Artist Bio & Statement

The beauty and complexity of patterns: imagined, real, defined by culture.

I am drawn to patterns—those found in nature, shaped by human hands, or embedded in culture.

Encaustic is an unpredictable medium. Wax melts, shifts, and hardens in unexpected ways, challenging ideas of control and perfection. It asks for acceptance, experimentation, and responsiveness. It can be smooth like glass or rough like stone, never passive, always inviting touch and reflection.

My process is physical and hands-on. Encaustic is not made sitting quietly at an easel—it involves kneeling on the floor, scraping, fusing, moving between hot plates, and working with an open flame. I make my own paint, build my panels, alter surfaces with plaster, joint compound, cement, and burnt glue. I often incorporate unexpected materials—oil paint, pastel, paper transfers, ink, spices, sugar—whatever serves the work.

The propane torch is my favorite tool. It brings both force and transformation.

Encaustic, a mixture of beeswax and damar resin, is both my medium and collaborator—demanding, playful, and full of possibility.

Bio

I was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, and moved to the United States in 1999. My life in the USA started in Iowa City, IA, where I earned a BA and MA at the University of Iowa. In 2003 I relocated to Seattle, WA. Now, back in Iowa City, after 20 years on the West Coast, I am dedicated to developing my art career in encaustic painting.

• Flameartstudio – Artist and Ownerwww.flameartstudio.com
• MA, Graphic Design, University of Iowa City, Iowa City, IA
• BA, Studio Art, University of Iowa City, Iowa City, IA