christopher jagmin

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You may remember the art project in grade school, where you color in different crayons completely over a page, cover it with black crayon, then scrape off the top layer with a drawing, you would reveal a surprise of color. This child-like element of surprise is still exciting to me and is the basic way that I work with encaustic.

Working with encaustic is a very textural and almost sculptural medium for me. I carve and draw into the wax using a variety of tools that I've found over the years, including old ceramic, dental and garage tools. Sometimes, I just use a pencil and just draw right into the wax and paint.

I then repeat this process with another layer of wax and drawing while carving and scraping away some parts. I may repeat the process a dozen or more times over time to build up colors and layers. I compare it to a wave washing on the beach revealing new patterns and objects each time.

It is fun for me to reveal parts of past drawings and reveal a new image or story that didn't exist before. It is almost like secrets and coded messages are returned, retold and rebuilt. I love stately old buildings that have a long history. As the paint and bits fall off and decay, a building's true character is revealed. This aging process adds to the depth and beauty of the architect's original vision. I hope that my paintings evoke memories of the past, and maybe tell a unique story through clues and fragmented bits.

Inspiration comes from my fascination with hieroglyphics, iconography, old maps, and typography. I also am intrigued by mathematical and scientific equations and formulas. Bringing these as inspirations into my work, help me to build these stories.

In my Arizona home, I am able paint outside from about November until early June. I stop for the summers, when it gets too hot and I lose control of consistency of the paint and wax. I love that the changes of weather, temperature and humidity all make the experience a bit challenging. But the birds singing and many bees tempted by the smell of wax "cooking", make it a joyful experience.

Christopher Jagmin attended the School of Fine arts at Indiana University, where he studied graphic design and silkscreen printing. After graduating in 1981 with a BA, he moved to Austin, Texas. There, he started his career as a graphic designer. Moving up through the ranks at small Design Studios, he moved on to Boston where he continued his career, opening his own Design and Illustration shop in 1992. Christopher currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona.