Lynchburg artist captures nature through ancient painting technique
By: Christian Shields | Photos By: Ashlee Glen
Going back as far as she can remember, local artist Christine Rooney has always had a passion for art. At just four years old, she broke her collarbone after playing and being pushed off a bed by her younger brother. While at the hospital, she was offered a roll of medical table paper by the doctors.
This simple act of kindness sparked a love for art that has continued to blossom ever since. She earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the Ohio State University in 1970 and continued studies through intensive workshops in the country.
Although throughout her career she has experimented with numerous artistic pursuits, she now primarily focuses on oil, pastel, and encaustic painting.
Tracing back over two millennia, encaustic painting requires melting beeswax, resin, and pigments together and then quickly painting the mixture on wood, canvas, or another surface of choice. To keep the wax molten, she uses heating equipment which includes heat guns, blowtorches, and hot plates.
Prior to its adoption by artists, this beeswax and resin combination was used to caulk ships in ancient Greece. Encaustic work is as stable as oil paintings and has the luminosity of enamels. It is not a fragile medium and can withstand temperatures up to 200 degrees.
One benefit of this technique is it requires very little time to dry. Through encaustic painting, which Christine often combines with her oil and pastel painting for a single artwork, she seeks to capture the inner beauty of the natural world.
She and four other professional encaustic artists recently presented about 50 of their encaustic works at the Academy Center of the Arts.
Christine also fosters a strong appreciation for the history of her craft and seeks to learn everything she can about it. Along with studying an artist’s life, she researches the supplies that the individual used and their technique.
“I like to be part of the ancestry and movement of art,” she said. “I want to know about the supplies that I use. I want to make sure they are archival and will not deteriorate. It fascinates me where the pigments and other materials were found and how they were applied.”
Although she previously did commissioned portraits, Christine now prefers the nature of landscapes, where she can freely apply her signature ethereal look. Her work is in several galleries and private collections.
“I see so many different colors in the landscape no matter the season, weather, or time of day,” she said. “The natural world excites me.”
With her passion for art comes a desire to share that appreciation with those around her. Christine currently teaches classes on mixed-medium, pastel, and encaustic painting and classical drawing at the Art Box on 12th St in Lynchburg. Through this work, she encourages students to find their own artistic expertise instead of simply imitating the works of other artists.
“I love exploring the way others handle their work,” she said. “I want them to explore and find their own signature style. It excites me to know that I can teach them how to use the materials I give them to come up with their own passion.”
Those interested in viewing or purchasing Rooney’s masterpieces can visit her website at christinerooneyartist.com, follow her on Instagram @cdrooney48,
or visit her studio at the Art Box.
