Whisper by Goxwa

"Pompeii Bird" by Goxwa, 2020.

Goxwa Borg

Goxwa - The kiss

Ġoxwa Borg What makes artist Ġoxwa’s work so compelling isn’t her subject matter, it’s her technique with encaustic, the difficult to master wax and oil medium. Encaustic has been going through another of its periodic resurgences in the last few years. Unlike other artists using this medium Ġoxwa’s technique is, simply put, different. For those of you not already familiar with encaustic painting, you should know it’s a spontaneous medium where hot wax is applied to wood panels. It is typically layered to create more opaque or more translucent effects and can be combined with coloured wax or collage materials (like photos or paper). Each layer of wax can also be scraped, textured or polished for a variety of finishes. The possibilities are endless. Encaustic paintings can be abstract or realistic, subtle or bold and the wax itself is enormously sensual. It’s really all about incorporating your own style into this wonderful medium. The paintings may be a 2 inch thick amalgam of coloured or translucent wax as in some of Jong Wang Lee’s paintings or Maria O’Malley’s more delicate pseudo drawings. As you examine the details of Ġoxwa paintings, you realise that she has taken the opposite approach. The wax is simply the matter into which her colour is mixed. Of course, she uses heat to melt the wax so that it can be applied. But (and it is a very different but) she heats her surface before applying the coloured wax so that the base accepts the new strokes. As a result, you see her brush and knife work in the same way that you would in an oil painting. This is the most difficult way of working with the encaustic medium and the hallmark of the genius that is Ġoxwa. #neonurchin #neonurchinblog #dedicatedtothethingswelove #suzyurchin #ollyurchin #art #music #photography #fashion #film #words #pictures #neon #urchin #goxwaborg #goxwa #painting #artist #figures #stilllife #landscapes #encausticpainting #encaustic #paris #malta (at Paris, France)

oil and wax on canvas, 2021

oil and wax on canvas