the pretty, hot mess collection
An on-going encaustic series, the pretty, hot mess collection by Dawn Church is a celebration of the beauty made possible when we embrace the whole messy array of life - and people.
We tend to celebrate the "pretty" and quiet the "messy."
In art, it's the right balance of calm and chaos, composition and space, warm and cold, and light and dark that make the piece interesting. The technical term for this is value.
Too much of any one thing makes the whole piece fall flat.
The same is true of life, and people. We need rest and adventure. We have an inner child and an inner critic. We need the loud, vibrant friend as much as the calm, thoughtful one. We need contrasting points of view to understand ourselves better. We experience boredom, and grief, and love. Pretending the hard parts do not exist doesn't erase them, but it does dull the whole the picture. Embracing it all brings greater meaning to life.
The hexagons are a nod to the bees who made the wax for this paint, as well as a metaphor for what's possible when it all comes together. They are lovely individually, but in a group, each one plays a role that somehow makes it, and all the others around it, brighter.
Online store coming soon
To inquire or commission, email dawn@dawnchurch.art
