ENCAUSTIC

FLORIDA, USA

Ben Hecht’s art is a meditation on nature, yet his landscapes are surprisingly fresh and unusual. Hecht specializes in combining the ancient Roman art process of encaustic (beeswax) painting with contemporary methods and materials. Hecht's work is at once literal and highly abstract. Through his use of aerial drones and unexpected combination of materials like beeswax and UV resin, Hecht is able to gain a perspective on the natural world that is immediate and recognizable yet foreign and mysterious.

"I want the viewer to feel at home looking at my work, but I want that homecoming to feel exhaulting and breathtaking. I want them to experience that same dynamic balance we feel when we are actually somewhere majestic in nature, where we feel both like a tiny speck, but quixotically crucial to something grand yet serene. I want someone to look on my art and evoke in them a sense of calm serenity at the magnificent violent grandeur of nature. Sure, it’s a lofty goal for an artist, but one I find worth pursuing."

Glassy blue and green waxes are juxtaposed against highly textured whites to create a unique visual style. This series is a combination of Hecht's original ocean photography and extensive use of colorful encaustic (beeswax) paints which significantly transform the image. Hecht creates all his paints from scratch, utilizing beeswax from a local apiary, fine dry pigments, and damar resin in crystallized form. The series is finished with a thick layer of UV resin on braced Baltic birch panels