Carol Mell

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Photo Encaustic

I grew up in a wild place. Just behind my house, a creek ran down from the snow-laden mountain and continued on to the great river where prehistoric fish swam in the deeps. As a child, I felt kinship with the trees, the waters and the creatures all around. They spoke to me. But I also grew up with people who lived close to that land—hunters, fishers, farmers, carpenters and hermits.

I went to Reed College in Oregon and later to The Juilliard School in New York where I studied modern dance and choreography. Years later I became a reporter on the Arizona-Mexico border and always had a camera slung over my shoulder. I had always loved photography but when I could develop my own color images digitally I fell hard.

In all my artistic iterations; writer, choreographer, dancer, photographer, photoshop guru and painter I have tried to show what Thomas Berry calls “a communion of subjects more than a collection of objects” for it is a profound belief of mine that spirit is in all things, that the creation is alive.

My photo encaustic landscapes are lush and sensuous. Hold them close and you can smell the beeswax. They represent perfect hours in the sun and rain. They represent the sacred intersection of earth and sky.

I have lived in the Southwest for 25 years and never tire of it. In my journey through various art forms I always hoped my work would help people remember our fundamental and spiritual connection with the natural world and so I have exhorted my students, collectors and fans to “Follow the Dirt Road in Your Soul.”