Featuring
Wax Encaustic on Paper, Canvas. and Board
Sophie R. Hallonquist is a Polish-Canadian artist specializing in the encaustic painting technique. She was born in Poland in 1941, where she studied drawing and became a tapestry weaver. Since her art education in Poland, Hallonquist has continued her study of drawing, painting, and design in Sweden and Canada, including studies at Toronto’s Ryerson University.
Hallonquist draws inspiration from several sources. She has a strong affinity fro the earth-tone color pallet of the masters, a respectful understanding of contemporary design, and a passion for experimental and collaborative work. In fact, she began encaustic work while reading the history of art. Her son, Peter, who is a master of the encaustic technique in his own right, has been instructive and inspirational for Hallonquist. Knowing of her interest in texture and history, he suggested that they experiment with encaustics together. Hallonquist has worked in the medium ever since.
Encaustic art dates back to the 5th century B.C. and has received recent attention by modern artists Diego Rivera and Jasper Johns. This oldest method of painting, which consists of mixing pure pigment with molten wax and then using the mixture to create the image and complementary background with texture, requires dexterity and precision. The freedom of this material approach has led to the creation of her most recent works, in which bold flora and vase forms emerge from a field of intricate abstract textures.
The artist currently resides with her husband in western Canada. She has a home studio where she continues to paint and experiment. Her work is found in galleries and private collections across Europe and North America.