Meet the Artist - Deb Munson

Deb Munson is an encaustic and mixed media artist, her main focus is encaustic art. Encaustics involve hot wax painting, the process of using heated medium to which colored pigments have been added. Molten medium is then applied to a surface.  She is a self-taught artist working out of an upcycled chicken coop now known as Coop Studio.

She and her husband, Paul, are originally from LaCrosse and currently reside on a hobby farm outside of Stoddard, WI.  Her family consists of four grown children, six grandchildren, Golden Doodles, Bernie and Norman and two cats.

She was first introduced to the medium from a family member.  After researching the history of encaustics she purchased the minimal amount of items needed to try it out and never looked back.  She finds the process calming and meditative.  There is a mindfulness in doing each piece with the added benefit of the beeswax/dammar resin aroma, a soft and natural smell. 

Fun Questions:

What is influencing your work at the moment? Nature’s flora blooms of all seasons.

Did COVID isolation help or hinder your creative process? While in COVID isolation on the farm this past year allowed me to be more experimental with my arts. Also allowed me time to be more free in my studio to play and take more online art workshops.

Who or what has strongly influenced your work? Several encaustic artists to name a few I have studied with: Jeff Hirst, who pioneered the use of silk screen with encaustic painting. Gabriel Sanchez with her particular motion of movement, her conviction the the origin of stroke is stroke itself. Alicia Tormey has been an important educator for me since the beginning of my journey from making your base of medium to texture to color and burning shellacs and inks, creating composition with a slight guide to the unknown. Jodi Reeb is a fabulous encaustic painter using her native photos of her wall art and sculptures.

Why did you decide to work in your chosen medium? I was introduced to the medium from a family member. I did some research of the history of encaustics. I then purchased the minimal amount of items needed to try it and I never looked back. For me, working with encaustic was a calming, meditative process. I find mindfulness in doing each piece and the aroma of the beeswax/dammar resin is such a soft natural smell. I have been adding other mediums into my work with encaustic painting for texture.

What is the most indispensable item in your studio? My hotplate.

How do you know when a piece of work is finished? I feel as an artist I just go with instinct when finished. If I’m not quite feeling it, I will leave it for a bit and come back to it.

What does your studio look like? My studio is an up-cycled chicken coop located on our farm in the driftless region. The coop was a dilapidated mess. With the help of a friend and the Amish, it has been refurbished into my art studio where I spend many meditative hours on my work.