Liz Nania

Encaustic Paintings

My painting explores themes of human connection, protection, love, the personal sacred, my experience as a woman, and new beginnings. I rarely plan my abstract imagery; it emerges intuitively while I’m painting, with a language of symbols that have organically grown in my work. Floating circles rise up, bound for new adventures; grounded nests may envelop, offering protection in times of turbulent change. Orbs emerge like rising suns, suggesting stability and strength, overseeing life's storms and sun showers.

I’m also in love with the richness and luminosity of encaustic, a molten beeswax-based paint. You can learn more about encaustic here.

Best Case Scenario

Encaustic on birch, 8" X 8"

Everything Right

Encaustic, mixed media on birch, 8” x 8”

Yes I Am

Encaustic, mixed media on birch, 8“ x 8”

Diamonds and Rust

Encaustic, hair, and mixed media on birch, 8” x 8”

Jamaica Pond, Fall

Encaustic on birch, 8” x 8”

Ain't No Mountain High Enough

Encaustic on birch, 8” x 8”

One More Time

Encaustic, mixed media on birch, 6” x 6”

You and I

Encaustic, mixed media on birch, 8” x 8”

Rising Above

Encaustic, mixed media on birch, 8” x 8”

Almost Here

Encaustic, mixed media on birch, 10" x 8”

Paintings in Series

Butch Series:

My Butch Series has a much more restrained palette, and brings representational drawing into my work. I’m exploring gender and intimacy, and the awesome beauty of female masculinity, modeled by my butch wife. Gold leaf expresses the sacred, applied over black pastel drawing on a base of creamy translucent encaustic on wood, with a few elements of strong color.

Acrylic/Mixed Media Series:

It fascinates me to begin a painting without having a plan. I find themes appearing again and again in my multi-layered acrylic/mixed media work: new beginnings; the personal sacred; passion; the natural environment. Once the painting is underway, I explore and develop the composition and emerging emotional content through bold brushwork, deep transparent layering, symbols and color. And then, I discover what the painting is about.

Butch Series #1

Encaustic, gold leaf, graphite on birch, 8" x 8"

Butch Series #2

Encaustic, graphite on birch, 8" x 8"

Butch Series #3

Encaustic, graphite on birch, 8" x 8"

Butch Series #4

Encaustic, graphite on birch, 8" x 8"

Butch Series #6

Encaustic, graphite on birch, 8" x 8"

Butch Series #7

Encaustic, gold leaf, graphite on birch, 8" X 8

Late July

Acrylic, mixed media on wood, 8” x 8”

Mid-July

Acrylic, mixed media on wood, 8” x 8”

All of The Above

Acrylic, mixed media on wood, 10” x 10”

The Nearness Of You

Acrylic, mixed media on wood, 8” x 8”

The Ends Of The Earth

Acrylic, mixed media on birch, 12” x 12”

Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?

Acrylic, mixed media on wood, 12” x 12”

Textile Art

My textile art explores themes of time, joy, the personal sacred, everyday life, women’s work, identity, lesbian love, social change and celebration. I’m fascinated with vintage American embroidery, and I use it as the starting point for my work. I collect embroidered household linens from thrift shops, friends, and flea markets, and I cut them up, collage them and hand stitch over them. I don’t pre-plan my finished piece; the imagery emerges intuitively while I’m working.

Creating my textile art is very slow work, and it gives me great respect for the women who devoted many hours of their precious time to stitch the elements I’m now reusing many years later. As I reinvent the textile work of the mid 20th century, I am drawn to create new work that is emotional, sensual, feminist, intimate, and unapologetically feminine.