Boissevain artist, Nancy Penner, was keenly interested in the art world only a few years ago when she first watched drawing tutorials online.  That led into taking a drawing class that she says truly catapulted her into her journey into the art world starting with charcoal drawing.

From there her interest increased and she 'dabbled' in watercolor painting and oil painting, but she wanted something different and unique to truly embrace.

The search was on!

Penner joined an online art mentorship program, Mastrius, and was smitten with watching a demonstration on encaustic art.

"I knew immediately that was the medium for me," she shares. "So, that was about a year and a half ago, and it's been full throttle ever since!"

Encaustic is an ancient medium using bees wax and tree resin, and various tools to heat and manipulate the wax on a flat surface, like a canvas or board.  Mixing the wax and the resin with color, one must keep the wax hot and malleable as you create your piece.  The result is breathtaking!

Penner says she is inspired by the beauty that surrounds her, beauty that showcases the handiwork of God Himself.

"I see God's glory everywhere I look, and so if I can draw in a viewer into just even a small piece of that glory, because glory means beauty in presence, and so that's really what it is. I see the beauty and the presence of God the Father in nature. And so if I can bring that into my paintings, and then perhaps bring that into someone's home, would be my heart's desire."

Encaustic art can be much more forgiving than other art mediums, and with wax heated with a torch she moves the colored wax as she wishes, using paintbrushes, toothbrushes, whatever she feels will give her the texture and lines she's aiming for.

Seeing how the colors meld and create moods and textures, Penner realized that paint can have a mind of its own, "and to follow where it goes is sometimes a very rewarding journey," she continues, "because it will take you into a place that maybe your plan didn't take you and you start to see something emerge when you get to play with fire, and molten wax.  It's just a really fun medium to play with!"

Over the past 1 1/2 years, Nancy Penner has participated in a number of exhibitions and juried art shows.  The charcoal drawing of her mother and aunt when they were in their teen years landed Penner Best of Show at the 2022 Westman Juried Art Show, and both of her charcoal pieces were included in that year's Travelling Art Gallery and Rural and Northern Art Show in Winnipeg.

In 2023, two of Penner's encaustic pieces were named on the Short List of the Manitoba Society of Artists, Open Juried Exhibition where her pieces were included in the MSA OJE exhibition at Eagle Ridge Gallery in Winnipeg. Penner has also participated in two Mastrius art shows.

But a true highlight of Penner's accomplishments was being chosen to join 89 other Canadian artists in a national exhibition in Kingston, Ontario.  Artists from across the country applied to have their artwork included in this prestigious exhibition.  Over 300 artists applied to participate, and only 90 were chosen by a juried panel.   "It was a huge honor," says Penner. "So, out of those 300, me being one of the 90 it did feel like an accomplishment."

Penner will be featured in her own exhibition at the Tye Gwin Art Gallery in Killarney at the Oak and Owl Cafe on Saturday, January 20th from 4-8pm.  

Do listen to more of the interview with Nancy Penner below as she shares more on her journey, more of her unique and beautiful artwork, and her personal invite to join her on January 20th in Killarney!

To learn more about the mentorship art program Mastrius, click HERE!