Susan van Inwegen

Vibrant color meets rich texture in the dramatic encaustic images of Susan van Inwegen. She has been working in oils, mixed media and encaustic was for 15 years. Her work has been shown through Studio Montclair and at the George Segal Gallery Through the encaustic process, beeswax and oil paints are mixed over heat and painted onto wood supports. In each painting, the layers are reproduced eight to twelve times in contrast to the layer before. They are fused between layers to form a bond. She uses various reductive techniques to reveal the hidden layers beneath, often creating an impressionistic effect.

Susan’s subject matter varies from textured botanicals to vibrant quilted patterns. Her most recent works are inspired by her exploration of the life of Adele Bloch-Bauer. She was the subject of Klimt’s Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer. An Austrian woman of great wealth, but Susan’s attraction to her was of her intellectual opulence and penchant for hosting salons for learning. Adele sought knowledge of politics, psychology and literature. Mark Twain and Sigmond Freud were among her attendees. Susan’s pieces capture the symbolism that Klimt attributes to her garments, jewels and surroundings.

The studio at Manufacturer’s Village has afforded Susan an opportunity to more deeply explore and exploit the various qualities of wax and apply them to her journey. She has studied with artists such as Andrey Tamarchenko, Sofia Bachvarrova and Lori Fields.