Artist Statement

I explore the tactile and transformative possibilities of water, wax, and wool by working with water-soluble media, encaustic painting and printmaking, oil and cold wax, and textiles.

Mark-making is one of my central languages. In my encaustic work, fiber often becomes the mark. At times, these gestures are deliberate and controlled. Other times, they are a loose and improvised dialogue between my hand and the material. While letting go of control, I explore where so-called mistakes can lead me. Through this process, my work touches on themes of stillness, otherness, and imperfection.

A deep interest with science and technology leads me to examine how systems evolve, grow, and adapt. This curiosity manifests in organic forms, structural layering, and works that respond to viewer movement and touch.

I approach abstraction intuitively, as it mirrors the nonlinear way I experience the world. I navigate through sensory impressions that appear as fleeting moments, textures, and moods. Tastes have sounds and rhythms. A smell is like time travel. Love is a color field. I’m not telling a story. I’m inviting you to experience what I feel.

BIO

Dee Levang is an American multidisciplinary visual artist working in textiles, encaustic wax, oil and cold wax, water-soluble media, and printmanking. Born and raised in the Los Angeles area, she studied graphic design at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) and currently resides and works in St. Louis, Missouri. As a teaching artist, she leads classes and workshops both locally and regionally, including at Contemporary Art Museum Saint Louis, St. Louis Artists' Guild, the Foundry Art Centre in St. Charles, Missouri, and St. Louis Community College.

An alumnus of the Saint Louis Art Fair’s Emerging Artists as Entrepreneurs program, Levang has participated in juried art fairs and events including Schlafly's Art Outside, Cherokee Street Print Bazaar, Maplewood's Let Them Eat Art, Queeny Park Art Fair, and Wall Ball live painting fundraiser for Artscope. She has been awarded three Artist Support Grants from the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis and a scholarship from the International Encaustic Conference in Provincetown, MA.

Levang’s work has been commissioned by art advisors including Turning Art in Boston, MA, and is included in private collections in North America and Europe. She is a member of the Surface Design Association, the International Encaustic Artists organization, the Handweavers Guild of America, and the St. Louis Artists’ Guild.

CV available upon request.

What Is Encaustic?

Encaustic medium consists of natural beeswax and damar resin obtained from coniferous and hardwood trees characteristic of Southeast and East Asia. The resin is used as a hardening and stabilizing agent for the wax. Encaustic painting is an ancient technique, dating back to the early Greeks, as far back as the 5th century B.C. The word encaustic which means “burn in,”originates from a Greek word. Heat is used throughout the process, from melting the beeswax and resin to fusing the layers of wax. The medium can be used alone for its transparency or adhesive qualities or used pigmented. The medium is melted and applied to a rigid support, often wood panels. Each layer is then reheated to fuse it to the previous layer.

When creating an encaustic monotype (one of a kind print), solid encaustic medium is applied to a smooth anodized aluminum hot plate, manipulated with natural bristle brushes, silicone spatulas, or other non-abrasive tools. When a design is completed, an absorbent paper is laid atop the hot plate until the image has been transferred to the paper, then carefully removed from the surface.