Marissa Voytenko

“As an encaustic painter, I have come to appreciate and enjoy the way the hot wax pushes me beyond precision. I am a very orderly person and I think in grids. Much of my work is centered around structures - squares, grids, rows or columns - and occasional text and drawn images. When I begin creating, I am very organized as I map out my composition in a grid formation. Sometimes, the grid is comprised of pieces of paper and sometimes the grid is drawn. As the work progresses, my decisions become more intuitive and less thought out and, therefore, more expressive and painterly. I use an adding and subtracting method of painting: I build up several layers of paint and then scrape them away to reveal what’s lying beneath the surface. The imagery in my work is abstract and usually carries a narrative or metaphor. I pull inspiration from a myriad places and experiences but often the drive to create is fueled by a present circumstance that I am mulling over in my inner psyche.” Marissa Voytenko was born and raised in a small agricultural community in Northern California. As a youth, she was selected for the rigorous art training program, California State Summer School for the Arts. Marissa furthered her studies in art at a liberal arts college in the hills of Montecito, California. In 2003, Marissa moved to Boston where she earned a Master of Fine Art in Studio Teaching at Boston University. Soon after graduation, she was introduced to the medium of encaustic, and has been painting with this molten wax medium for over a decade. Marissa is represented by a number of galleries throughout the United States and has also exhibited her work internationally. Recently, her artwork has been on the cover of the American Psychologist and Comment magazine. She has also been a featured artist in Christianity Today. Her work is in private collections throughout the United States as well as abroad. Marissa resides with her family in the Chicago area and has taught as an adjunct professor at Wheaton College.