Dana Patterson Roth: The River Runs Through Me

The photo encaustics of The River Runs Through Me combine photographs, hot wax, pigments, and markings to create a painterly view of the visual world. Dana Patterson Roth has photographed various bodies of water in New Mexico, seeking to convey the beauty and peace they bring her, while also recognizing the effects that long term drought is having on them. Even as they dry and shrink there is beauty to be seen and comfort to be felt. Most people have blood running through their veins. Dana is convinced that, in addition to blood, her veins flow with the water of muddy ditches, windswept lakes and the swift rivers she has known. Despite growing up in New Mexico, she was shaped by water and her mother’s love of swimming. Lakes, rivers, ditches or puddles, New Mexico’s waters defined Dana and found her always swimming, boating, playing in or just being soothed by looking at and photographing water. As these waters face an uncertain future, it feels urgent to honor both the joy they’ve given and the loss we are experiencing. “ If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water ." (Loren Eiseley) The artists’ reception will be celebrated with fellowship and refreshments on Saturday, August 15, 1-3 pm. Meet the artist on August 8 for a demonstration of photo encaustic techniques between 11 am and 1 pm. She will layer hot beeswax and pigments onto a photograph, building up some areas and scraping away others to emphasize some aspects of the photograph and eliminate others.