Artist Statement
At a very young age I expressed myself creatively through drawing and then later, through sewing, which I believe began my love of the technical process of many of the techniques I enjoy using, such as printmaking and encaustic. As a printmaker I enjoy the process of thinking in reverse, building up my matrix, scraping, and then inking before I can pull a print. Mixed-media collage and encaustic are more immediate, which is thrilling since printmaking can be very time intensive. But they are similar to printmaking in that I can work back into pieces by scraping and building layers.
My recent work has been made up of what I call
"instructionals"--pieces that give instructions for how to do,
play, or make something. I grew up in a strict household and we had a lot
of rules. Now that I'm parenting I see the benefit and absurdity of all
the criterion. I'm also hooked on dresses and tea cups. I'm fortunate to
have a child of each gender so I marvel on how much DNA has played a part
on who they are and how they act. Lately I've been focusing more on the
girly side of things. I was a tomboy and having a girly-girl daughter has
given me permission to embrace all things feminine. It's been fun!
Since a considerable amount of time and expense goes into creating a plate and pulling a print, I’d had difficulty over the years knowing what to do with my prints that did not make the edition for one reason or another—accumulating some respectable stacks of paper! Now that I am doing collage and encaustic (hot wax painting which involves using heated beeswax and pigments which are fused to the surface using an iron), I am giving my prints and other papers life by incorporating them into new, individual pieces. Because of the multiple nature of prints, I am able to reuse images giving them iconicity. This aspect is very exciting to me since I can work a theme or thought in various ways until I feel as though it’s been exhausted and I’m ready to move on.
Women
Printmakers of Austin (WPA) has played an integral part in my artistic
career. I am also a member at Women
and Their Work.
Cathy
Savage