Statement

I am a printmaker who transitioned into Encaustic (wax, resin and pigment) several years ago. There are many similarities between Printmaking and Encaustic. The wax allows me to do several of the things I enjoyed so much about etching; the use of fine line detail, employing a slower process of image making and the fun of choosing colors. I get lost in the obsessive and meditative line work of every piece. Repetition, the use of multiples and the influence of the restrained Japanese aesthetic are common in my work.

In my current series I am painting imaginative jellyfish by using a combination of alcohol inks and shellac on a white encaustic background. As the series grew, sea animals begin to appear. In the the latest works, the sea creatures are officially endangered species. This gives a nod to climate change and the effects of a warming ocean.

My previous series is an exploration of the metaphorical potential of the imagery of hand woven baskets. Long associated with women’s craft, these forms suggest their capacity for transportation and containment. Formally the woven basket offers me an inspirational complexity of line and movement. Building up the wax on the flat surface adds a tactile element to each work.

I would like to think that the art I make is different from what is trending or popular at the moment. Someone once commented that I do exactly what I want to do. It’s true!

About

Paula Busch grew up in the Bay Area but now lives and works in Chico, a small university community north of Sacramento. She earned her BA in art from U.C. Berkeley where she was introduced to the practice of printmaking. She then went on to earn a MA from the thriving print department at CSU Chico. She worked as an adjunct professor for 30 years at Butte College and is now happily retired and working in her studio full time.

Paula has received a grant from the George Sugarman Foundation, given the City of Chico Mayor’s Award for Achievements in the Arts, participated in the CSU Summer Arts program and has been included in the prestigious Crocker Kingsley Exhibition in Sacramento.

Her work is in the collections of The Encaustic Institute of America, The Turner Print Museum, monca (Museum of Northern California Art), Renown Health, Reno, Kaiser Permanente, Sacramento, Ruths Chris, Del Mar, Odyssey Winery as well as many private collections throughout the US and abroad.