Encaustic Still-life Paintings

'A Little Bit Of Magic' by Susan Thornbury is an abstract composition full of texture and movement rendered in mixed media on panel. Measuring 40 x 40 in, this piece showcases the artist's distinctive style and command of composition. A perfect addition for collectors seeking contemporary abstracts with presence and personality. Susan Thornbury creates richly layered mixed media paintings that feel both modern and timeless. Working on wood panels with plaster and wax, she builds surfaces that are as much about what’s revealed as what’s concealed. Her compositions often begin with structure—repeating motifs inspired by antique textiles, vintage wallpaper, or family heirlooms—then soften and evolve through an intuitive, hands-on process of scraping, sanding, and waxing. The result is work that feels quiet but deeply tactile, inviting viewers to linger and discover the nuance within every petal, line, and edge. A background in graphic design shapes Susan’s sensibility: there’s a balance between pattern and spontaneity, symmetry and imperfection. Whether working in soft sage greens, misty grays, or whispery whites, she leans into the beauty of restraint, letting texture and subtle shifts in color carry the emotion. Susan lives and works in Atlanta, where she shares a home with her husband, two daughters, and their spunky rat terrier...

Waxing Poetic is an expression of lyrical Earthly beauty and serenity. Its title has the double meaning of both growing aesthetically and a nod to the painting medium used to create it, encaustic. This landscape draws on deep emotions in an imaginative and beautiful way, pleasing both the senses and the mind. It has a deeply felt beauty, and a calm oasis of serenities. Bands of gold tether the gentle blue heavens to the fertile soil of mother earth. The high notes and the low notes of color whisper to the senses, just as nature skillfully and poetically stirs the imagination and weaves tranquility together with a vibrant yet bold intimacy. Sylvia Torres, was born in California, one will find the ocean, sky and mountains reflected in her work. She also spent several years in Texas, where she attended the University of Houston, studied commercial art and became the Art Director at several advertising agencies. Eventually, the lure of California drew her back to California. Ms. Torres has been an instructor of art workshops at Idyllwild Arts, Carnegie Art Museum, Studio Channel Islands Art Center, Collage Artists Of America, the Ventura County Art Museum, University of California/Riverside, She has exhibited in solo and group shows including: Palm Springs Art Museum, Santa Paula Art Museum, Ventura Music Festival Invitational, Channel Islands Sanctuary, San Luis Obispo Art Museum, Santa Paula Art Museum, Marion Meyer Contemporary Art, Laguna Beach, CA, East/West One, Invitational, in Thousand Oaks, CA, Ventura Government Center Invitational, Ventura, CA. Sylvia was interviewed live, and her history video recorded by Donna Granata, founder of Focus On The Masters. Sylvia’s video history is permanently documented in their archives. Torres’ work has been acquired by private and corporate collectors: Focus On The Masters, Carnegie Art Museum permanent collection, Handel Evans past President of CSU Channel Islands, University, Infinity Bank, Ventura, CA, and others. Torres’ paintings appear on the sets of popular television shows: Big Little Big Lies, Criminal Minds, Chicago Med, Grey’s Anatomy...