Artist Statement: Materials and Technique   As a longtime resident of the northern mountains, my work is inspired by the region’s stark winters, lush springs, exuberant summers, and vibrant autumns, as well as my deep connection to the natural world. Each piece is a synthesis of observations over time, often inspired by the light at dawn or dusk.   In my recent paintings, I begin each piece with watercolors and inks on a panel coated with encaustic gesso. I then coat the piece with layers of encaustic medium followed by a variety of opaque and transparent encaustic paints. After smoothing, carving and scratching into the layers with razor blades, knives and woodcut tools to create depth and texture, I fuse some areas lightly with a heat gun and other areas using a more sustained application of heat. Next, I apply oils mixed with beeswax, enhancing the texture and luminosity, and then fuse into the encaustic layers.    Throughout layering and scraping processes, I attempt to conserve or unearth remnants of the underlying layers, all the way back to the watercolor base,  much the way geological and weathering processes obscure and expose evidence of prior eras, and as visual memories come into focus even as they fade away.   Biography   Regina holds  a Special Studies in Fine Arts degree from Trinity College where she received the Peyser Art Award, first prize, and a Masters degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Vermont. Her art career encompasses theatrical set design, painting, murals, photography, ceramics, and printmaking. Regina is also an educator who has worked at the elementary, secondary and university levels specializing in mathematics. She exhibits her work at museums, galleries, and art centers across the United States and hopes that those viewing her work experience a renewed connection to our endangered planet.