“Untangled”: encaustic paintings by Thea Haubrich and Bethany Handfield

Leir House, 220 Manor Park Ave., Penticton

September 8 – October 6, 2011

Opening event: Thursday, September 8, 2011, 7 – 9 PM

 On display at Leir House, Penticton from September 8 – October 6, 2011, is the work of Thea Haubrich and Bethany Handfield. Though a generation apart, the two artists share a love for colour and texture.

Featured is a selection of their works in encaustic, a medium that involves painting with melted beeswax to which coloured pigments have been added. The versatility of the medium untangles the imagination of artist and viewer alike, to freely enjoy the often unexpected changes during the painting process.

Thea Haubrich has been working in encaustic for almost 15 years. She is a sought-after instructor and a proud “RipOff artist” (www.ripoffartists.ca). Echoing the colour and light of the Okanagan, her paintings are vibrant, full of texture and sometimes hidden messages. One of her greatest passions is networking and connecting people, which she realizes through her Ning social network, blogging and writing monthly newsletters. Through her workshops Thea has another opportunity to share her love for encaustic and bring people together.

An Active Member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, she has participated in numerous juried and non-juried art shows, winning several awards and honorable mentions. Her paintings are in collections around Canada, the USA and Europe.

Also on display is a selection of her Zentangle drawings, which she created as she was undergoing chemotherapy, and some portrait drawings. The drawings have been dipped in beeswax, giving them a wonderful translucent quality. Some drawings are for sale as postcards, with proceeds going towards the BC Cancer Foundation.

Bethany Handfield is an encaustic and mixed media collage artist who resides in Kaleden.

She is inspired by exterior and interior landscapes and views painting as a form of inquiry and meditation. She worked for many years in the Vancouver film industry as a television and film editor.

Her encaustic instruction is ongoing with the amazing artist, teacher, and friend Thea Haubrich. She has been fortunate to also study encaustic with the innovative Anna Maria Aigner of Austria and the talented Linda Womack of Portland, Oregon.

Bethany is the acting Secretary for the Federation of Canadian Artists, South Okanagan Similkameen Chapter and has been in numerous shows locally. She will be exhibiting at “Encaustic Masters: Inspirational Visual Voices” in Troutdale, Oregon in late September. Her paintings can be found in collections in Canada, Spain & Australia.

For more information about both artists, please visit their websites:

www.theahaubrich.com and www.bethanyhandfield.com