Encaustics
Encaustic means "to burn in." It consists of hot, melted beeswax, resin and pure pigment. This art form was used as early as the 5th Century BC for caulking and decorating the hulls of Trojan ships eventually working its way to the Egyptians. The medium was used for painting anything from urns and statues to beautiful portraits for adorning mummified bodies. It fell out of use and favor with the invention and ease of oil paints but is making a strong reemergence in the art world. The pigment and wax are melted on a hot palette, then painted onto a strong, support surface. Each new layer, which could number in the hundreds, must be burned into the support and then to the previous layer for adherence. The wax cools to harden and can be polished to a beautiful shine. Encaustics utilizes not only the visual sense but also the senses of touch and smell. It is multi-sensory being also fragrant and tactile. Encaustics is an art form full of discovery, play and invention.
Our Story & Ethos
Cerawings (pronounced Sarahwings) birthed out of curiosity and play with passion for a different type medium that instantly drew us in. We learned to paint in encaustics, a blend of hot wax and oils in a tiny studio in Anchorage, Alaska. Often we lived under a banner of thousands of bohemian waxwings in the trees singing their song and feasting above us. We only had to look up to be inspired. Since then, we have had an affinity for waxwings with their generous, playful and jovial spirit. For us, the name Cerawings is personal. CERA means wax in Latin, thus, CERAWINGS was born. We welcome you to join us under the banner of sharing and storytelling.
Each unique piece is formed combining multiple elements which could include wax, photography, pigments, oils, and found curiosities pushing the boundaries of what any part was on its own. The wax is used to tell a story which evokes a memory or gives you the freedom to imagine. It gives you, our viewer, the opportunity to look deeper, see a subtle shift, to open the aperture, to slow down. Our collections draw you into an experience through layers of wax, providing a unique style of art that is sensual, tangible and textural. Our design style evokes and pulls on memory, soft lines, in a hushed and holy present, being keenly aware for a moment to notice what so often swiftly passes before our eyes. Our eclectic gatherings combined with storytelling creates for you a sculptural multi-layered quality that will allow you to enter into a living art and a new perspective.
Our deliberately curated materials have longevity in mind. We use high quality materials, seek out pH neutral papers and pigment-based ink for archival permanence. If we can source clean raw wax from local bee keepers, we certainly do. We are committed to a spirit of excellence that allows you to enjoy the process of collecting storied works formed with intentionality. Each unique, hand-crafted work of art is thoughtfully made and worthy of an heirloom collection to adorn your walls, be treasured and passed on for future generations.
About B & Dan
Dan was born and raised in the Upstate New York, spending several years and summers in Connecticut. Though he lived in the suburbs, he was surrounded by the history, forests, oceans, lakes, and Adirondack Mountains. Bernice, who we all call B, grew up in forests along the coastline of Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We met in Minot, North Dakota, in the summer on a blind date camping to the Badlands set up by mutual friends. With long nights under the big Dakota sky marveling at the stars it’s really no wonder we were married by the spring. For decades our homes have included lake lands, forests and wheatfields, the deserts of California, both the coastal ocean side and the interior mountain ranges in Alaska. We’ve lived amongst the sunflower fields of Kansas and today we rest our wings in Midwest fields of Illinois. In a way, we can identify with our beloved bohemian waxwings.
Before we even met we both had a passion for photography and were schooled early in darkroom photography, a time when film was the only option. It is this shared love that has brought us a sense of many newfound adventures. Our camera has always been at our side to slow down and capture a moment when curiosity came calling. Encaustics became a way to uniquely marry and blend photographs and color pigment hues together in a uniquely atmospheric design that can shift all the boundaries to draw others in.
Dan has been an historian and is currently a museum curator and B is a full time artist with a love for reading classics. We both share a learning sensitivity to follow intuitions, pick up a pen and express ourselves through poetry and art. We enjoy taking pottery classes and love to create with our hands. We can often be found at an antique shop looking for the next hidden treasure or sharing tea together in our sunroom after walking with our dog Brindle. We have a large family, (B is one of seven) that we enjoy immersing ourselves in and gathering in mass around large tables. We tend to return to the north in the fall to make our way to cooler climates. To soul refresh around water beneath deep woods.
Our best living works are our two beautiful children, our son Isaac and daughter Evelyn who are vastly and creatively cultivating their own wings to fly.