Alicia Forestall-Boehm

                                                       Vertical Lines                                                                       15”hx15”wx8”d                    Encaustic, Cheesecloth hand dyed by artist, Hemp cord, Wire, Found metal       in·vite / v. ɪnˈvaɪt; n. ˈɪn vaɪt / Show Spelled [ v. in- vahyt ; n. in -vahyt ]       verb, in·vit·ed, in·vit·ing, noun verb (used with object) 1. to request the presence or participation of in a kindly, courteous, or complimentary way, especially to request to come or go to some place, gathering, entertainment, etc., or to do something.                                                       Unfulfilled Dream                                                         6"hx32"wx7"d Encaustic, Cheesecloth hand dyed by artist, Hemp cord, Wire, Found metal   It is always nice to receive an invitation.  Although, today it is usuall

The Power of Place                 9”hx18”wx11”d                    encaustic, fiber, hemp cord, wire       Inspiration can come from anywhere.   As an artist, I am inspired by the urban landscape. I am drawn to the innate sense of randomness, clutter and change that can define an urban existence.     The landscape of the city and its architecture can seem unwelcoming with its hard edges and its overflow of inhabitants.   In actuality, there is an inherent harmony that exists in a city.   The visual repetitiveness and symmetry of the buildings themselves to the city plans they fill.   The cacophonies of sounds that can, with their aspect of constancy, make for a soothing element of dependability.   And while certainly, there is a certain discordant relationship among some city dwellers, there is a remarkable interchange of order among the majority of inhabitants.  I am also inspired by those people, whose visions helped to create this world.       The Power of Pl

    Earlier this year I was contacted by Kelley Baum, a teacher at Franklin Fine Arts school in Chicago with a request that I participate in the school's annual Arts Day.  I was happy to have been asked and eager to participate in this annual event.  Every year artists from all areas of the arts are invited to spend the day with the student body.  This year artists included dance companies, authors, theater companies, visual artists, actors and musicians.    I have some experience with teaching art in the classroom.  During the 2005-2006 academic year, I designed and implemented a weekly comprehensive art education curriculum for a Montessori class of children ages 6-9.   This curriculum amounted to a hands-on trip through art history.  The challenge was to create weekly projects that not only followed the history of art but were engaging and workable with the ages included in the classroom.  We began with one of the earliest examples of art, cave paintings.  Working wi

Well summer has taken it's time getting to Chicago but it is finally here!  The cool rainy weather has kept me indoors and in the studio creating work.  I am happy that many of these new pieces have been included in area exhibitions.  Staci Boris, Chief Curator for the Elmhurst Art Museum juried two of my sculptures, Vertical Lines and Considering Mies , into the Summer Show at Water Street Studios in Batavia. I am thrilled to learn that I was chosen as an Honorable Mention artist in this show. The show was beautifully curated.  I was particularly pleased to see Vertical Lines hung out in the open.  Given the small size of my studio this piece was never afforded the space that gives it it's sense of floating.    The Water Street Studios Gallery Summer Show runs July 12-Aug 24, 2013 http://www.waterstreetstudios.com/   Vertical Lines  The name of this sculpture, Vertical Lines , was influenced by the artist Robert Mangold.  He is known for translating basi

Unfulfilled Dream 6"x32"x7" encaustic, fiber, wire, cotton twine, found metal Just about 6 blocks from my house, along the Chicago river, is a huge hole in the ground.  It is 76 feet deep and 110 feet wide and is all that is left of the vision of what was to be the tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere.  The 2000 foot Spire, designed by famed architect Santiago Calatrava, was to be an architectural wonder in a city renowned for it's architecture.  Ongoing real-estate woes ultimately resulted in the abandonment of the project and the eyesore that remains.  Unfulfilled Dream A Work in Progress "Unfulfilled Dream" is the first in a series of sculptures that consider the impact that water has on Chicago’s urban landscape.  With beautiful Lake Michigan outlining the city to the east, the Chicago River that winds its way throughout the city and the many lagoons and waterways, water has indeed had an impact on this city.   Water is an el

Coming Together 9x12x13 encaustic, fiber, wire I do not like the cold. I know that many people are eager for the start of winter. They are happy to embrace the snow and the cold and all things winter. Now don't get me wrong, I am not immune to the beauty of newly fallen snow and the wondrous vision of the world enveloped in a white veil during a snowstorm but I prefer to experience this while tucked away in my home without any need to head out into all of this splendor. Needless to say, I am one of the many people that are eager for the start of spring. I love spring. Nature comes to life, replacing the dull colorless landscape with polished green and lovely flecks of color. One of my favorite signs of spring includes the return of boats to our harbors. While sailing along Lake Michigan this early in the year would undoubtedly be chilly to say the least, this action speaks to the optimistic expectation of warmer days to come.     It is with great expectation that I look t

"Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work." — Daniel Burnham (1846-1912) Architect Daniel Burnham, whom some consider the inventor of urban planning, offered a vision of what he believed a civilized city should look like at a time of urban disorder. He believed that a city could be both beautiful and efficient.   His work sought to merge things often thought of as opposite such as business with art and the practical with the ideal. Burnham’s influence is strongly felt in Chicago as well as across America. My newest piece, Make No Little Pl ans began as a simple wooden cube. Any of you who are familiar with my work will find this shape to be of no surprise! The square shape encourages balance and underscores the potential dichotomy in everything.    It symbolizes a prolonged state of presence and is a dependable and grounded structure.     I find comfort

I love Fall. I love the cooler temperatures and I love the changing colors & falling leaves and I really love the annual tradition of switching out my summer clothes for my winter clothes. The sight of a favorite comfy sweater almost makes me yearn for chilly Chicago winter days…almost. Not only does the weather change but the city changes. The beaches close, school resumes and in general, the number of visitors is vastly reduced. Now I love living in the city, but the sheer number of tourists that visit every summer can be overwhelming at times. There is a small pocket of time between summer and holiday shopping season where downtown Chicago feels more intimate. The sidewalks are just a little easier to navigate and the restaurants in our neighborhood are actually filled with neighbors. I am particularly happy to welcome Fall this year with a number of exciting exhibitions! Tactile Encounters: The Influence and Appearance of Textures I am pleased to have five 3D encaustic

Approximately a year ago I commissioned Rodney Thompson to make me custom designed cradled panels with recessed pockets. It was my plan to fill these pockets with delicate square boxes made of encaustic paint and cheesecloth. While creating these petite cubes using no wire supports was a challenge that I happily took on, my attention was diverted to the development of my encaustic and fiber vessel and sculpture pieces. Time and time again I admired these beautiful panels knowing that I would return to them and I am happy to announce that the first of these box assemblages, Moving Day, has been selected for inclusion in the exhibit Hot Wax in the City at the Morpho Gallery in Chicago. Whether working in 2D or 3D, I find myself returning to the geometry of the square. I believe that it not only underscores the potential duality in everything, it encourages balance. It symbolizes a prolonged state of presence, a dependable and grounded structure. By creating these delicat

I always find it to be wonderfully thought-provoking to learn the whats, the whys and the hows about a particular piece or about a body of work. Understanding an artist’s process can be incredibly fascinating and telling. I am a very process oriented artist and this is evident in many of my series including my encaustic Urban Windows series, my encaustic tile Tesserae series and most recently in my encaustic and fiber vessels and sculptures. Last month I began a new encaustic and fiber sculpture and I thought that it might be interesting to document the making of this new piece. Window no. 34 (6.75"x6.75",encaustic) Tesserae X (18"x18", encaustic tiles) Since I made my first encaustic and fiber Vessel in 2011, each work was created in a purely intuitive manner. As my designs became larger and more complex I began to create models. Coming Together began as a drawing and from this drawing I made a paper model. By creating this model I was