artist bio
Miranda proudly grew up in Huntingdon, Tennessee. She attended Huntingdon High School and then Middle Tennessee State University earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communication, Advertising and Public Relations emphasis with a minor in Psychology and Visual Art. After her university studies she moved Jamaica where she currently resides with her husband and three children. She strongly believes that island life has influenced her color palate and significantly strengthened her perspective and inspiration as an artist. She is both a photographer and painter. Although she keeps the two mediums in a separate space, she finds the layering in a photograph much like the layering process of encaustic.
“The calm and storm, ebb and flow, fearful yet soothing nature of the sea intrigue me.”
— MIRANDA SAMPSON, ARTIST STATEMENT
ARTIST STATEMENT
The intention behind my artwork is to capture the essence of the land and seascape around me. My inspiration comes from nature as well as the natural beeswax that I use to create my artwork. Nature is always showing me how to use colors and pattern in my work. I am an artist that works primarily with encaustic to create artwork that evokes a sense of calm in our fast-paced world.
I enjoy the process of preparing the encaustic medium in my home studio. I use beeswax, pigment, and tree resin to create a medium that is applied in translucent layers each fused to the layer beneath. Layers are built one at a time always taking into consideration color and light. I use natural bristle brushes, razor blades, dental and pottery tools and finally, fire to fuse each layer. My color palette is almost always analogous cool colors as these colors closely depict the emotion of the sea. The encaustic medium presents a challenge that is uniquely freeing as the unpredictability of the material opens the door for experimentation. My goal is not always clear when I begin as I allow the medium and tools to guide me. I am moved by artists, such as, Mark Rothko, Agnes Martin, and Georgia O’Keefe.
My work is abstract interpretations of the sea. The calm and storm, ebb and flow, fearful yet soothing nature of the sea intrigue me. Balance is something that I am always searching for in both life and my artwork. My hope is that my work brings a sense of calmness, peace, and balance to the viewer.
