My work explores the interplay of color and the emotions I feel in the contrasts between them. I strive to create harmony and balance, to invite viewers into my way of seeing nature, and to draw them into the reality I create on the canvas.

My artistic journey began in childhood, sketching the intricate branches of winter trees in a third-grade art class. In that moment, I realized how deeply I was drawn to the creative side of my nature. Outside of reading, most of my free time was spent drawing, painting, and crafting mosaics. My mother, also an artist, delighted in my creations—making sure I always had time and supplies to make art. My father, too, influenced my creativity with his love for found objects. He found value in things others had discarded, always imagining a renewed purpose for them. Taking his cue, I embraced found materials in my own art. One of my favorite memories is creating mosaics from the iridescent foil of candy wrappers, captivated by the way they caught and reflected the light.

University broadened my artistic horizons, introducing me to black-and-white photography and the meticulous process of film development. Over time, I began fusing photography with encaustic wax, incorporating discarded vintage postcards, photographs, and found objects—embedding them into layers of wax, then excavating them to reveal textures and forms suspended in the surface.

My studio is a kind of organized chaos. In most areas of life, tidiness is my default, but here I allow myself to let go of those restrictions. When I’m arranging the pieces for a collage or mixed-media work, I like having all the possibilities spread out before me. It may look unruly, but there’s method in it, and it’s where the magic begins. Despite the hum of activity, the space feels peaceful. Light pours in through many windows, and my gaze often drifts to the views beyond—distant mountains, a spider’s web catching droplets of water—quiet moments that become part of my process.

My work reflects my love of layering and my ongoing experiments with shape, repetition, and texture, each piece an exploration of how color and form can evoke a feeling and tell a story.

Watercolor

Watercolor travels with me like an old friend—ready to capture the shimmer of light on water, the shadow of a passing cloud, or the curve of a distant shoreline. Its translucent washes feel like memory itself, layered and shifting, revealing new depths with each stroke.

I keep a small travel kit tucked in my bag, along with a camera (often just my phone) to catch those fleeting moments the eye alone can’t hold. Later, in my studio, these sketches and photographs become the seeds of larger works—dreamscapes shaped by places I’ve been and the quiet magic I’ve witnessed.

If you’d like to create a travel watercolor kit like mine, you’ll find simple, step-by-step instructions on my blog here.

Oil Painting

Oil paint is where I slow down. Its richness invites me to linger—blending colors until they hum in harmony, building layers that seem to hold light within them. The process feels almost tidal: each stroke a wave that moves forward, then retreats, revealing something unexpected beneath. Whether I’m painting a windswept coastline or the glimmer of a mythic figure, oil allows me to explore depth, atmosphere, and the quiet pull of emotion.

Encaustics

Working in encaustic is like painting with memory—beeswax and pigment fused by heat, layered onto gessoed wood panels until light seems to rest within the surface. Depending on the application, the wax can become a soft, translucent veil or build into rich opacity. Pigmented wax and collage materials—vintage photographs, postcards, handwritten letters—can be embedded within, each layer scraped, textured, or polished to reveal hidden depths.

My journey with encaustic began in a workshop that unlocked its possibilities. I was instantly captivated by how wax could cradle a photograph, suspending it in luminous depth. During long, cold winters, the process itself became a quiet joy—the warmth radiating through the studio, the air perfumed with the sweet scent of honey, and each brushstroke a conversation between history, texture, and light.

Media Art

Media art is created using electronic tools and techniques, blending technology with traditional artistic vision. This series grew out of my weekly hikes along mountain trails, where shifting light and color mark the passage of the seasons. Each piece captures a moment from those walks—translated into prints that reflect both the natural world and a contemporary artistic lens. Prints

Most of my artwork is available as a giclée print, even if the original has found a new home. If you don’t see the piece you love in the ‘Prints’ section of my Etsy shop, just send me a message with the size you have in mind—I’ll be happy to create it for you.

Etsy Ocean Themed

Website: www.loreenpitchford.com

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