If you would like to watch a short video where I introduce myself click here
About Me.
Regarding my “work” life, here is a brief reflection of “how did I get here?” . . . . .
I could start with the personal awareness of the threads that weave their way into my life. I always seem to have an understanding of which ones will keep going and which ones will circle back.
When it comes to working with wax though, I feel as if it has danced into my life in so many ways, from the typical childhood experience of melting crayons, to making candles, and then onto batik.
Little did I know that years later I would be working for the company Enkaustikos, an encaustic paint manufacturing company. For those of you who do not know what encaustic paint is, it is a wax based paint that once heated is workable. The desire to learn everything I could about manufacturing encaustic paint and learning everything about the process of creating art with it landed me the position of managing the company in 2008.
I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would be working for a paint manufacturing company. I not only get to make encaustic paint, I personally work with the paint I help to create. I talk with people from all over the globe about encaustic, and meet so many talented and dedicated artists, and have been actively educating and teaching the process since 2009. My comprehension of artist materials has sky rocketed as a result. I especially find pigments fascinating, understanding how they work well together is like alchemy, being able to share what I know with people about the paints I make - dare I say it - priceless.
There is something about wax, about working with it, the versatility of it, the way it looks and feels, and even where it comes from that makes me appreciate it so very much. Developing education and workshop platforms has been a natural result of the knowledge I have gained.
My connections to Enkaustikos is still strong even though I no longer mange the company. My focus over the past few years has been on developing custom colors for artists and expanding the Enkaustikos color line by creating paint formulas. However, teaching is really where my heart is with this medium. I marry my knowledge of color and desire to teach in color theory centric classes. I currently am offering tutorials online - to see my collection, please visit the SHOP page of this website.
Artist Statement
I am inspired by my surroundings and memories. Wooded lots, expansive farmlands, and city scenes all generate the same response in me; finding the balance.
I love the way shapes and forms relate to one another and how colors interact. I use color and the handling of the medium to try and capture the essence of what is before me.
These aspects are an expression of me in my art, even more than the subject itself. I refer to my subject as a guide and a springboard into my interpretation.
I want my art to impart a sense of awareness, have a sense of place, a feeling of atmosphere. I am interested in aspects of unity, of how everything comes together to create a grounded feeling.
Here is an article featuring me in the August, 2021 issue of 55+ A magazine focusing on people living in the Rochester, NY region.
Behind the Mill Art Center and Gallery
Artist Kathryn Bevier keeps Honeoye Falls art center strong
By Lynette M Loomis
Nestled in a historic stone building in Honeoye Falls is the Mill Art Center and Gallery and its director, Kathryn Bevier.
At age 64, she said she has been practicing art for more than 30 years. In a class of 12, she graduated from Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts in Connecticut and was trained in a classical approach, which served as a good foundation for her. Now her artistic interests are more experimental.
“For me painting is a bit like cooking. You see several things in the fridge and I think about what I can make with these,” she said. “I love encaustic paint which is made from beeswax and tree sap along with pigment.”
In addition to directing the Mill, she is a paint maker for Enkaustikos, where developing custom paint colors is her focus.
“It’s a matter of understanding what can be mixed together to gain the desired color. That is an art in and of itself,” she said.
Encaustic paint is often used to give texture to a work of art.
Bevier teaches classes at the Mill Art Center as well as directs art programs, classes and exhibitions for its members and the community. The Mill Art Center and Gallery is a member and patron supported nonprofit art studio and gallery with four to six exhibits each year. Mediums for the exhibits could be colored pencil, acrylic, watercolor, pastels, drawings of nature or abstract.
Gelliplate printmaking is a relatively new process and just one of the exciting classes being offered at the center. Classes are available for age 6 and older and the “older” goes into the 80s.
One of the director’s responsibilities is to decide what exhibits will be presented from outside groups as well as local artists.
At the end of September, The Pastel Society of Western New York will have an exhibit. In mid-November and through the holidays, the annual Members’ Exhibition will fill the walls of the gallery.
Visitors are welcome to attend and are encouraged to donate to keep this community resource financially whole.
“I have always loved to create things but along the way I have realized I also like to share my passion by teaching,” said Bevier. She has taught in Ireland as well as in the greater Rochester area. “It is exciting to see something take form and shape on canvas or paper as someone expresses their own view of the world through art.”
When she is not developing formulas for encaustic paints, Bevier enjoys creating her own works on panels. They can be as large as 40 by 60 inches or as small as 8 by 8 inches. Sometimes she experiments on a small scale and if she loves the creation, she produces a larger image.
“Of course, they are not identical in looks. It is iterative. With each iteration, my goal is to build upon what touched me in the smaller version, be it a color scheme, the subject matter or a feeling,” she explained.
Another form of self-expression for this artist-director is gardening. “With a garden, it changes from season to season and year to year. You move things around, you experiment. It is all a form of communicating oneself to the outside world or enjoying your own private thoughts through gardening,” said Bevier.
The Mill Art Center and Gallery is located at 61 N. Main St., Honeoye Falls, on the second floor. The gallery is typically open Thursday and Friday, all other times are best by appointment.
Classes are held throughout the year. For more information, contact Bevier at millartcenter@gmail.com.
Photo: Kathryn Bevier is an artist who directs the Mill Art Center and Gallery in Honeoye Falls. She also develops colors for encaustic paint and uses it in her own painting of still life and landscapes.
