in the force of her gestural and luscious creative practice.

 

 

Fiorenza De Monti

Curator & Art Writer