30/30: Nava Waxman

30 artists...30 days. Spend the month of October with me at The Altered Page to meet the 30 spotlight artists in my book The Mixed-Media Artist: Art Tips, Tricks, Secrets and Dreams from Over 40 Amazing Artists. See them in action in their studios, read their 'quirky' bios written in their own words, see some of their art that led me to invite them to be a part of my book, and hear my story of what they each mean to me. Then click on over to their sites and see what they have to say about The Mixed-Media Artist.

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Nava Waxman

"My awareness is expressed through my work in issues around the body, along with nature and abstract elements. My work explores symbolic mapping systems with the objective to express visual form to abstract thoughts and feelings, emphasizing sexual and spiritual energy.

Awareness of the body's form is explored through the creation of disparate parts, familiar yet strange, animate and inanimate, inviting recognition while remaining enigmatic and open. Body parts, objects, calligraphy, nature and biological entities are echoed, creating a distinction between things that are not yet clear and where boundaries between identities are fluid. I work with various medium such as drawing, painting, collage and calligraphy. The work is entirely based on my existence and personal perception about my identity as a woman.

I seek to release the female form from its stereotypical state, which is often limited due to preconceptions. In doing so, I transform the familiarity of the subject from its literal identification to a metaphorical, visual perception. I challenge myself to create a relationship between oppositional forces and how they transform the recognized image into an anthropomorphic object."

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In 2011 I spent an afternoon at an art exhibition in NYC called The Artist Project as part of my role as an Arts and Culture reporter for the website NearSay NY.  I saw the work of several artists there that had a big impact on me. Nava Waxman was one of those artists. In describing her work on the NearSay website, I wrote "Encaustic and mixed media materials on wood panels combine in these pieces to create highly detailed, dreamlike landscapes that capture both your eye and your imagination. The worlds that she creates invite you to step into them."

Nava's work was so memorable to me that when it came time to determine the artists that I wanted to invite to be a part of this book, she was definitely on the list. Other than having exchanged emails at the time of the review on NearSay, I had no contact with Nava. I was thrilled when she agreed to be part of the book. And even more thrilled when I saw the work that she contributed.
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GIVEAWAY

For every comment you leave in October on one of the 30/30 posts on my blog, you will have that many chances to win a signed copy of The Mixed Media Artist. I will be giving away a total of 3 copies. The more comments you leave, the more chances you have (but only 1 per post please). Please make sure I have a way to contact you. Winners will be announced in early November.