This September at the Northeast Harbor Library, Marc Fink will exhibit encaustic paintings and prints from copper plate etchings in the Mellon Room. There will be a reception and a brief Ask-The-Artist session on Friday, September 13th from 5 pm – 7 pm. All are welcome.
Marc was raised and went to school in Washington DC—and first came to Mt Desert in the summer of 1976 where he attended summer classes at College of the Atlantic. Even at an early age of 16 Marc dreamed of eventually having a place of his own to create art in the region. Marc’s art has always been heavily influenced by Maine—even when he spends time elsewhere. There is some magical quality of the proximity of the ocean, mountains and sky which continue to be a constant wellspring of creativity for Marc.
Marc creates his copper etchings using high quality copper plates and a combination of processes to build up the design. It can take months to finish etching a large plate. The plates are etched with acid and tools to create different marks; the etched lines will hold ink when it comes time to print. Marc pulls test proofs from plate as he goes until he is satisfied. “Etchings are true limited edition prints—each one is pulled from the plate by the artists—so it is an original piece of art. A plate gradually wears down after making repeated passes through the press—that is what makes them “limited” in the size of the edition that can be pulled.
Kelp, encaustic on panel
Encaustic painting is an ancient form of painting which uses refined bee’s wax and dammar crystals as a base medium. This medium in turn can be mixed with virtually anything—raw pigments for colors or other objects which can be “suspended” between layers of wax. Successive layers of wax are fused to previous layers by heating them with a heat gun or iron. Because of it’s film-making properties—encaustic paintings are unexcelled in their luminosity and intensity of color.
I love the “metamorphic” nature of encaustic painting—it literally must go from a molten stage to solidified. It is a very spontaneous method of painting but is forgiving. I will occasionally mix conventional oil paints between layers to achieve certain special highlights. My paintings are less concerned about literal interpretations of the objects or subject matter. Instead, I explore the nature of color and composition to express a sense of movement and abstract composition,” says Marc.
You can see Marc’s paintings and prints in the Mellon Room the entire month of September. The room is occasionally booked for private use; please call ahead at 207 276 3333 to check availability if you are making a special trip to see the exhibit.
