The Molten Coast

Colleen Underwood brings her latest body of work, The Molten Coast, to Art 1274 Hollis Gallery in downtown Halifax from September 2 to 29. It's a collection of maritime scenes translated into pigment and beeswax, a medium known as encaustic painting. The title points to the process itself: the wax is melted down to hold the pigment, and the resulting surfaces have a particular depth and texture that suits the coastal subject matter.

If you're not familiar with encaustic, it's a bit different from your usual oil or acrylic. The wax is heated until it's liquid, mixed with pigment, and then applied to the surface. Once it cools, it hardens, and the artist can build up layers or scrape them back, so the final pieces often have a physical, tactile quality that works well for the shifting light and water of the coast. The Molten Coast takes those familiar Atlantic scenes and puts them through that process.

Art 1274 Hollis is an artist co-op gallery in the downtown core, and it's more than just a space for a single show. It showcases over 20 local Nova Scotia artists across a range of disciplines—fine art, craft, wall art, rug hooking, pottery, metal work, and jewellery—so you can see Underwood's work alongside a good cross-section of the city's making scene. The exhibition was first announced on the gallery's blog, The Scoop, on August 21.

There's an opening reception on Wednesday, September 2, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM, which is a good time to catch the work when the gallery is most active. After that, the show runs through September 29, with the gallery open daily from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM.