Palimpsest, 2024

materials: beeswax, damar resin, pigment on wood board

112 cm x 101 cm x 5 cm

Palimpsest is about the surfaces of the city and the histories they carry. I am interested in walls that have been painted, covered, scratched, weathered, and painted again. These layers become a record of time, even when the original image or message has almost disappeared.

Using encaustic, I build up layers of beeswax, damar resin, pigment, wax crayon, and oil stick, then cut back into the surface. Through this process, colours and textures are buried, revealed, and changed. The work is made through both covering and excavation.

The title refers to something written over but never fully erased. That idea sits at the centre of the work. Like graffiti on a city wall, each layer leaves something behind. Some parts remain visible. Others are hidden beneath the surface, but still shape what is seen.

Palimpsest reflects the city’s skin: built up, worn down, marked, repaired, and constantly changing. It is a painting about memory, time, and the traces we leave behind.