The New England Wax Association will continue publishing interviews of its members with Pamela Dorris DeJong interviewing Ruth Sack.

Ruth and I got to know each other a little better during a walk, or rather a mushroom meander, on Saturday, September 17th, 2016. We separated from the group, walking a beautiful trail, trying to find mushrooms for later identification. We were at Cannon Mountain in Franconia, New Hampshire on our first annual New England Wax Retreat.

Ruth is interested in all things in the world around her. She is curious and always learning. She is creative in thought, seeing artistic scenes as we discovered carpets of moss, blue-green lichen, tiny ferns, and mushrooms growing in micro-environments just off the trails. After spending a couple of hours discovering these little treasures all over the forest, Ruth had photographed 18 different species of mushrooms. Ruth is interested in science and examines objects in the environment closely, noting the smallest differences. She uses all of her senses and thinks globally, meaning that she takes things in on many levels.

Of her work, Ruth has written: “My artwork is about the connection of humanity to nature. I create sculptures and paintings that meld organic materials such as leaves and insect wings to human figures. I manipulate scale to enlarge items that are usually very small and conversely reduce large elements so that a nutshell can yield fruit as an infant or a leaf can portray a thundercloud. The combination of seemingly incongruous objects makes visual sense. It also conveys my own belief that all living things are made of the same earthy matter.”

Shutter , 28″ x 6″ x 6″ polymer clay, wire, leaves, encaustic, oil stick

Ruth says about herself that she is always asking questions. She reports that now she is finding answers. “I make objects. I like wax because what I make can be a three-dimensional painting and an object. What is unique about me…we all think we are exceptional, but my stand-out, is my sense of humor, the way I look at the world. That is the over-arching thought. The themes may change but my sense of humor will be there. I laugh. I chuckle about human behavior. What people are is funny, perceptions are funny.”

Winged Man, 12″ x 4″ x 2″, encaustic, stone, epoxy, pods gold leaf

“My most recent piece is a vintage map of Saint Louis, 20 inches square. In the center is a chunk of wood. There are wood blocks depicting houses, like from a train set, [placed] around the block. It creates an aerial view of neighborhood blocks. There is green [space] and some of the houses are red and some are blue. The piece is called “Our Town” Some are red and some are blue but we are all together.”

Ruth Sack is a strong conceptual artist that has the ability to meld concept and

Our Town, 16″ x 16″ x 2″ Vintage street map, wood toys, encaustic, oil stick on panel

design in a fine art presentation. She is also currently involved in coordinating a New England Wax Association exhibit, “Chaos and Order”, at the Creative Arts Workshop in New Haven, Connecticut planned for the spring of 2017.

Submitted by Pamela Dorris DeJong