Norah Levine’s Mixed Media Art
“Creating is a meditative and nourishing process, and my meditation practice has noticeably influenced my work on an aesthetic level.”
— NORAH LEVINE
Ripple, Beeswax, Resin, Pigments, Original Photography on Birch Panel, 40" main, 14", 10", 8"
Norah Levine is a fine artist living in Austin, Texas. Norah utilizes her bachelor’s degree in photography and 15 + years of experience as a professional portrait photographer to inform many of her pieces, which often include original photographic elements.
Norah’s artwork has been privately collected and commissioned throughout the country. Her work has sold in galleries and retail locations throughout Austin, TX, including Britt Design Group’s Evening of Art Series, and in Santa Fe, NM at Convergence Gallery. Two of Norah’s encaustic art pieces were featured in HGTV’s Smart Home. Norah has a commitment to animal welfare which can be seen in her philanthropic initiative: Lifelines Project and published a book based on her years as an animal portrait photographer and educator, Pet Photography.
Artist’s Statement
I am a mixed media visual artist based in Austin Texas, creating primarily through the mediums of encaustic and photography. I approach my work from a place of curiosity and wonder and am strongly influenced by the beauty of nature, animals and my daily meditation practice. I have vivid memories of spending time in nature as a little girl observing animals and other natural elements. Now that I am a mother, I find vast inspiration from the way my daughter sees the world and her ability to be fully present in each moment. Her presence has caused me to slow down and reconnect with that time I spent in nature as a little girl. This shift in perspective invites me to look deeply into what or who is in front of me and create art in response.
My work honors the creatures within each piece through a distinctive process. I dedicate time and space to each animal, to each element of nature in its uniqueness. I begin with photographing these elements in their natural habitats. The image(s) are then carefully embedded into layers of pigmented wax medium (beeswax, resin and pigments). The wax is applied in hot liquid form by brush, heated pen, manipulated with a heated iron or poured directly as liquid. Each layer is then fused together with a torch and scraped with a razor blade. I often fill the markings and etchings in the wax with oil pigment which reveals a “history” of the blade manipulations. Through thoughtful use of color, materials, and composition, I create a newly imagined, dreamlike place where these creatures live.
Creating is a meditative and nourishing process, and my meditation practice has noticeably influenced my work on an aesthetic level. As with meditation, in art there is a pausing and observing component. Each step of the process invites opportunities for me to be present. Even the initial application of the wax base layers onto the panel offers this opportunity for mindfulness. As I add this foundation for the painting, I am drawn to the tactile experience of hot wax making its way onto the panel with each brush stroke. When I am making aesthetic decisions, I need to find stillness and feel intuitively into which color palette feels peaceful and soothing to look at and which types of movements I want my brush strokes to make. The sensual, tactile process of creating and blending colors allows me to be in the present.
I encourage viewers to experience the work closely. When viewed intimately the many layers of process in each piece are visible. These layers of luminous wax, resin and pigment reveal the story of the work. My work marries the mediums of encaustic and photography to create a symbiotic relationship between the two. The work invites the viewer to take in the piece as a whole and creates a shared experience of centeredness and peace, and shifts the energy of a space.
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