Opening Tuesday at the River Gallery is an exhibition titled “Journey.” The featured artists, both from Tennessee, are Judy Klich and David Swanagin.
Klich creates abstract paintings using the medium of encaustic. She says she likes encaustic because the mixture of beeswax, damar resin, oil paint and heat is naturally spontaneous and gives her immediate satisfaction. Building up layers and layers of texture with encaustic helps Klich find a connection to her subject — nature.
“I use color and abstraction to evoke a strong emotional response,” she said in her artist’s statement.
Finding a spiritual relationship to the natural world and capturing Earth’s beauty serve as inspiration for her paintings.
Swanagin uses oils to paint landscapes and interiors that elicit a mood. His style ranges from representational to impressionistic.