Two-side Story Sharpie, encaustic, oil paint, on cardboard box 2001-2002 I’ve always been fascinated with cardboard and boxes - in general. Currently the US produces the most amount of cardboard of anywhere in the world, thanks to online shipping. New industries have emerged because of this and yet, my fascination grew long before this current era of consumption. I’ve always loved find the perfect surfaces to draw/paint on.. Between 2000-2003, I experimented with expanded foam, packing tape, heat guns and all sorts of random packing supplies as sculptural sources. Whenever I’d get ahold of a large flat-ish box, I felt compelled to change its narrative and journey. I worked in cardboard for years, however this piece was the beginning. I drew my own weblike drawings in Sharpie - for months and then used pure, unrefined beeswax from the Denver region to build up the surface. Oil paint an wax together create “encaustic” along with other hardening and translucency-preserving agents. I love wax and sourcing it from beekeepers in my area. These boxes have survived more than the relationship they were created within. Our stories never lined up together. These pieces - always did from the beginning.
