I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by a docent from the GreenHill Center for NC Art where my work will be exhibited in their Winter Show 2024 begin held December 11, 2024 – February 15, 2025. If you’re curious to learn more about me, my creative process, and what inspires my work, keep reading! 

Where were you born, and where did you grow up?

I was born and raised in Fairfax, Virginia, in the same farmhouse where my father was raised during the Great Depression, about 40 minutes from Washington DC. Growing up in a farm-like setting nestled in a suburban neighborhood, I developed an appreciation of nature and the outdoors that inspires my artwork today.

Was there a specific age in your life when your love for nature sparked your interest in art?

As a small child with no other siblings at home. I spent the majority of my free time outside playing and drawing for hours the trees and streams where I felt totally immersed in nature’s beauty. This childlike awe of the natural world is something that I wish to depict in my landscape art through vivid colors, dramatic textures, and glowing luminousity.

Are you self-taught, did you take classes on your own, or did you earn a degree in art? 

I graduated from Virginia Tech where I studied communications and art. After graduating, I pursued a career in arts communications helping art organizations all over the country raise funds for their membership campaigns. I never stopped painting during this time, and studied under well-known artists in the DC area for years to keep developing my skills. Once I discovered encaustic beeswax painting, I immediately wanted to learn more about it; however, there were no instructors in my area. I took upon myself to learn everything I could through books and online videos. Now, I teach encaustic and cold wax painting from my studio in Virginia.

What is your physical process when creating art? What is your technique when using natural resin and wax?

Encaustic medium allows me to express the actual intensity, fluidity, and various textures found in

Anne Stine in her studio

Anne fuses an encaustic painting using a blowtorch as part of her process.

natural environments more than any other medium I’ve come across. My nontraditional combination of mixed media and encaustic painting materials and techniques incorporates a “unique” component to each of my pieces. I begin by creating an underpainting on a wood panel using such materials as chalk paint, alcohol ink, pan pastels, and wax pencil to establish my composition. Then I begin adding layers of encaustic paint ( a combination of molten beeswax, natural resin called “damar”, and pigment) to add depth and accentuate color and shape. Each layer of wax is then fused with a blowtorch to the panel to make the wax adhere to the surface and allow it to flow and drip. Finally, I sometimes add other elements, such as pebbles, sand, twigs, and other natural found objects, or add details with oil stick. It’s the unpredictable qualities of the encaustic process that really inspire me to push the limits of my medium and imagination.

On average, how long does it take you to complete a piece, or does it vary according to the sentimentality or topic put into the piece?

I usually work on several pieces at once, ranging in size from 8’x8′ to 36’x48′. You can imagine that the large panels take much more time depending on the level of detail I wish to create in a painting. Large paintings can take one to two weeks to complete. I like to work on small panels as a series all at once to add a cohesive feel by using a similar palette.

From studying a few of your pieces, I’ve noticed you emphasize texture. Do you create a different texture based on a specific feeling each place gives you?

Texture plays a big role in my work. I use the medium to mimic textures in nature in some of my paintings that are more representational, such as a smooth sky that I create using a snowboard iron, or a rough pebbled beach where I build the wax texture using a splattering technique. My more abstract paintings incorporate texture as a visual form where I juxtapose smooth and rough textures next to each other or give an area more visual emphasis. In either case, I use texture as a tangible way to evoke viewers the desire to reach out and touch my work! (Yes, it is allowed. Wax is very durable.)

What is one way you’d like to improve your work?

I’m always working to build upon my latest creative innovations and stretching the boundaries of my medium. In each new collection, I take on a new subject matter in nature and try new applications of mixed media. This year, I exclusively created waterscapes in my “Call for Sweet Water” collection to discover how I can represent water in a new and exciting way. I’m excited to push my work into abstraction more and more to allow me a great freedom of expression that’s not tied to representation.

Are there specific situations or places that inspire your pieces that you can remember?

I’ve been inspired by so many beautiful places around the east coast. However, the beaches, bays, and marshes of Northencaustic painting by Anne Stine Carolina are becoming a place of true inspiration and deep serenity. My family vacations each summer at Topsail, NC, to enjoy the scenery and visit family who lives there. I hope to devote more time to painting the beautiful sea along the North Caroline coast in the future.

What are your art goals for the future?

Looking forward to next year and beyond, I wish to continue diving into the essence of water—its geometry, patterns, colors, and textures. There is so much more I wish to discover about this subject as I continue to capture its expressive beauty.
To find out more about me, go to Biography on my website.
To see my latest collection “Call for Sweet Water”, Click HERE.
To receive advanced notification of new work and workshops by signing up for my newsletter, Click HERE. 
To learn more about the Winter Show at GreenHill Center for NC Art, Click HERE.