Hot wax in artist’s latest show

THE artist responsible for creating the town’s most memorable murals has been honing a new technique for her latest exhibition.

Debra Tracey, from Bollington, is behind the mosaics at Macclesfield Town FC and at St Oswald’s Church, and her ‘orange cycle mosaic’ raised more than £600 for the charity Brake last year.

But she has been using the ‘encaustic’ technique for her latest body of work, which is currently on display at Bollington Arts Centre.

Unlike her usual mosaics, the imagery and patterns are created by laying down hot wax, with Debra favouring local beeswax, tree resin and oil paint.

Debra said: “Known primarily as a mosaic and community artist, I have recently moved from my Clarence Mill studio to enable me to create more of my own work, while still enabling me to continue working in schools, with mental health groups and teaching privately.

“This body of work is very new, though I am using an ancient technique. Encaustic art involves the laying down of hot wax which is heated to ‘fuse’. It was first used to mend holes in boats.

“The ancient Greeks and Egyptians soon expanded it to an art form with many ‘Mummy’ portraits being executed in Encaustic.

“This body of work is mostly abstract and many of the pieces relate to feelings of loss and pain but aims to convey the beauty that can sometimes (unexpectedly) come from both these emotions.”

The exhibition - altered fragments - will run at the Wellington Road arts centre until February 18, and will be open to visitors on Sundays from 2pm until 4pm, and during events.