12 encaustic originals by Studio Reset
Exhibited at the NZ Artshow, June 3-June 6, 21, TSB Arena, Wellington, New Zealand My inspiration for this series came from the banana with masking tape concept artwork titled “Comedian” by Maurizio Cattelan that was showcased at the Miami Gallery, Art Basel and incidently sold three times over for huge sums of money. Sadly, it was also consumed later that evening by David Datuna as a social media stunt and called then performance art. I wanted to create modern art that would stand the test of time and not have to be changed over on the wall when it starts blacken or decay. Call me old fashioned.... This is my own spin on 1970’s 3D wax fruit and it WILL most definitely last several lifetimes unlike the other less sustainable, more expensive artwork. I photographed a number of bananas, playing with their light and shadow on my well used work bench in my Te horo, home studio. I mixed up my encaustic medium harvested wax from my own beehives, damar and yellow pigment and then transferred my photograph into the wax. From there, more hot liquid wax and pigment/inks were added and suspended between many fine sheets of encaustic medium. This ancient technique from Egypt, dates back to 100-300AD, and was used to make the Fayum mummy portraits. I am attracted to this medium for its dimensional quality and luminous colour and that it stands the test of time. The process for me is very much an organic one, supporting sustainability in my art practice by the materials I use. The frames are made from recycled timber and left almost as they were, in their original worn state. Once a year my studio gets a make over; wax scrapings and freshly painted bench tops, vacuumed floors and decluttered spaces. Here's some evidence of it while it's still clean and before I open my studio doors to the masses. Once again, I had many requests for encaustic workshops. This is something I plan to do over the Christmas/School Holidays. Please send me an email, if you would like to take part. Class sizes are small at 3-4 people - $150p/p and workshops will be running through Dec and Jan. Here are a couple of special pics I managed to snap along the way.
With months of planning, it was no easy feat to get 30 large encaustic artworks from the Kapiti Coast New Zealand to Sydney Australia....but with my friend Susan Skelton who was also selected, we managed to pull it off. Here I am, setting up at The Other Art Fair by Saatchi & Saatchi in the Cutaway at Barangaroo, Sydney. All in all, it was a success and I am looking forward to doing a show with them in Toronto, Canada in the near future.
This is me( Kim Kobialko or Studio Reset ), middle right, setting up at TSB Arena in Wellington for this years New Zealand ART SHOW. I was selected to exhibit my encaustic artworks to the public Queens Birthday Weekend. This show attracts over 10,000 people to it's venue and a perfect place to showcase my new series. This years artwork included 37 original encaustic artworks, including 10 of my CLIMATE CHANGE SERIES. In this series of 12 originals varying in size and shape, I created fantastical landscape compositions that have depth, translucency and environmental meaning. This is an organic process; supporting sustainability by repurposing, up cycling and paying close attention to the mediums and materials I use. Each layer of beeswax is composed of multiple portions of photographic images, ink, carbon, oils, and pigments and fused to the layer behind it becoming one solid layer of wax. My natural surroundings are a constant inspiration for me and are always reflected into my artwork. Here, I make reference to the climate crisis through the use of my imagery to deforestation, sustainable farming, dairy action for farming, fossil fuels, greenhouse gases and government incentives to support greener technologies. Here's some of the series included in this years show...... People gravitate to Kapiti not only for it's sunshine and beaches but because of the amazing and colourful community we have on the coast. It is a place where you can unwind, take you shoes off, and leave your worries in the sand.
Kāpiti Arts Guide Listing no. 16- Studio Reset - Kim Kobialko
Before I even begin painting, I love that my artwork already has a history and a presence that you would not get from a store bought canvas. The Encaustic medium encourages experimentation and playfulness, for its capacity to be layered and scraped back. Its satin nature encases and seals the substrate, adding depth and translucency to my layered photographic images, only to reveal portions hidden by pigments in its wonderful waxy texture. Tread lightly on our earth, and be conservationists in our own right. Artistic medium: Painting, Encaustic Mixed Media, Photoencaustic My studio was definitely buzzing with visitors this year, even despite our unpredictable spring weather. People from all pockets of Wellington, as well as some from across the ditch and overseas. I had a lot of people enquiring about my Encaustic Art Workshops and I think I will be busy in the new year teaching techniques of image transfer, shellac burn, scraping and scribing into the encaustic medium. If this interests you, Get in touch and book you and your friend a class with me. $150 p/p Type "Lifelike Japan" into google, and you will see headlines of robotics, lifelike robots and speculation on the decline of the Japanese population, fill your screen. Scroll on down a little and you will find LIFELike JAPAN as a bi-annual contemporary art exhibition intent on presenting unique and candid portrayals of Japan through selected independent works. When considering “Japan,” different people think of different things—for a Japanese person living in New Zealand, it may invoke nostalgia, while it may cause Kiwis to fantasize about sushi or samurai. Our exhibition at the Wellington Japanese Festival will present a homage to Japan in all the ways it can be conceived. In this sense, the homage may seem eccentric, extreme, or even hardly resembling the original, but we are determined to do it. Our admiration and fantasies will now become unique realities expressed through exceptional contemporary art. A few months ago I entered into this exhibition and much to my delight had my Origami Encaustic Artwork selected for the show. Studio Reset - AKA, me, Kim Kobialko will be exhibiting alongside: Paul Bunton, Susy Costello, With Lime, Chika Lindsay, Miz Muller, Masayki Ohashi, John Paxie, Kumiko Matsumoto, Yvonne De Mille, Rieko Woodford-Robinson, and the Curator and Artist-Miki Watanabe. Origami: 73cm x 73cm, was once an old ship mahogany table. Having de-legged the table, I was determined to use it's unique shape as a substrate for a large encaustic artwork. Inspiration for this, came from my daughters school. At the time she was learning about Japanese culture - the tea ceremony, origami, and karate. One day after school she brought home a book on origami and we had a little go at it. I liked our results of the flying parrots( New Zealands Bird of the Year - Kaka) and decided to incorporate them into the wax. If you look closely through the layers you will also find; pigments, paper and feathers. One day I will visit, Japan, but for now let's imagine it's mysteries. Listen up Nelsonite Encaustic Art Collectors.........The Art Expo Nelson is fast approaching and it is THE place to find something special for your home. I have been working hard in my studio over the past year to create some artworks a little closer to home, in key places around the Tasman.
My Kiwi family have been holidaying at Totaranui Campground in the Abel Tasman for over 40 years and I have managed to incorporate a little of that into my artwork for you to enjoy at this years show. You might recognise places like Awaroa, Nelson Harbour, Fifeshire Rock aka Arrow Rock, Rocks Road fishing platform and Haulashore Island. Did you know this year the Campground in Totaranui, will be strictly enforcing a zero waste policy. NO GARBAGE FACILITY ONSITE!!! Pack in what you pack out. They are over the high waste mentality with campers leaving bottles, tents and plastic chairs, you name it, in campground skips for the rangers to remove at their own expense. They will also have an onsite compost bin and rinsing stations for plastic / metal containers. I am looking forward to seeing how it works out this year. It will sure be a learning curve for everyone involved. #nomoreplastic #plasticfreemovement I will off course be bringing my flora and fauna themed encaustic artworks as well. These will include some of your favourite New Zealand Birds: Morepork Ruru, Fantails, Tuis, Pukekos, South Island Robin and few less known birds from around here. Ravens and eagles....I might have went on a little Holiday back to Canada over the winter. I am looking forward to the show and visiting my extended family in Nelson. Hopefully see you at the three day art show with more than 100 New Zealand artists selling over 1000 pieces of art. Open from 10 am everyday (Friday 31 August to Sunday 2 September) at the Trafalgar Centre. $5 admission. I am exhibiting a large body of my work at the NZ Art Show in Wellington over Queens birthday weekend May 31-June 4, 2018. It's held at TSB arena. I have worked hard in my studio over the last year creating 45 artworks in encaustic, ranging in price from $100-$1000. A price point that should please first time collectors, to people who are wanting something a bit larger in scale for their home. I love that you can cluster smaller pieces of mine together to create a statement feature on you're wall. The tiniest artwork is called Little Puriri at 14x10cm and I think it would look so cool in one of those vogue mobile tiny homes or gipsy vans. Well that's where I envision it anyways ( See pic below)..... My largest piece and most expensive original encaustic artwork is called Rongoā. It is 70x70cm and is cradled into an up-cycled old card table. Yup, I striped it of it's manky green velvet.
With this artwork, I am celebrating New Zealand bush, it's plants, their medicinal properties and their power to heal. As I work, the organic and aromatic nature of the beeswax, mixed with tree resin, helps me connect to nature. The falling Kawakawa leaves represent our grandchildren and the shadows, their ancestors. Will their still be our native bush and Rongoa for our grandchildren to enjoy in the years to come? This artwork should be a reminder to tread lightly on our forests and be conservationists in our own right. (See the pic below.) Framed: Yes Size: 70 x 70 x 4 Medium: Mixed Media, Photography, Other Style: Modern, Abstract, Other I look forward to seeing you at the show. So it's a monumental day....well to some scale anyways. Last week I received an email from city council promoting a free 10 day intensive Popup business course at Whitireira Kapiti Campus. It promised I would have a website up and running, and everything else I needed to start my business for FREE. Curious and with nothing to loose I thought, why not. Here I am, day 3 pressing the publish button on Studio Reset's first website. Yes, it's Weebly, yes, it's not perfect but it's out there and with some headroom to grow. I am looking forward to hearing your comments and any input you may be willing to offer.
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Kim KobialkoMy daily babbles Archives
May 2021
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