"Encaustic painting speaks to me like no other medium. It requires planning, patience, and the ability to multi-task. These qualities served me well in my youth, but somehow, I abandoned them recently. Working with encaustic has given me an incredible gift to grow and practice becoming a better version of myself. I make my own medium taking the time to melt the wax and damar resin very slowly, stirring, stirring, stirring. The smells are amazing! I use dry pigments that come from the earth. Somehow the pigments allow me to feel more connected with nature. I often use a very limited palette to challenge myself but also to encourage creativity; this way I can experiment and play with different ratios and tinting strengths. There can be a great deal of juxtaposition using this “paint" and I find these contrasts exciting. The medium transitions from a liquid to solid very quickly. So, I paint on a horizontal surface but have to constantly raise the board to see and feel the slight undulations and pits in the wax. I find myself constantly running my hands over the surface; letting the wax guide me and give me direction. The medium can be manipulated and buffed to be shiny or matte. It can be highly textural (even sculptural) or smooth. The medium can be transparent, translucent, or totally opaque. There are so many possibilities. Nature and relationships are the two themes that come out in my current body of work. I hope that looking at a piece can trigger a joyful memory or even encourage you to plan some excursion outside to interact with nature; look, listen, touch, and feel. There is so much beauty and inter connectivity to experience that often takes the form of contrast. Smooth eggs and rough twigs and sticks within a nest. The fragility and precarious height of some nests but the sturdiness of the branches that holds this home. The safety, comfort and dependency of parents and their children who will soon leave to start their own journey. I started using encaustic as a therapeutic process to let go of some creative control. I have just started this journey, so I still have so much to learn and explore! But what I have found is that encaustic and I are now in a partnership. I have to truly listen and be receptive to interdependence so we can continue to create pieces that will allow a collector to define their own relationship with art.” Kim Cassidy earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Vermont and a Master of Social Work from San Diego State University. In her art practice, she continues to explore the medium of encaustic, experimenting with its properties and the potential for deeper sensorial experiences.