A step further

 

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International artist Frédérique Stref has showcased her latest collection And So On at a sunset exhibition on Point Chevalier Beach. The collection comprises twelve hand crafted abstract artworks in the encaustic style – each a manipulation of pigmented wax on wood panels – celebrating the landscape which has had a profound impact on the artist since she arrived on its shores in December 2019. 

 

“After ten years of living in big cities across Asia, I had become so disconnected from nature and was feeling absolutely lost. When I arrived in New Zealand it was like I received a big wave of life force, energy, and power – I have been able to reconnect with nature and this exhibition is an expression of gratitude for the healing I have received living in this beautiful place,” says Stref.  

 

There are very few artists using the highly complicated technique of encaustic painting or ‘hot wax painting’. The process involves carefully adding coloured pigments to the wax and then applying the molten medium to prepared wood. The effect is intricate layers of colour and texture which appear to swim on the surface. 

 

“I really love this technique and working with these materials because it seems as if the wax is alive – I can have a lot of depth, a lot of light and a lot of contrast which is something I could not achieve with painting,” she says. 

 

Stref first discovered the material while living in Amsterdam in the early 2000’s and immediately sensed that the texture and radiance of encaustic suited her sensory nature and would thereby enable her to express her deepest feelings. 

 

The colours carefully captured in And So On reflect Stref’s natural surrounds today – from dazzling turquoise and fiery orange, to fuchsia and every shade of blue imaginable – they depict the colours of Auckland’s coastline throughout the seasons.