Susan Wallis
Encaustic painter/Curator
Susan Wallis is a graduate from the Unversity of Toronto with a Bachelor of Art and Art History, along with a certificate in Design from Sheridan College. Orignally from Toronto, Wallis has resided in the County now for close to 20 years.
Her choice of medium is encaustic painting. This ancient medium is historically known due to the Egyptian Fayum mummy portraits in beeswax. Together with the frescoes and objects of Pompeii and Herculaneum, these encaustic paintings are among the best preserved art from ancient times. The encaustic medium provides her with the colour virtuosity of oil with the quick dryingness indicative of acrylic. The best of both worlds. The process is the combination of molten wax with oil pigment. The labour intensive medium provides great texture, luminosity and endless opportunities for experimentation.
Wallis believes that a painting should depict the the act of seeing, not the merely the object seen. She allows her subject matter, the Canadian landscape to pass through her veil of self in order to be realized as art. This process (when done well) can transfix, transcend and transport the observer elsewhere.
Wallis opened Melt Studio & Gallery in June of 2021 with the support of her husband Glen Wallis and her daughter, Artist and Art handler & Installer, Vanessa Rieger.
Wallis curates all art shows at the gallery and enjoys meeting new artists. Learning about and supporting other artists in their art practices provides Wallis with endless inspiration. Wallis has also put aisde a room in her gallery dedicated to supporting new and emerging artists of any age.
The Nest
“There is nothing in which the bird differs more than man than in the way in which they can build and yet leave a landscape as it was before.”
— Robert Lynd
“Since my studio is located in the heart of Prince Edward County, Ontario, an area that boasts the highest concentration and abundance of migratory birds anywhere on the Canadian side of Lake Ontario, it is no wonder that birds and their habitats have made their way into my work. To date over 337 species of birds are on record in the area. I am fascinated with their avian architecture and these meticulously woven places of refuge. “
–Susan Wallis
Puhpowee
“Nature alone is antique, and the oldest art, a mushroom.”
― Thomas Carlyle
"Puhpowee translates from the Anishinaabemowin language as “the force which causes mushrooms to push up from the earth overnight”. I am in awe of the mushroom and their importance in the health of a forest. Mycelium “tiny “threads” of the greater fungal organism wrap around or bore into tree roots and create an underground network, connecting individual plants together to transfer water, nitrogen, carbon and other minerals. Now when I walk through a forest I search for these glorious sculptures that emerge from the ground and cling to trees.”
–Susan Wallis
Susan will be having a solo show this Summer at Melt Gallery called Forest Breathing from July 25–September 1, 2024.
Susan Wallis’ work is on permanent display at the gallery. To see more of her work go to our online SHOP.