I fell in love with the ancient medium of encaustic painting in 2002. Previously an acrylic painter I was very unhappy with the flatness of the medium. I loved the depth and colour of oil, but found the messiness and long drying time cumbersome. The encaustic medium became the perfect solution to my creative dilemma. Wax and oil mixed together provide me with the vibrancy of colour inherent of oil, unbelievable texture, combined with the quickness of drying that suits my impatient temperament. Once the wax cools, the medium is dry to touch within seconds.
Currently my muse is the Canadian landscape. The vast fields, forests and lakescapes of Canada provide endless inspiration. Although traditional in subject manner my approach is that of simplicity. I believe strongly that a painting should depict the act of seeing, not the object seen. I offer through my paintings an atmospheric suggestion of possibility or the probability of the moment. It is what I don’t depict, the parts I leave out that is sometimes the most important element of my work. These ‘openings’ invite the viewer to participate by joining the colours and images with their own imagination.
I often paint from memory, as the restrictions of the medium do not allow for plein air painting. Imprinted in my memory are the changing colours of the seasons, the glistening of the sun on the lake’s surface, the starkness of the birch tree’s bark. I have an acute visual memory for colours and their combinations, which I feel is the key to my work.
— Susan Wallis
Susan Wallis is a graduate from the University of Toronto with a Bachelors degree in Fine Arts. Wallis was born in Toronto and lived and worked there for many years before moving with her husband carpenter and designer Glen Wallis (www.wallisdesignbuild.com) to the countryside of Prince Edward County. It is there where she can be found in her studio when not weeding her garden or tending her small flock of chickens. Wallis’ work is showcased and collected throughout Canada and is in private and corporate collections in the United States, China, Australia and Europe.
Curation
In 2021 I founded Melt Studio + Gallery as a way to open my studio practice to the public and to help support artists of all career levels. Located in a restored WWII army barrack, the gallery offers a wonderful heritage space that houses both group and solo shows and my working encaustic studio. It has been such an amazing journey to see how much the gallery has grown since we first opened it, and curating these shows has become one of my greatest passions. Read more about how I founded the gallery below:
Listen below to hear my interview with Artscene as I discuss my art practice and the story of how my gallery was founded.
CV
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art History and Studio Art, University of Toronto (Erindale Campus)
Certificate in Design from Sheridan College, (Oakville Campus), 1984.
Decorative Paint Finishes, Ritins Studio, Lori Ritins (Instructor), July 1992.
Introduction to Encaustic Painting, Ontario College of Art and Design, Mike Hanson (Instructor), Spring 2002.
Encaustic Painting II, Haliburton School of the Arts, Susan Fisher (Instructor),July 2002.
Solo Shows
2023 “Shorelines”, Melt Gallery, Prince Edward County
2023 “Land|Water|Sky”, ELevation Gallery, Canmore, Alberta
2022 “Land|Water|Sky”, Towne Square Gallery, Oakville, Ontario
2022 “Land|Water|Sky”, Melt Gallery, Prince Edward County
2021 “Happiness”, Melt Gallery, Prince Edward County
2021 “Looking Back , Moving Forward”, Elevation Gallery, Canmore, Alberta
2020 “Speaking in Petals”, Mad Dog Gallery, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2020 “Moon Watching”, Elevation Gallery, Canmore, Alberta
2019 “Speaking in Petals and other series”, Mad Dog Gallery, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2019 “Traversing the Land”, Elevation Gallery, Canmore, Alberta
2018 “Into the Woods”, Mad Dog Gallery, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2018 “Into the Woods”, Elevation Gallery, Canmore, Alberta
2017 “Under Canadian Skies”, Mad Dog Gallery, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2017 “Under Canadian Skies”, Elevation Gallery, Canmore, Alberta
2016 “Meet me on the Beach”, Mad Dog Gallery, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2016 “Parallel Connections”, Elevation Gallery, Canmore, Alberta
2015 “The Melting Point”, Galerie Saint Dizier, Montreal, Quebec
2015 “Skyscraping”, Mad Dog Gallery,Prince Edward County
2014 “The Grass is Greener on the Outside”, Closson Chase Winery, PEC
2013 “Falling”, Towne Square Gallery, Oakville, Ontario
2013 “Livin’ in the Country”, Mad Dog Gallery, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2013 “Changes”, Solo Show, Elevation Galley, Canmore, Alberta
2012 Solo Show, Closson Chase Winery, Hillier, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2012 “Seeing Red”, Mad Dog Gallery, Prince Edward County
2012 “Seasonal Influences”, Elevation Gallery, Canmore, Alberta
2012 The Manse, Boutique Hotel, Featured Artist, Picton, Ontario
2012 “Memoires Blanche”, Galerie Saint Dizier, Montreal Quebec
2011 “Gifts from the Garden”, Mad Dog Gallery, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2011 “The Monumental Sublime”, Elevation Gallery, Canmore , Alberta
2010 “Refuge”, Mad Dog Gallery, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2010 “Transitions”, Towne Square Gallery, Oakville, Ontario
2009 “A Search for the Sublime”, Elevation Gallery, Canmore, Alberta
2009 “Awakenings”, Mad Dog Gallery, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2009 “Where Encaustic and Culinary Art Meet”, Pinch on Main Street, Picton, Ontario
2008 “The Act of Seeing”, Mad Dog Gallery, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2007 “Openings”, Mad Dog Gallery, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2007 “Word”, Verb Gallery, Kingston, Ontario
2007 “Symphony of Birches”, Studio 22, Kingston, Ontario
2006 “Mystical Lakes”, Mad Dog Gallery, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2006 “Surfaces”, Hangman Gallery, Toronto, Ontario
2005 Solo Show, Tango Palace, Toronto, Ontario
2005 “Away”, Mad Dog Gallery, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2004 Solo Show, Balzac’s, the Distillery District, Toronto, Ontario
2004 “Travels Through my Paintbox”, Gallery 888, Toronto, Ontario
Juried Shows
2023 — 2009, 2007—2004 Art In the County, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2023 Quinte Arts Council Group Show, Belleville Ontario
2018 Art on the Shelf, Macaulay Museum
2011 Art on the Shelf, Black Prince Winery, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2011 — 2004 Scenes of Sandbanks, Black Prince Winery, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2010 — 2008 Art of Flight, Black Prince Winery, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2010 — 2003 Riverdale Art Walk, Toronto, Ontario
2007 Queen West Art Crawl, Toronto, Ontario
2006 Group Show, Propeller Gallery, Toronto, Ontario
2006 33rd Annual Juried Art Show, Art Gallery of Peel, Brampton, Ontario
2005 Toronto Inside art Show, Toronto, Ontario
2004 the Red Show, Eastern Front Gallery, Toronto, Ontario
2003 The Longest Night, Eastern Front Gallery, Toronto, Ontario
2002 Past Tense, Living Art Centre, Mississauga, Ontario
Selected Group Shows
2024 Noctalgia, ELevation Gallery, Canmore, Alberta
2024 Noctalgia, ELevation Gallery,Fernie, British Columbia
2023 Give a Little Bit, Melt Gallery, Prince Edward County
2023 Decay, Melt Gallery, Prince Edward County
2023 Little Red Leisa Rich & Susan Wallis, Melt Gallery, Prince Edward County
2023 Moon Watcher’s Show, Melt Gallery, Prince Edward County.
2023 Renewal, Melt Gallery, Prince Edward County
2022 Give a Little Bit, Melt Gallery, Prince Edward County 2022 Decay, Melt Gallery, Prince Edward County
2022 Three Sisters, Three Artists, One Fire, Susan Wallis, Janice Brant & Nina-Marie Lister, Prince Edward County Studio Tour
2022 Group Show, Melt Gallery, Prince Edward County
2022 Moon Watcher’s Show, Melt Gallery, Prince Edward County. 2022 Group Show, Melt Gallery, Prince Edward County
2022 Renewal, Melt Gallery, Prince Edward County
2021 Give a Little Bit, Holiday Show, Melt Gallery, Prince Edward County
2021 Nesting, Susan Wallis & Amanda Keenan, Melt Gallery, Prince Edward County
2021 The Red Balloon, Susan Wallis & Heather Munro, Melt Gallery, Prince Edward County
2021 The Moon Watchers, Melt Gallery, Prince Edward County
2021 Conversations with Nature, Melt Gallery, Prince Edward County
2020\2021\2022\2023 Wintermarket, Carbon Art Gallery, Picton, Ontario
2019 — 2004 Good things come in small packages, Mad Dog Gallery, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2018 In the Mix, Earls Court Gallery, Hamilton, Ontario
2016 — 2005 Prince Edward County Studio Tour, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2012\2010\2009 Art Toronto, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Galerie-Saint Dizier, Toronto, Ontario
2012 DiscARTed, Books and Company, Picton, Ontario
2011 24×24, Nov.24-Dec. 24th, Galerie Saint-Dizier, Montreal, Quebec
2011 Get Sm(art), Give Sm(art), Elevation Gallery, Canmore Alberta
2011 Sacred\Modern, Elevation Gallery,Canmore, Alberta
2010 Galerie Saint -Dizier ,15th Anniversary Show, Montreal, Quebec
2010 Artistic All Sorts, Gallery on Main, Feb. 6 – April 25th 2010,Westport, Ontario
2010 Interior Design Show, Jan. 21st-24th 2010, Grace Gallery, Toronto, Ontario
2009 Group Show, Gallery on Main, Dec. 5th 2009 to Jan, 31st 2010, Westport,Ontario
2009 Five Rooms, Studio 22, Kingston, Ontario
2008 Cheeky Minis, Elevation Gallery, Canmore, Alberta
2008 1st Anniversary, ESPACE B51, Montreal, Quebec
2008 Cultivation/Rejuvenation, Elevation Gallery, Canmore , Alberta
2007 The Moose Roars, Elevation Gallery, Canmore , Alberta
2006 Home & Style Studio Tour, Melt Studio, Toronto, Ontario
2005 Give a Little Bit Show and Sale, Gardner Douglas Space, Toronto, Ontario
2004 Give a Little Bit, Studio Show and Sale, Melt Studio ,Toronto, Ontario
Donations
2023 Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation
2022 Freedom for Ukraine
2021 Fundrasier for Kenhte:ke Seed Sanctuary and Learning Centre, Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, Tyendinaga, Ontario
2019 Renew, Prince Edward County Library Expansion Project Fundraiser
2019 Albert College Fundraiser, Belleville, Ontario
2019 Food to Share, "Under the Stars", Crystal Palace, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2018 Food to Share, "Under the Harvest Moon", Crystal Palace, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2017 Food to Share, "La Doce Vita", Crystal Palace, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2013\2012 Autumn Leaves Gala, Live Auction, Prince Edward Hospice, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2011 Mystery Sale, Regent Theatre Fundraiser, Picton Golf and Country Club, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2010 — 2005 WHODUNIT Mystery Sale , Ontario College of Art and Design, Toronto, Ontario
2010 — 2004 South Riverdale Child Parent Centre, Toronto, Ontario
2012 — 2007 Slow Food Fundraiser, Harvest Restaurant, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2009 — 2004 Prince Edward County Rotary Dinner, Crystal Palace, Picton, Ontario
2009 — 2003 Little Art Show, BMW Showroom\Mercedez Benz,Toronto,Ontario
2005 AMREF, St. Lawrence Market, Toronto, Ontario
2004 Art for Life, Sunnybrook and Women’s College Hospital, Tech Space, Toronto, Ontario
Press, Awards, and Honours
2024 In her Studio Magazine, Artist Profile
2023 Quinte Arts Magazine, Artist Profile
2023 Artscene, 99.3 CountyFM
2022 Umbrella Magazine, Artist Profile
2022 Ontario Arts Council Exhibition Grant for Three Sisters, Three Artists, One Fire
2018 Artwork Selected by Mayor of Picton, Ontario for his Christmas Card.
2013 Style at Home, September Issue, High and Low.
2013 County Magazine, Featured Artist, Spring Edition.
2011 Arabella Magazine, Spring Issue 2011, Artist to Collect
2011 The Kingston Whig, Critique
2010 Neighborhood Living, Artist Profile, Spring Issue
2009 Style at Home, Special Issue, Trends for 2009, January
2008 Ontario College of Art ad Design, Encaustic Demonstration, Toronto, Ontario
2007 Art selected by Dean of Law, University of Toronto for front of Christmas Card.
2007 Watershed Magazine, Summer Issue, “Susan Wallis-Waxing Poetic”.
2007 The Kingston Whig, June 16th edition, “ A Symphony for the Eyes”.
2007 On the Danforth, Spring Issue “Up Close with Susan Wallis”.
2007 – 2006 Board Member, Artist’s Network, Toronto, Ontario.
2006 CBC Radio One, the Current, Interview about AIDS Exhibit “Fragility and Hope”.
2006 Artwork featured in Style and Home, September Issue.
2006 Upfront Magazine, Summer Issue, “Wax+Pigment+Heat=Encaustic by Susan Wallis”
2006 Artwork featured in Style and Home, June issue.
2006 Book cover, “You Can Get There From Here”, School of Women’s Studies, York University
2005 Honourable Mention, Art in the County, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2005 CBC Radio, Fresh Air Program, Interview for the Riverdale Artwalk.
2005 May\June Cover for Express Magazine
2005 Winter Cover for the Riverside Quarterly.
2005 Winter Cover for the County magazine.
2004 Art in the County, Winner of Honourable Mention, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2004 City TV, Breakfast Television, Interview for the Riverdale Artwalk
2003 The Longest Night, Eastern Front Gallery, 3rd. Place Winner, Toronto, Ontario
Art of Herbs Book Signings
2012 Eat Your Words, Toronto, Ontario
2011 Williams & Sonoma, Bloor St. Toronto
2012 Indigo, Bloor St. Toronto
2011 Taste: Celebration of Regional Cuisine, Crystal Palace, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2011 Heirloom Hurrah!, Vicki’s Veggies, Prince Edward County, Ontario
2011 Closson’s Chase Winery, Prince Edward County, Ontario