Encaustic isn't exactly the most popular medium, but in the last little while I've encountered a number of talented artists working with it to produce a wide range of styles and intriguing effects. One such artist is Beverly Owens, who I recently caught up with to discuss a number of topics, including her newly opened gallery on West Queen West, her current show featured in the CONTACT festival, and of course, the mysterious medium that is encaustic.

For those unfamiliar with encaustic, it's essentially heated wax that's often dyed with various pigments. When applied to wood (or canvas) the resulting paintings are usually rich with texture, extending beyond two-dimensionality into a sculptural state of sorts. Owens's current series employs such layering in conjunction with photographs to produce works that evoke at once our desire to be remembered and the very fragility of memory itself.

See my profile of The Beverly Owens Project in the gallery section.