STATEMENT
"I am always searching among my collection of orphaned photobooth photographs for the man with averted eyes or the woman whose empty stare appears indifferent to communication beyond the lens. These un-self conscious expressions are emblems of the genuine self-portrait and the inspiration for my series Biographical Annotation. This exploration of the paradox of the unobserved observer in the photobooth is a continuation of my investigation of portraits of strangers. This examination is motivated by a wish to reclaim these lost and forgotten souls by re-imagining their biographies."
"The images I choose for these encaustic* and mixed media portraits are selected individually and then again in response to each other. This curatorial process is somewhat circular as the photos are chosen, discarded and chosen again until an affinity develops among them. These tiny self-portraits are on my worktable for months until one day their juxtaposition, a swatch of paint, or a sketch calls for further development. I then manipulate and enlarge the image to allow for more intimacy between the viewer and the work. In this large format I can fabricate a memoir by weaving abstract, encaustic paintings and mixed media elements with the photobooth photos. Many layers of encaustic paint create a visual depth that is unique to the medium."
-- Marybeth Rothman
* Encaustic is luminous, pigmented beeswax. The tree resin, damar is added to beeswax to render hardness. Encaustic paint is applied in a molten form with a brush to a rigid surface. A propane torch or heat gun is used to fuse each layer. This many layered process makes all imbedded material such as drawings or photos integral to the encaustic structure as well as creating a visual depth that is unique to this medium. The use of encaustic is first noted in the 4th century B.C. painted on the hulls of Greek ships. The most well known examples of early encaustic painting are the Greco-Roman, Fayum funerary portraits, from 100 B.C. to 200 A.D. These two thousand year old encaustic paintings can still be seen in museums around the world.
RESUME
Exhibitions
Solo:
2008 Interchurch Center Treasure Room Gallery, New York, NY
Group:
2009 Conrad Wilde Gallery, Tucson, AZ
2009 Walter Wickiser Gallery, New York, NY
2009 Midday Gallery, Englewood, NJ
2008 Midday Gallery, Englewood, NJ
2008 Arts Guild of Rahway, NJ
2008 Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL
2007 Lauryn Taylor Fine Art, Carmel, CA
2007 Broome Street Gallery, New York, NY
2007 Pen and Brush Gallery, New York, NY
2007 Monroe Center for the Arts, Hoboken, NJ
2006 Lowe Gallery, Atlanta, GA
2006 Frost & Reed Gallery, New York, NY
2006 Pleiades Gallery, New York, NY
2006 Pen & Brush Gallery, New York, NY
2006 Harriman Mason Gallery, New York, NY
2005 Fraser Gallery, Bethesda, MD
2005 Pen & Brush Gallery, New York, NY
2005 Fraser Gallery, Washington, DC.
2005 Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL
2005 The Salmagundi Club New York, NY
2005 Red Dot Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM
2005 National Association of Women Artists Gallery, New York, NY
2005 Old Church Cultural Center, Demarest, NJ
2005 Bergen Performing Arts Center, Englewood, NJ
2005 Art Center of Northern New Jersey, New Milford, NJ
2005 Manhattan Arts International, New York, NY
2004 Pen & Brush Gallery, New York, NY
2004 Red Dot Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM
2004 Art Center of Northern New Jersey, New Milford, NJ
2003 Limner Gallery, New York, NY
2003 Old Church Cultural Center, Demarest, NJ
2001 Old Church Cultural Center, Demarest, NJ
2000 Art Center of Northern New Jersey, New Milford, NJ
2000 Old Church Cultural Center, Demarest, NJ
1999 Art Center of Northern NJ, New Milford, NJ
1996 Art Center of Northern New Jersey, New Milford, NJ
Awards
2005 First Prize, All Brush Exhibition, Pen & Brush Inc., New York, NY
2005 Third Prize, Ninth Annual Georgetown International Art Competition, Fraser Gallery, Washington, DC
2005 Artist of the Month, ManhattanArts.com
2005 Artist's Profile Award, Manhattan Arts International Small Works, New York, NY
2005 Award of Excellence, 16th New Jersey Small Works Show, Old Church Cultural Center, Demarest, NJ
2004 Two Awards of Honorable Mention, 13th National Juried Art Exhibition,
2004 Art Center of Northern New Jersey, New Milford, NJ
2000 Award of Merit, 9th Annual Cover Art Competition, Manhattan Arts International Magazine, New York, NY
1996 Merit Award, Member's Show, Art Center of Northern New Jersey, New Milford, NJ
1996 Honorable Mention, New York Art Review, New York, NY
1985 New Illustrators Merit Award, Society of Illustrators and Portfolio Show, Society of Publication Designers, Inc, New York, NY
Professional Experience
Member, International Encaustic Artists, Novato, CA
Member, Pen & Brush Inc., New York, NY
Member, New York Society of Women Artists, New York, NY
Member, National Association of Women Artists, Inc., New York, NY
Publications
2008 Embracing Encaustic, Portland, Oregon
2006 Her Mark 2006, Chicago, IL
2005 The Artrepeneur Newsletter, Cover, March/April New York, NY
Education
1981 BFA, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
