My original attraction to Art was its ability to reach beyond its
own time and, indeed, to create the future. I am now working in
encaustic, the oldest and most permanent painting medium, used by
ancient Greeks and Egyptians as early as 3,000 BC. Some of their
works are still well preserved and on view today. In encaustic,
the artist embeds objects, coins, sketches, oil paintings, or other
media on a background that, itself, may be stone, wood, canvas,
or any hard surface. A heavy, thick wax seals in the objects and
coats and preserves the piece. Encaustic is a versatile medium that
allows me to embed objects and layer my paintings with a speed and
freedom that previously I’d only dreamed about. I’m also
attracted to both its multiple layers and its permanence.
I started on the artistic path in seventh grade, after reading Kandinsky’s
book, Concerning the Spiritual in Art. Modigliani, Titian and Leonardo
da Vinci’s sketches were also inspirations to me. In addition
to art, I studied theater and set design, and became a certified
picture framer. I spent seven months traveling in Europe and Greece
researching art at major museums.
Having worked in acrylic, collage, sumi ink, stained glass, Photoshop
collage, and encaustic, multi-layering has always been central to
my artistic expression. Now I use images, abstraction, color, and
metaphor to communicate with the viewer on many levels at the same
time. This combination of introspection and communication on many
levels is at once, a statement of my artistic proclivities and my
best and most hopeful approach to the challenges of today.
Gera is also the Managing Director of the Fourth Street Studio.
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