NorCAL Wax

Melissa Stephens is an encaustic painter, photographer and printmaker who has spent 17 years educating children and adults in the arts. She received a BA in Art from Cornell College, Mt. Vernon, IA, and continues her arts education through specialized instruction. She is an encaustic painting instructor and advocate for the arts in Walnut Creek, California. Her artwork shows in galleries nationally and internationally. In 2022 she co-founded the NorCAL Wax Chapter and started the annual Hope Lives: Art for ALS exhibition. 

 

Themes in my work include empathy, the preciousness of time and the value of human connections. Handwritten letters are historical and personal  records in time. I include portions from journal entries, penned communication and visual patterns in my work that represent emotions and familiarity. 

 

My paintings are heartfelt abstractions met with real life experiences. Life’s forces, that give and take, influence the tenor of my work, while intimate stories are layered in my paintings leaving room for reflection and introspection.