Jamie Lang
“The pieces are created by casting adobe into wooden forms or plaster molds. Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material (sticks, straw, etc.), which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for some of the oldest existing buildings in the world.
The surface of the tiles are created from encaustic painting. Encaustic is a wax based paint (composed of beeswax, resin and pigment), that is kept molten on a heated palette and then fused, (or re-melted). The word encaustic comes from Greek and means 'to burn in', which refers to the process of fusing the paint. Due to the fact that beeswax is impervious to moisture, it will not deteriorate, it will not yellow and does not require the use of any chemical solvents.”
encaustic and oil on adobe
Jamie graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and received his MFA in Ceramics at State University of New York, New Paltz. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Jamie’s work reflects his thoughts about architecture, decoration, and memory. His mixed media sculptures are minimal geometric structures that reveal their own architectural planning. Each of the structures contain multiple layers. Jamie adds layers of plaster, pigment and wax to emphasize and decorate the rough surfaces of the form. By altering the surfaces, each layer asserts the passage of time and the burying and recovery of memories. Jamie’s three-dimensional work have taken new form in paintings. Lessons from his sculpture are observable: his layering technique creates a rich depth on an otherwise flat surface. He intends for these layers, of wax, pigment and transfers, to again evoke time and memory, but the particular washes of color lend emotional impact, sometimes haunting, sometimes romantic. Whether it’s a three-dimensional cube that references the architecture of the home or a painting that references wallpaper or interior home décor of days past and present, Jamie believes that all of his work alludes to time, history, and memory.