We’re thrilled to welcome Dot Bergen and Stephanie Gordon to New England Wax! Both artists bring rich life experiences, deep reverence for nature, and a passion for encaustic painting that shines through their work.

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Dot Bergen

A self-taught, abstract encaustic artist based in the coastal community of Little Compton, Rhode Island, Dot’s path to art is anything but ordinary. With a BS in Biology, an MS in Marine Ecology, and a PhD in Invertebrate Zoology. With a postdoctoral fellowship at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Dot began her career in academia before turning fully to art.

She first worked in fiber, creating art quilts and fabric collages, and discovered encaustics in 2015. Since then, she has embraced the medium’s versatility, creating sculptural works with encaustic paint, fabric, and lace. Drawing on her scientific background, Dot builds forms that feel biologically plausible yet remain open to interpretation. Are they schools of fish, coral, wind-blown leaves, cactus fronds, or falling stars? Her sculptures invite viewers to bring their own lived experiences to the work.

“The capriciousness of nature brings me joy,” she says, “and I aspire to capture this joy in my sculptures.”

Her work has been exhibited widely throughout New England and beyond and is held in private collections. Fun fact: Dot is also a black belt who trained and taught martial arts for seven years. She completed a 16-hour black belt test that included unexpected group attacks and weapons training!

Visit Dot’s website at this link.

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Stephanie Gordon

Stephanie Gordon has made art her entire life, working across encaustics, watercolor, oil, acrylic, photography, stained glass, and metals. A longtime high school art teacher, she has shared her love of making with students of all ages.

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Stephanie was inspired early on by the Cleveland Museum of Art. After moving to New Hampshire in 1979, she was deeply moved by the forests and mountains of the Northeast. Today, she divides her time between New England and New Mexico, continuing to draw inspiration from the natural world.

Her journey into encaustics began unexpectedly at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where the luminous Fayum mummy portraits captivated her. Determined to master the ancient medium, she now creates layered, mixed-media works that hover between realism and abstraction. Through scraping, layering, and incorporating materials like paper, thread, foil, and image transfer, she creates paintings that evoke the wild places she loves.

For Stephanie, the process itself is pure joy. This is an ongoing exploration of materials and possibilities.

You can visit Stephanie’s website at this link.

Please join us in welcoming Dot and Stephanie to the New England Wax community!

Written by Kimberly Curry, a member of New England Wax.