Two Voices, One Vision: The Harmony of Pastel & Encaustic
A look at how my art shifts between precision and play, realism and abstraction.
Left: Splendid Resilience, Pastel on Sanded board, 24”’ x 18”, $650
Right: He Looked Finally, Encasustic Mixed Media, 12” x 9” x 3.5”, $430
Hello friends,
Fall has arrived in full force—shorter days, cool mornings, and that spark of energy that comes with change. This season always stirs up a creative restlessness in me, and right now that’s showing up as updates to my website—streamlining pages, refining portfolios, and reflecting on how to present my two artistic languages side by side: my representational pastel and acrylic work, and my abstract encaustic and mixed media pieces.
Some have suggested I keep them separate because they’re so different. But to me, they’re two voices in the same conversation—each expressing something essential about how I see and experience the world.
Burst of Blue
Pastel on sanded board, 16” x 12”, SOLD
Pastel & Acrylic: Capturing the Seen and Felt
My pastel and acrylic paintings are rooted in observation and memory. Working from my own photographs, I paint the things that stop me in my tracks—light, texture, color, the curve of a petal or the watchful gaze of a bird. These works are a kind of gratitude journal: a record of moments and places that remind me how beautiful the world can be.
I love the immediacy of pastel—the way color glides across sanded paper—and the satisfying rhythm of blending paint in acrylic. Each painting stands alone, a quiet reflection of time, place, and emotion.
Deciding That
Encaustic Mixed Media, 12” x 9” x 3”, $410
Encaustic & Mixed Media: Layers of Memory and Meaning
If my pastel and acrylic pieces tell stories of the outer world, my encaustic and mixed media works explore the inner landscape—memory, dreams, and transformation.
Painting with molten wax is a balance of control and surrender. Each layer of wax, paper, pigment, and heat interacts in unexpected ways, revealing textures and forms that feel both organic and ethereal. Some pieces evolve quickly; others simmer for months or years before they feel complete.
These works are explorations—concepts in motion that continue to unfold through series like Ruffled Realities and Novel Bloom. I love how encaustic invites experimentation, allowing me to merge materials, ideas, and emotions into something uniquely tactile and alive.
One Practice, Many Layers
Though the mediums and processes differ, both practices share a rhythm—excitement, frustration, the dreaded “ugly stage,” and finally, the moment when everything clicks and the image in my mind comes to life. Each offers its own kind of joy, and together they balance and feed my creative spirit.
Your Turn
I’d love to know—does one body of work speak to you more than the other? Or do you, like me, see the thread that connects them?
Take a moment to browse my website to see both voices side by side—and maybe find a piece that speaks to your own sense of memory, nature, or transformation.
Warmly,
Leah K Read
Art inspired by memory, nature & transformation