Photo encaustics is a mixed media process that deals with applying encaustic medium (a combination of beeswax and damar resin) over a photographic image that has been mounted on encaustic board or cradled birch board. The wax is applied to the surface of the mounted print and can be further pigmented with color and texture. To further enhance a piece, other elements and techniques can be layered into the image giving it dimension and depth such as using stencils, pastels, pigmented encaustic sticks and many more.
In these composites I start with photographic imagery that In most cases has been enhanced and re-worked in Photoshop. Then I move forward with the techniques I describe above until I feel the piece is complete.
all work © Wendy Savage Studios • 2020
The ephemeral yet purposeful lives of bees are a poignant reminder of our own fragile existence in the natural world. My work examines bees’ lives more intimately by exploring their behaviors, life cycle and subsistence. Humanity is dependent on these pollinators for its own survival. As I continue to learn and understand the connection of our lives to that of bees, I become increasingly aware of its significance. Advocacy through art inspires and motivates me to create the work that I do.
all work © Wendy Savage Studios • 2020
Rare Encounter is on display in Astana, Kazakhstan through the Art in Embassies Program by request of the US Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Will Moser. This is an incredibly wonderful opportunity and honor to be among the many artists who represent our country through this program.
I have a web presence on the Art In Embassies site. To visit go here:
Bees and other insects are a big fascination of mine. Recently I've been more focused on bees and the part they play in the balance of our environment. I'm at the early stages of learning what I can but when an opportunity to photograph bees makes itself present, I first and foremost want to capture their beauty. Other insect varieties grab my attention and I share some of those images here as well. There is so much to understand as to how these creatures offer an important balance to our lives. In addition, I'm interested in learning even more about bees and colony collapse disorder. It's a very complex and serious topic worthy of our attention.
all work © Wendy Savage Studios • 2020
Trees hold a very special place in my heart. I find their beauty incredibly undeniable. What is interesting to think on is that trees exist in two different spaces at the same time. They are rooted underground where they establish their foundation within the soil absorbing nutrients that sustain them. Similarly, when they occupy the space above ground, they are reaching up to the sky while absorbing nutrients that also keep them thriving.
Humans and animals have a symbiotic relationship with trees. Humans and animals breathe in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide while for trees its the reverse. A perfect co-existence.
Here is a small collection of tree images that speak to place and permanence. These views express the undulating rhythms of their extended structures, their wavy forms and beautiful outlines. Like humans and animals, no two trees are the same.
The interrelationship between evolution, water, and spirituality is the essential subject behind many of the images in this group. Much of my art examines the importance of water, its physical properties, both visible and invisible, and its link to all life. My interpretations relate water with the folds and textures of the physical world, merging them with my interest in the human condition, and delving deep into the evolutionary process from both a scientific and spiritual viewpoint. Because water is a substance that reflects and distorts, it acts as a metaphor for our imagination and perceptions. It invisibly shapes our view of the world around us, firmly rooting its self within the fabric of our lives.
all work © Wendy Savage Studios • 2020
The ideas surrounding my watermark project resonate with the state of mind that many of the Buddhist monks embraced during their meditative practices. Much transpired in this way during my investigations with mark making. The Watermark project began as an interesting experiment and became a fascinating vehicle from which to elaborate my interests concerning evolution and its relationship to water within a spiritual context. This meditative practice inspired me to try a new approach to making marks. I used several medium sized Petri dishes and put a mix of water and baby oil in them. I used water based paints and began to paint my marks directly in the fluids. I became transfixed by the transformations as I began to make these marks, realizing my brush meditations had taken on a new form. The Petri dishes were trans-illuminated from a light box below and a camera was set on a copy stand. I then began to photograph each brush stroke and the spontaneous movements that occurred within the liquids. I began to see my relationship within this process as both participant and observer, making my mark, yet suspending my participation as I gave way to the physical properties of the water. What I recorded in my camera became a way to explore the invisible, to capture moments in time that represent the stages of transition and the cyclical nature of life.
all work © Wendy Savage Studios • 2020
All the images in this body of work are photographic. Although some images have a painterly feel and could easily be mistaken for a painting, they were created by combining digital camera captures, scans of textured materials and paint on papers. From there, the chosen source materials were then blended together using Adobe Photoshop.
It's my belief that if the source materials were captured using a light source then the final image, regardless of its visual outcome, is photographic.
all work © Wendy Savage Studios • 2020
In 2008, The Edge of the Earth won first place in the Photography category at the Raleigh Fine Arts Society show and competition. The juror was Dr. Larry Wheeler, former director of the North Carolina Museum of Art.
Over the years its been a great pleasure of mine to photograph people. I've had great interest in telling an individuals story based on family history or their personal interests. I find it so interesting to learn what informs a person, what are their influences, what is their culture and what is important to their identity. It offers up a very personalized and creative approach to capturing their personality. On other occasions, it was just a great way to play dress up and have fun with photography.
To create these portraits I utilized different techniques, pulling from different source materials and building the final images in Photoshop. Many of the images in this collection are portraits of individuals that were shot on a white background so that from there, I could build a background and scene that they are then apart of. In some cases, I scanned the clothing that the individual was wearing and used those images to build on the scene. I also utilized images of plant life and small insects or birds to further add to the imagery.
Other portraits are straight minimally optimized portraits of family, friends and people I have met during my travels.
all work © Wendy Savage Studios • 2020
A palimpsest is a manuscript or piece of writing material on which the original writing has been effaced to make room for later writing, but traces remain. It can also be thought of as something reused or altered but still bearing visible marks of its earlier form. In short, it is an object that embodies it’s own histories. Terra Incognita is an unexplored region or unknown territory. It is a term used in cartography for regions that have not been mapped or documented.
I am inspired by the meaning and functionality of a palimpsest. I view it as a metaphor for the brain injury I sustained following a serious cycling accident. When one experiences traumatic brain injury, there is much that gets lost or forgotten. Fortunately, the brain is pliable and reworks itself by creating new pathways, making room for other areas to take over where the injured brain cannot function anymore. I feel as if part of me was erased, rewritten, and is now fully emerging again.
My photographic composites are reflections of personal memories, both real and imagined. Each piece maps my experience, trailing events that transpired during the early moments, days, weeks and months following the accident. An emerging cognition slowly reworked itself into my psyche as my brain and body continued to heal and became restored. My experiences motivated me to create this body of work enabling me to express a variety of perspectives as I navigated through the healing process.
Happy to report that over ten years have passed since that day. Although it took me about two to two and half years to feel as if I returned to myself, my life has transpired in such positive ways. I am truly happy and extremely grateful that I recovered in the way that I did.
all work © Wendy Savage Studios • 2020
During the months of October and November 2016 I traveled to Cuba with an amazing group of women friends who are all wonderful photographers. I'm grateful we traveled together so that we could share our insights and passion for travel photography as we moved throughout the country. I still have to wrap my head around this trip for a variety of reasons and the biggest one is the general poverty and worn down infrastructure that was so visibly pronounced everywhere we looked. Despite those observations my take away is this: What a beautiful gritty colorful country with some of the nicest and spirited people you could meet.
The images in Daydreaming Cuba are a mix of straight photographic captures with small amounts of image manipulation. Other images are a blending of several photographs to create composites that have a painterly and dream-like quality. These images allow me to contemplate and consider my observations more deeply as I align them with my feelings about the country and its people.
all work © Wendy Savage Studios • 2020
Animals and the environment are the inspiration and focus of this body of work. Utilizing a photo-based surrealist approach, my work is an exploration of the ongoing state of our environment and its effect on the animals that inhabit it. Each composite is a visual blending of many photographs. Images of plants, animals, bones, water and a man-made object (large or small) illustrates the beauty and ongoing conflicts within the environment that are in question.
all work © Wendy Savage Studios • 2020
On a trip to Thailand with a humanitarian photo-travel group called The Giving Lens, I traveled with like-minded women photographer friends to the Hill tribes in Northern Thailand. Among the many areas we visited, the time spent with the Lawa and Karen Tribes was extraordinary and very special. Daily life among these tribal groups consisted of weaving and threading yarn, working the marigold and soybean fields while also doing daily chores of food prep and cooking. A few portraits are of some elderly folks quietly sitting at the entry to their living space. This was an incredible opportunity to photograph them, experience their generosity and their willingness to share in their daily lives.
all work © Wendy Savage Studios • 2020
The images in this series are of animals I've personally come to know because they are family members, some I've observed during my travels, animals belonging to friends and family and some are animals and pets belonging to clientele. I also worked as a photographer and designer at NC State College of Veterinary Medicine for over 30 years. I had the great opportunity to be around a variety of different animals all the time. It's through these experiences that I found a great passion for spending time capturing their incredible and engaging personalities.
all work © Wendy Savage Studios • 2020
created for a birthday card
Food Photography
Several years ago I maintained a blog of food photography and recipes. Here you will find some of the photos I created to accompany the posts. Images were taken in my studio, at farmers markets and restaurants.
Hope you enjoy!
all work © Wendy Savage Studios • 2020
