Meandering | Ruth Martin Maude

Meandering

Artist Statement

In Meandering, I explore the wandering line and the instinct to see where it leads.

We often think of meandering as aimless, but for me it has become a way of paying attention. Working slowly, I melt and manipulate encaustic paint—lines shift, double back, cross, disappear, and begin again. Sometimes they suggest possible horizons, shorelines, and pathways; other times, the gesture itself is enough.

Encaustic monotype is a printmaking process using pigmented beeswax. I work with encaustic paint on a heated metal palette, then lay paper onto the surface to pick up the molten wax. Each work is unique. I often make several lifts, adding and layering marks as the work develops. I may also crop a larger print to find the finished composition.