Je dédie ce voyage à mes parents, mes frères et ma soeur. Tout ceci n'aurait pas pu être possible sans le cadeau qu'ils m'ont fait pour mes 50 ans.
A Hélène, Clémentine et Nathan pour leur indéfectible soutien familial.
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I dedicate this travel to my parents, my brothers and my sister. All this couldn't by possible without their gift for my 50th birthday.
To Helene, Clementine and Nathan for their indefectible familial support.
I spent good moments gathering my memories from the Conference and writing this article, sometimes direct from my notebook. Hope you enjoy reading it!
All photos by the author (except Daniel's photo)
This is my personal report of the 17th International Encaustic Conference in Provincetown on May 31 to June 2, 2024.
After a long travel I arrived on Thursday from Lille to Paris by train, then Boston by plane and finally Provincetown by the ferry. Compared to my final transport by boat (with a rough sea!) my flight from Paris to Boston was very quiet...
Arrival in Provincetown! Tired but Happy!
Dusk's colors in the streets of PTown
Day One: Gallery of Portrait and Monotypes
The first Talk was about Monotype and Encaustic with Debra Claffey.
In the Harbor Room David A. Clark came to me and talk immediately in French! This great artist, and I knew his artwork for a long time, was one of the meeting I really expected this year. I was really honored by his friendly salutation!
I wanted to learn more about the technique of monotype and this talk was perfect. Monotype is a very rich and complex technique, you can work with so many materials! Many artists of the exhibition Singularities: The Wax Monotype curated by Debra Claffey were at the Talk. I can't wait to see their artworks at The Commons for the openning of the show in the evening.
Then I was at the Talk of Karen Bright When Inspiration Meets Intent, an intersting talk about her work. She talked about her work with Climate Change préoccupation.
I started the afternoon with the Demo Beginning Encaustic of my friend Isabelle Gaborit from Ireland. I was at this Demo because I know she is a really good teacher and it's always interseting to listen to someone with such an experience of teaching for many years (Of course I have project of teaching in the future but I'm not ready for that for the moment) She talked about important things in our practice like safety, how to set up the studio... good to remind this things even when you are not a beginner! "Keeping the body busy" as she says!
Then The Panel: The State of Encaustic after a Generation with Joanne Mattera, Marla Rice and Darin Seim president of R&F. I learned many informations about history of encaustic and the encaustic community.
Honestly my english was not so good this year than it was in 2022. It was enough to talk and have fun with friends during the Conference but sometimes difficult to understand talks of Conferees !
Kay Hartung, Networks 2, encaustic monotype.
Debra Claffey, Marsh Arising, encaustic monotype
Day Two: From Dead Fish to a Celebration of Life
I wrote this words on my notebook during the Keynote of Petah Coyne and I think it really sum up her work and artist's life.
While Petah Coyne said at the begining that she's "working with wax but don't know anything about encaustic" her storytelling was amazing and she really had talent to talk about her work and captive her audience. At the end of the talk Joanne asked her if she will be writing a Memoir. I hope she will!
Does every great artist have the ability to transform the reality and make it for his own in her/his work ? I think the work of Petah Coyne is the perfect expression of that with a total give of body and soul in her creations.
This second day of the Conference her Keynote was the most amazing story I ever heard and I think it was for all of the attendees who were this morning in the Harbour Room at the Provincetown Inn. Petah is a wonderful storyteller! After her Keynote I asked her if she had ever an exhibition of her work in France. She answered "Hum... never in France, is it possible ? You can come to my studio!" and I promised her I will write an article on my blog about her work, so french people can know her better.
In the afternoon I was at the Demo of David A. Clark about Cold Composition in Encaustic Printmaking. I discovered a new technique and I think it will keep my mind busy for months to come!
David is a wonderful person with a real love to share his knowledge about art and encaustic. I was very lucky to meet him this year and I'm looking forward to meeting him again and maybe seeing his work one day in France!
Then I was at the Demo How Far can Color Go with Lisa Pressman and Richard Frumess, the fondator of R&F Paint. It was a wonderful moment seeing them working together, like a four-hand piece on a piano, building of a palette with tonality, transluency, in search of harmony with colors.
After the openning of the Postcard Show in the Lobby I went to the Openning of the exhibition Transparency of the New England Wax group in Wellfleet (I am very grateful to Sholeh Regna and her husband David to drive me to Weelfleet, my first Roadtrip in the U.S !)
With Kay Hartung!
Kay Hartung's work Geocolor 15, love the colors!
Day Three: End of the Conference and fighting the Void
In the afternoon The Talk of Kelly Milukas Are You Exhibition and Press Ready? was perfect for me. Kelly is such a wonderful person and she really give her energy to the audience!
Then I finish this intense three days of Conference with Demo of Wayne Montecalvo about Encaustic and Mixed Media. Always good to see this experienced teacher in a demo with alternatives techniques with so much different materials.
And finally we all come to the Mayflower Room for the end of the Conference. Cherie, Marisa and all the team of Castlehill made an amazing job for this Conference and I think they are already working on the next one!
After my first Conference in 2022 this year was another challenge for me: to come alone without Helene, Clementine and Nathan. This year I remember when I arrived in Boston, after the Logan Airport, walking in those streets on my way to the Seaport Boulevard. I said to me "I love this place, I feel like I'm going back Home!". I can't discribe it!
I know now that a part of me stay in Provincetown and I will return !
How to fight the Void of post-Conference? Remembering all those precious moments with friends during the Conference, simply sharing the most precious time in Life: to be here, laughing, talking about life, about our work and wax, moments we have spent together, moment we will share in the future.
The International Encaustic Conference is the best thing you can do for yourself.. Tout à fait!
I couldn't have said it better Isabelle !
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| Back to Lille after a long travel (near the TGV train station in front of Yayoi Kusama's artwork Les Tulipes de Shangri-la). This guy looks tired but with stars in his eyes! |
