KATHLEEN WATERLOO was awarded her B.F.A. by the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1996. Prior to that, she pursued her career as an Interior Architect for over 20 years. She is continually active with lectures, memberships and inclusion in many national juried exhibitions.

WATERLOO'S encaustic paintings are based upon an architectural vernacular. The abstract vocabulary in her work references plans, elevations, maps and landscapes as sources, both in terms of subject matter and compositional structure. The encaustic application, by contrast, is thickly layered, partially transparent, and aggressively expressed with drips, irregularities, and vibrant color. WATERLOO’S recent inspirations have been international airports, and various architectural elements from travels to England, Hong Kong, Italy and Spain.

The encaustic medium if fused properly is an archival medium. It is more water impermeable than oil paint, and has layering capabilities and light-absorbing depth. It is the oldest painting technique dating from the 4th century B.C. Greek shipbuilders used this process to waterproof the undersides of their boats. Pigment was later added to decorate the brightly painted war ships. In ancient Greece encaustic was also used in murals, and in highlighting features of the marble statues at the Acropolis. Various heating devices are used to fuse the paint with the beeswax such as the blow torch used by WATERLOO. Unlike other media, it is a forgiving medium that can be reworked often and at anytime with the addition of heat.

The dichotomy between physical and psychological space is apparent in WATERLOO'S paintings, and a lack of precision and tightness in rendering allows for a sense of inhabited space—presence within a space rather than a spatial emptiness or void.