Marita Gootee recently used funds received from a 2021 $500 Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) mini grant to expanded her knowledge and passion for photography.
The Mississippi State University professor, who has been teaching in the Department of Art for more than 30 years, attended a virtual workshop recently put on by Amanda Smith and Kevin Tully, owners of A Smith Gallery in Johnson City, Texas.
The workshop discussed the encaustic photography process, which involves hot beeswax.
“I have explored different photographic processes, from digital to darkroom,” said Gootee, who was also a recipient of MAC Artist Fellowship Grants in 2010 and 2015. “Encaustic is one process that draws my interest due to the historical aspect of the medium to the creative use in contemporary revival of the process. The workshop was an amazing and extremely unique opportunity.”
During the pandemic, Gootee created a body of work titled "Last Contact," which explores climate change, and she said adding wax to the surface of those prints will add a "human touch" to the project.
Gootee looks forward to further exploring the encaustic process and plans to incorporate it into her alternative photography class this fall.
Established in 1968, MAC is a state agency supporting programs to enhance communities, assisting artists and arts organizations, promoting the arts in education and celebrating Mississippi’s cultural heritage. For more, visit www.arts.ms.gov.
MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.