Artist Statement:
Tamera Abate - Biography
As a child, Tamera grew up among the wheat fields of the Columbia Basin in Washington state. The vast open skies and the ever-changing tapestry of fields, her journeys abroad and love of the sea are evident in her current body of work.
In her paintings she seeks to share her reverence of the natural world. Her paintings are not always of a specific place or thing but rather an attempt to record a tangible collection of her experiences as an explorer and student of her surroundings.
Using the encaustic technique which means “to burn in” She creates abstract images with multiple layers of fluid beeswax, tree sap and pigment. With the use of heat she allows shapes to arise organically within specific fields of color. As the wax and pigments merge to form a single entity there is a visible push and pull of energy.
Tamera concentrates her art in the area of encaustic but also has a background in mixed media and clay. She is represented by several galleries, exhibits her work in group and solo shows and also sells her work online. Her art is held in private collections both national and international. Her work has also been published in books and magazines.
Tamera Abate’s studio is nestled in a quiet mountain valley in north central Washington. She lives with her family and a collection of horses, dogs and cats while spending as much time as possible outdoors noticing and listening to the millions of things that make up the natural world.
TAMERA ABATE - Artist Statement
Encaustic painting allows me to create abstract images with multiple layers of fluid beeswax and pigment. I am particularly drawn to the luminous, thin layers of colored wax and the movement created with the use of a propane torch which causes the layers of wax to meld and fuse together. Textures, marks and layers allow shapes to arise organically and as the colors run and merge the painting begins to manifest. There is a visible energy that pushes and pulls a painting into its completion.
My paintings are a reverberation of my reverence of the natural world, not always of a specific place or thing but rather an attempt to record a tangible collection of my life exploration.
Being surrounded by stark, rich landscapes that reveal over time influence daydreams of moving through layers of experiences. I am always adding new and vibrant layers to my life yet also reaching down to excavate memories and experiences that create a rich and full life, encaustic painting is like this, it is the most effective way I’ve found to translate the energy of my experiences and environment into a piece of art.
Awards & Distinctions:
Merit Award - Northwind Art Center, Port Townsend WA
Best of Show - Winthrop Gallery, Winthrop WA
Professional/Teaching Experience:
Okanogan Country School District - painting, bookmaking, clay
Confluence Gallery - Mixed Media
Exhibitions:
2018 Las Lagunas Gallery, Laguna Beach CA
2018 Solo Show - Lost River Winery - Winthrop WA
2018 Solo Show - Confluence Gallery, Twisp WA
2018 Terrain - Spokane WA
2018 Harvest - Winthrop Gallery WA
2018 Expressions Northwest - Northwinds Gallery, Port Townsend WA
2018 Wenatchee Valley Art Museum - Wenatchee WA
2018 Reflections on Water - Confluence Gallery, Twisp WA
2018 Birds and Bees - Confluence Gallery, Twisp WA
2018 The Hidden - Confluence Gallery, Twisp WA
2018 Home & Garden - Winthrop Gallery, Winthrop WA
2018 Sustenance - Winthrop Gallery, Winthrop WA
2018 The Beholden Eye - Confluence Gallery, Twisp WA
2018 An Artist’s Life - Winthrop Gallery, Winthrop WA
2018 Vision En Rouge - Confluence Gallery, Twisp WA
2017 Walking the Wild Edge - Confluence Gallery, Twisp WA
2017 Small Works - Winthrop Gallery, Winthrop WA
2017 Land and Sky - Winthrop Gallery, Winthrop WA
2017 Gaia - Confluence Gallery, Twisp WA
2016 Yard Food - Holiday Exhibit, Twisp WA
2016 Ponderosa - Winthrop Gallery, Winthrop WA
2016 12x12x12 Anonymous Cubed - Confluence Gallery, Twisp WA
2016 MV Open Call - Confluence Gallery, Twisp WA
2016 Music As Muse - Confluence Gallery, Twisp WA
2016 Obliquity - Winthrop Gallery, Winthrop WA
2016 Back to the Garden - Confluence Gallery, Twisp WA
2016 XX XY - Confluence Gallery, Twisp WA
2016 Methow Open Call - Confluence Gallery, Twisp WA
2016 Totems - Confluence Gallery, Twisp WA
2016 How We Work - Winthrop Gallery, Winthrop WA
2015 Yard Food Holiday Exhibit - Twisp WA
2015 It’s the Little Things - Confluence Gallery, Twisp WA
2015 Our Best Friends - Winthrop Gallery, Winthrop WA
2015 Celebration of the Horse - Confluence Gallery, Twisp WA
2015 Fireworks - Confluence Gallery, Twisp WA
2014 Yard Food Holiday Exhibit - Twisp WA
2014 Snow & Indigo - Confluence Gallery Twisp WA
Artistic Influences:
Sean Scully, Mark Rothko, Robert Diebenkorn
Artist Tags:
abstract, landscape, seascape, colorful, encaustic, mixed-media
