EMBRACING THE BEAUTY AND COMPLEXITY OF THE ANCIENT ART OF ENCAUSTIC: PAINTING WITH BEESWAX, RESIN, AND PIGMENTS
Vera Ranguelova was born in Sofia, Bulgaria. She moved to Iowa City, IA, where she earned her BA and MA at the University of Iowa. After 20 years in Seattle and a career in design and marketing for health care and medical devices, Vera is back in Iowa City, dedicated to her passion for encaustic art.
She is interested in the beauty and complexity of patterns: imagined, tangible, or defined by culture. She paints with a propane torch, a mixture of beeswax, damar resin, and dry pigments dissolved in the molten wax. Wax is a unique painting material: it melts or hardens in surprising forms. Smooth like glass and rough like rocks, wax challenges the idea of perfection, plays with light, and creates space.
1. How did you discover encaustic art?
I discovered encaustic art twenty years ago in Seattle. I saw a painting at friend’s house by the artist Betsy Eby. I was interested in the painting’s texture, size, transparency and colors. The surface was smooth, like glass. In 2017, I found a workshop called Northwest Encaustic in Seattle that taught encaustic technique, and in 2019, I have devoted hours every day to refining the technique.
2. What other artists have influenced your art? Is there a particular style that has influenced your art?
I’ve been very interested in Bulgarian folk traditions and costumes. I was inspired by the Orthodox iconography, the art of ̌ Gerhard Richter and Anselm Kiefer. I try not to look too much outward, as I am interested in finding myself through my work. I started with Bulgarian traditions, then I moved to abstract art, then landscapes, and now I am working on more architectural themes, only to find myself circling back to Bulgaria.
3. You have travelled a long distance in your life. Originally from Bulgaria, your family relocated to the United States in 1999, and you attended the University of Iowa, graduating in 2003. How has your international background affected your art style, and/or your philosophy as an artist?
I earned a BA in Arts and a Master’s in Graphic Design at the University of Iowa. My mentor was ̌ Ab Gratama, Professor Emeritus, at the University of Iowa. When you move from place to place, you come to know what you don’t have anymore. I’ve come to appreciate what each place offers. In Seattle it was nature; here it is architecture.
4. Your art requires strength, stamina, and comfort with power tools. What would you say to someone hesitant about learning encaustic because of the physical challenge?
You can always start with small tools like a heat gun or a mini-torch. I do a lot of chiseling, so I am on my feet, but you can work from an easel. It’s a matter of finding your way. Some experience with drawing and composition is helpful, but not necessary.
5. Encaustic is an ancient art, dating back to the Egyptians and the Greeks. Why is this technique relevant to today?
In ancient Egypt and Greece, wax was used to make ships waterproof. Then pigments were added to the wax to decorate the boats. Encaustic is a very unique, challenging art form. In the popularity of encaustic is growing in the USA and abroad. At the ArtiFactory exhibition, I will have a display of the tools and materials you need for making encaustic art.
6. Many of your paintings feature sites in and around Iowa City. What is it about Iowa City that you find inspiring?
The last two years I have been discovering the Midwest and Iowa City. in particular. I am interested in the specific characteristics and stories behind the places or buildings in the area. When I paint a building I am interested in its function and history rather than the structure or color.