HIP Housing! Human Investment Project - encaustic workshop with senior creativess

Working with seniors in May, 2025, a collaboration between Hip Housing and Art Bias. In this series, I asked participants to send me photos of their favorite memories. I printed these pictures and transferred them into encaustic media, on panels that I pre-coated with natural sky and botanical background colors. After a brief demo, I encouraged participants to use their imagination and re-connect with their chosen themes in the present moment; and to let their fantasy freely create new associations and take them to virtual places that they would enjoy visiting in the present moment. The class really seemed to have fun pursuing this idea, and many of the attendees stayed overtime to finish their compositions. For example, a lady told me that she once experienced a unique connection with a peacock – she kept talking to the bird and asked it to show its beautiful feathers, and the bird did it right away! The original image of the peacock was cropped, and I suggested the lady to use real feathers to achieve pattern continuity. In another case, we embedded seashells into the wax to create a thoughtful family gift. I offered extension boxes that could be attached to the encaustic panel with hanging wire for anyone who was interested in converting their piece into a personalized candy-box, plant pot or key holding container.