The Art Blog

Since I first encountered encaustic over 25 years ago I have watched it grow from an obscure ancient painting method to a widely popular and recognized fine art medium.  With interest in encaustic continuing to expand,  I receive daily inquiries from other artists about my painting methods and  techniques...  especially the shellac burn technique that I have become known for in recent years. So I have created Learn to Burn Workshops designed around my specific way of working with encaustic with an emphasis on the shellac burn technique.  Detail from Carnival Vista - Encaustic w/mixed media - 24" x 48" -Alicia Tormey 2015 I offer live sessions in a group or private setting and will soon have an online course and Skype sessions available.  For a list of current classes please visit my workshop page at: Alicia Tormey Workshops   In the mean time...here are some very informative links on the subject of encaustic that you may find help...

Boston Globe art critic, Cate McQuaid, reviews Organica show. . . Read her article below... Wild, Dreamy Images At Chase Young Gallery, Alicia Tormey’s “Gaudium.”   Alicia Tormey makes pictures. Wild, intoxicating pictures with jewel tones, spatial complexity, abstract passages, and giddy motion, which are now on view at Chase Young Gallery . Looking at them is a less contemplative process than looking at work by Lipsky and Tollens. Likewise, they are rewarding in different ways. What Tormey has in common with those two painters is a commitment to technique. She mixes beeswax, ink, and shellac, and builds her images, in part, with a blowtorch. The ink, it appears, makes the picture; layers of wax add the illusion of distance. The heated shellac bubbles and threads, creating an organic overlay that crawls over the surface, and frames the color beneath like a stained glass window. The artist’s floral pieces, such as “Sublimus” and “Gaudium,”are hardly still li...

New works will be presented in Boston at the Chase Young Gallery in April. My solo show, Organica , opens April 1st and runs through April 25th. I will be attending the opening reception to be held on Friday April 3rd from 6pm to 8pm. I welcome the opportunity to meet you so please come by the gallery and say hello. Here's a little preview of some of the pieces that will be in the show… Jasper Vista by Alicia Tormey, 12 x 12, Encaustic  2015 Kaleidoscope by Alicia Tormey, 12 x 12, Encaustic  2015 Organica II by Alicia Tormey, 12 x 12, Encaustic  2015  Working on a large scale piece for Organica … Alicia Tormey at work in the studio Alicia Tormey at work in the studio

Two of my latest encaustic works will be on display this month at the Chase Young Gallery in Boston. The show runs Feb 4 - 28 with an opening reception on Friday, Feb 6.  In April the gallery will be featuring a solo show of my work and I plan on attending the opening reception on April 3rd.  Please come by and say hello if you find yourself in the Boston area. I look forward to seeing you there! The piece featured above is  titled Rare Earth , encaustic w/ mixed media, 12" x 24" and below is Aventurine , encaustic w/mixed media , 24" x 24". 

So much good stuff right now… I received notification that I will be awarded a grant from Artist Trust. Ive been selected for a:  G rant for  A rtist  P rojects  otherwise known as a GAP Grant. Feeling very honored to be recognized in this way from such a wonderful organization as Artist Trust . Here's the mission statement and link from their website: Artist Trust is a not-for-profit organization whose sole mission is to support and encourage individual artists working in all disciplines in order to enrich community life throughout Washington State. To accomplish its mission, Artist Trust raises funds from an array of sources in order to: Give financial grants, through a peer review process, to individual artists working in the visual, performing, media, literary, and interdisciplinary arts; Serve as a professional information resource for artists and encourage artists to support each other; and, Provide recognition and support for the contributions artis...

It's happening…My solo show opens tomorrow night in Bellevue at the Hall Spassov gallery. Here's a little preview…. For more show images check out the gallery website at: Hall | Spassov Gallery

My latest body of work will be on display for the month of October at the Hall | Spassov Gallery in Bellevue, Washington.  This show will include a mix of my botanical works and abstracted landscapes. Below are some images of work-in-progeress and all the details you need to attend the opening. In the studio…work-in-progress. Encaustic w/ mixed media 40" x 60" Elatus - Encaustic w/mixed media - 24" x 48"  Indomitus New Encaustic Works by Alicia Tormey  October 1 - 31, 2014 Opening Reception October 1st 5pm - 8pm Hall Spassov Gallery 800 Bellevue Way NE Ste 150 Bellevue, WA 98004