In-Town Gallery presents the works of encaustic painter Nadine Kosky and warm glass artist Mary Beth McClure as its featured show for March. Both mediums are unique and highly prized by collectors. Meet the artists and talk with them about their processes at the opening reception March 4, 2016 from 5PM to 8PM.

Nadine Koski is an encaustic artist living in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She is a native of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where water is clearly a main feature and it is the subject of her most recent body of work. Her medium, which is a mixture of beeswax and damar resin and pigments, is applied in layers and fused with a heat source such as a torch or a heat gun, creating clear, translucent or opaque layers which can uniquely interpret the characteristics of water. "Like water, wax can transform from solid to liquid, take the form of its container, and move into the path of least resistance. Water, as a subject, is as endless as it is transformative. It timelessly connects us in our world, to our world, and with life itself.” She says, “I enjoy using materials that provide a little science with the process and a little mystery in the results.” The encaustic process uses hot wax combined with stains, inks, oil paints, shellac and pigments alone or in combination. Layering by applying wax, scraping off and using various pigments and tools like torches and heat guns creates a lustrous surface not quite oily but with a sheen that adds to the mystery. “Creating that next thing is compelling to me. The problem solving and research required to achieve the results are a large part of the enjoyment and satisfaction, but so are the unexpected accidents that, in turn, provide the inspiration for the next thing.”

Mary Beth McClure, who lives on Signal Mountain, creates kiln-formed glass. Of many possible types of kiln formed glass, Vitrigraph Murrine was used in creating the pieces for this show. This fascinating process utilizes a clay pot with a hole in the bottom in which various colored discs of glass are stacked and heated to 1510 degrees in a kiln on an elevated shelf. When the glass becomes semi-liquid it is pulled through the hole of the crucible into a long cane which will then be cut into segments which will then make the circular patterns unique to this process. The contrast of opalescent and transparent sheet glass used creates the luminosity of the finished work. “My art is a puzzle, a passion and a pursuit leading to burning the midnight oil. I often think I am ready to stop but the glass has a mind of its own. As I pull, drag and rake colors, the glass evolves; I can’t quit. The glass, its own master, leads me to follow.”

In-Town Gallery is conveniently located between the Market Street and Walnut Street Bridges at 26A Frazier Avenue in the hip, North Shore shopping district. Hours are 11AM to 6 PM Monday - Saturday, 1 PM - 5 PM Sunday and until 8 PM First Fridays of each month. For information call: 423-267-9214. Visit www.intowngallery.com and www.facebook.com/intowngallery.