Lew Graham
My visual language consists in large part of images from the natural world, especially trees and branches, but also more abstract elements like branching forms, circles, and spirals. I also use abstract patterns like the grid as counterpoint to the organic ideas. With the organic imagery I can explore the idea of growth, of forms emerging from inchoate matter and evolving into more complex entities. The abstract patterns touch on the ways we organize our knowledge of nature.
I use the medium of encaustic in my paintings. This wax process allows me to build up a piece with collaged materials and layers of images superimposed one on another. It gives the piece a solidity and a depth that carries its meaning further.
My assemblage pieces reflect the same concerns as the paintings. They are boxes that hang on the wall and are filled with a mixture of natural and man-made materials. Some of these also use wax in various ways.
