Charyl Weissbach is a New England Wax member who lives and works in Boston. Recently, fellow NEW member Nancy Spears Whitcomb interviewed Charyl about her inspiration and workspace.

What is your work about?

I have two diverse bodies of work. One consists of patterns and drawing, often informs it. The other is about color field painting. There is an abstract quality to both.

Weissbach_MetalScapes 24×24 each  Encaustic, aluminum, UV resin on panel

What are your inspirations?

I am passionate about nature’s vastness, movement, and distinguished beauty. These elements emit an aesthetic sensation of harmony, the illusion of timelessness, and feelings of inspiration. The imagery of my work does not accurately represent nature; rather, I try to unveil an abstraction of its character, capturing some of its infinite variety of ethereal beauty. I often surrender to inspiration permitting the work to naturally evolve until it is complete and the technique which supports it is perfect and I can go no further. This process is open-ended.

Etude No. 2 10 x 10  Encaustic & metal leaf on panel

What is your studio like?

My artist studio is located in the SoWa Artist district (i.e., South of Washington; the name is modeled after SoHo in New York) in the South End of Boston, Massachusetts. This thriving art destination is primarily comprised of artist studios and galleries, with the flagship building located at 450 Harrison Avenue. SoWa is also known for its First Fridays, a monthly event for which artists such as myself open their studios to the public, and SoWa Sundays, an open air market open in the Summer that specializes in antiques, crafts, and fresh produce.

My studio is modest in size, located on the top floor at 450 Harrison Ave. with an expansive city skyline view along with abundant Northern light, a big plus. I try to keep my studio very neat, to help maximize the utility of space, a necessity when maneuvering around a multitude of large paintings, equipment, and supplies.

Do you use other materials as well or solely work in wax?

I frequently combine metal leaf, aluminum, UV resin, and most recently urethane with encaustic. My aim is to call attention to encaustic’s intense colors.

MetalScapes 100   35 x 76   Encaustic, anodized aluminum, UV resin on panel

What might someone be surprised to learn about you?

For many years after earning my degrees in fashion design, art history, and painting, I worked as a medical technologist to support my art endeavors. There are many parallels between laboratory work and the artistic process, and having the opportunity to assist with clinical diagnoses was very fulfilling. I also obtained a certificate in molecular biology to enhance my laboratory skill sets. In recent years, I have focused exclusively on art, but by working in my own “laboratory” to experiment with new artistic creations seems to be a reincarnation of my previous medical work.

Hospital of Central Connecticut, New Britain, CT