Friday Finds: Local Artist Peg Bachenheimer

Leave a comment September 4, 2015 Maria

Sometimes I have to pinch myself about the work I’ve been doing and the people I’ve had the chance to meet since launching the Bring Home Order blog. A few weeks ago, I took a chance and contacted a local artist whose work I greatly admire. I asked if I could interview her for the blog, and low and behold she said, “Yes!”

On today’s Friday Finds, I’m thrilled to introduce you to that artist: Peg Bachenheimer. Peg is a mixed media artist, but has focused heavily on encaustic painting. Encaustic painting is the process of heating beeswax mixed with resin and pigment to 200 degrees and then using this mixture to “paint.” The wax can be incised and items can be collaged into it. However, what I most love about this process of painting is the texture that can be created with multiple layers of wax. It’s difficult to obtain this level of texturized interest from other liquid mediums. She also works with oil and cold wax which is a mixture of beeswax and a solvent that is added to oil paint, then used without heat. Both approaches produce unique works of art.

I discovered Peg’s work at the Craven Allen Art Gallery in Durham and instantly connected with it. Her work is abstract in nature and powerful in its ability to evoke emotion. I couldn’t stop thinking about the painting I saw at Craven and the emotions it stirred in me (tranquility, peace and a feeling of floating). A few days later I returned to the gallery relieved the painting was still there. That painting, along with another one of Peg’s works, now hang in my bedroom and evoke those same emotions.

Beach Flow by Peg Bachenheimer. This 30×30 encaustic painting greets me every morning. Notice the way the wax swirls and simulates the movement of oceanic waters and sand.

“In the Beginning” by Peg Bachenheimer. 16×16 Encaustic Painting. I just love the texture of this piece in addition to the soothing colors. I can’t help but feel calmed when I look at it.

When I asked Peg what inspires her painting, she commented, “Any experience I have an emotional response to: nature, music, a relationship…[my work is] an inner response to an experience.” When you interact with her paintings you can understand this response, because you too, experience something emotional.  Here’s an example:

“Floating Free” by Peg Bachenheimer. Encaustic and paper – 24×24.

What’s interesting to learn is that painting is a second career for Peg. She began painting after she retired from teaching at the young age of 60! She took art classes at the Carborro Arts Center and at Penland School of Craft, located in the mountains of North Carolina. She credits a class taught by artist Sue Anderson entitled, “Accessing Your Creativity” as pivotal in cultivating the belief that she could create art. Other influences were Jane Filer, Luna Lee Ray and Tremain Smith.

It’s also amazing that she didn’t begin painting with an aspiration for showcasing or selling her work. Her life as a professional painter just unfolded over years of classes, learning and meeting other supportive artists in the community.

This gives me hope and certainly inspires me. Her advice to aspiring artists is, “to show up and work as often as you can” And, she advices to try different things, “even if you don’t think it’s a medium your interested in.” This is how she discovered encaustic painting. Lucky for all of us that she did!

UPCOMING EXHIBIT 

Peg has an upcoming show at Frank Gallery on Franklin Street entitled, “Water and Earth.” The exhibit opens on Tuesday, September 8th. There will be an opening reception on Friday, September 11th from 6 – 9pm at Frank with Peg, Gordon Jameson, Noah Riedel, Eric Knoche, and Chapel Hill Artist, Elaine O’Neil.  Here’s a sneak peak at some of the work that will be on display.

Mixed Media Artist, Peg Bachenheimer in her home studio in Carrboro, NC. The paintings in the background will be exhibited at Frank Gallery beginning September 8th.

A close up of some of the encaustic work created by Peg.

For more information about Peg Bachenheimer please visit her website: Peg Bachenheimer ~ Mixed Media and Encaustic Paintings

For information about her upcoming show at Frank Gallery, please visit their site: Frank Gallery Upcoming Exhibitions

Have a great holiday weekend!  I hope to see you at Frank next Friday!

~Maria

Friday Finds: Local Botanical Artist Torey Wahlstrom

Leave a comment July 17, 2015 Maria

This week I had the opportunity to visit the home of local botanical artist, Torey Wahlstrom. Torey and her husband Erik moved to Chapel Hill in 2012 via Los Angeles, where she managed yoga studios and painted, and he owned a tech-based company. The pace of life in Los Angels began to feel encroaching and together they decided it was time for a change. Their move to the Triangle provided that change and landed them on the outskirts of rural Chapel Hill.

Spending time with Torey at her magical home was really an experience. I felt as if I had been transported to Southern France or a farm in some faraway place. It certainly didn’t feel as if I was still in Chapel Hill! The property consists of 13 acres of lush, green farmland and a small pond with a dock. On the grounds are the main house, a guesthouse, Torey’s art studio, a chicken coop and several gardens. With every turn, there is something new to discover: roaming chickens, baby ducks, beautiful wildlife and a variety of plants and flowers. Breathtaking and tranquil are two words that come to mind, but you be the judge…

Lush green grounds at Torey’s home.

My daughter, Dylan, looks out onto the pond.  (She was very excited she got to come with me to visit this place!)

The guest house was once the car garage. It’s stunning inside, but retains the original frame and cement floors.

Chickens freely roam the farm…

Gardens that bear inspiring subjects for Torey’s work.

Natural beauty at every turn…

Torey describes the aesthetic of her home as, “Modern Farmhouse”– clean lines and minimalistic décor, but still inviting and in line with the environmental surroundings. She and Erik gutted and renovated a great deal of the home and transformed what was once a garage into an amazing guesthouse. They also got rid of nearly all of their furniture from Los Angeles because it was too modern for this space. They replaced it with an eclectic collection of furnishings culled from various sources. The combined effect is warm and lived-in, all the while maintaining a clean, modern feel.

The main house which also houses Torey’s studio.

Torey and Erik renovated the kitchen area and created this lovely space.

The inside of the guest house which was once a car garage!  They kept the cement floors and basic structure.

Foyer of the main house

Torey’s Artwork

What happens when you combine a yoga instructor, nature enthusiast, animal lover, gardener and an artist? You get the gentle beauty of Torey Wahlstrom. This beauty comes through in the person that she is, the art she creates and the studio where she works.

Torey welcomes us into her studio…

Torey’s studio

Torey’s studio windows look out onto the gardens and flowers that inspire her work.

Samples of Torey’s work which include a book cover.

Torey started painting botanicals twenty years ago when she went to study yoga in India.  During that trip, she only had access to very basic art supplies: pen and ink and some watercolors.  During her travels, she drew the exotic fruits, plants and flowers she encountered on the continent.  When she moved to Oregon and later California, she continued drawing plant life, but couldn’t yet identify many of her subjects.

Upon moving to Chapel Hill, she immediately enrolled in Botanical Illustration and Native Plants Certificate programs offered by the NC Botanical Gardens.  It was during this period that she began studying native plants and finally learned to identify them by their scientific names.  She says she developed an obsession for studying plant life.

This past May and June, Torey was the artist behind the NC Botanical Garden’s exhibit entitled, “FRAGILE FLORA: Endangered Plants of North Carolina.” Here are some samples of the work she created for that exhibit.  (Originals and prints of this work are available for purchase – see below.)

Torey created paintings of endangered native NC plants and birds for the exhibit. These paintings are difficult and time consuming to create due to the scientific, technical nature of such work.

 

Torey’s work can purchased through two online sites: Society 6 and the Etsy shop bearing her name. The former offers prints of her work, while the latter sells originals. Society6 prints are made from high quality, 100% cotton paper and are very reasonably priced ($18). Original paintings begin at $149. Torey also does commissioned work both in botanicals and abstracts, such as this painting created for a farm in Saxapahaw:

Commissioned artwork by Torey Wahlstrom.

To learn more about Torey and her artwork, visit her site: http://toreywahlstrom.wix.com/torey

You can also follow her on Instagram, where she shares images of both her artwork and the natural beauty of her farmhouse, which inspires this work.

Thank you Torey, for welcoming Dylan and me into your home and studio this past week! We loved every minute…and love what a beautiful person you are.

Have a great weekend everyone!  I hope you enjoyed this find as much as I did!

~Maria