Melissa Freebern

Shimmer

Encaustic, pastels 

11 x 14 inches

More Info:

The inspiration for this piece was a moon drenched night in Provincetown Massachusetts. There are reflections in this piece that are both from mark making and from the textures and glossiness of the encaustic wax. This is why I call it "Shimmer"

Bio:

Melissa Freebern is a New York-based encaustic and mixed media artist inspired by the landscapes of the Hudson River Valley and the shores of Cape Cod. She earned a BFA in Painting and Printmaking from Alfred University and has worked across creative disciplines, including graphic and floral design, while developing her studio art practice. Beginning most paintings with a watercolor underpainting, Freebern builds layers of encaustic wax, oil pigments, pastels, natural fibers, and found textures to create luminous surfaces rich with depth and atmosphere. Balancing observation with intuitive mark-making, her work moves beyond representation to explore memory, reflection, and emotional connection to place, inviting viewers to experience familiar landscapes in new and contemplative ways.

Statement:

My encaustic paintings explore the relationship between watercolor and wax, combining the transparency of watercolor with the transformative nature of encaustic. I begin most paintings with a watercolor underpainting, using washes of color to establish light, atmosphere, and movement before building layers of wax that preserve, soften, and transform what lies beneath. For this nocturne, I am drawn to the mystery of moonlight on water—the way reflections shimmer, edges dissolve, and familiar landscapes become something less certain. Metallic swirls move through the surface like fragments of reflected light, adding an element that is not strictly observed but imagined. Layers reveal and obscure one another, creating a sense of movement and subtle disorientation—beautifully askew, yet still connected to the landscape. Inspired by the Hudson River and Cape Cod, my paintings explore memory, atmosphere, and the shifting experience of place.