Lisa Ostapinski
Encaustic Painting
Nayarit, Mexico, 2022
I spent one month in a self-directed artist residency in Lo De Marcos, a small town in Nayarit, Mexico. This area is near where my mother's side of the family is from. I was close to my grandfather who grew up near here in the 1930's. I didn't bring any art supplies, everything was found or purchased at the local grocery store. I used found paper, coffee, ink, tree bark, wrapping paper, stickers, confetti, poster and acrylic paint and other materials. I wanted to know what it was like for my grandfather when he lived here, what plants he saw, what flavors he tasted and smells he experienced. I hiked and toured some native botanical gardens. I took photographs and I drew the plants.
Local Language, Oakland CA, 2019
For this two month artist in residence program I collaborated with Local Language, an art fabrication studio and gallery in downtown Oakland. I created a series of encaustic paintings on wood panel featuring photos I took of California bodies of water. I collaborated with the Local Language team to print my photos directly on top of a variety of materials including metal leaf and beeswax. This series was an exploration of place and materials, of collaboration with technology and the mythology of California oceans and rivers.