Successful Encaustic Artist, Shari Lyon, Credits the Medium for Finding HER and Inspiring an Artistic Life After Motherhood

Lynne Kornecki
Aug 3
3 min read

Updated: Aug 4

Shari, who enjoys playing with hot wax and fire, busily handles another piece of work in her home studio. Scroll down to view more of her encaustic art...

Highly artistic her entire life and seeking new directions once her children were grown, Shari Lyon saw an encaustic piece in an art gallery and was instantly moved to tears. "I've got to know all about this medium," she said to her husband.

Although her husband purchased all the supplies she needed, the difficult part was finding lessons -- someone, somewhere who could give her instructions. Living in a small town in Utah did not readily produce that and reaching out to others currently working in encaustic proved challenging when she began 12 years ago.

What initially moved her to tears when she saw that first encaustic piece?

"Oh, it's dreamy essence -- so ethereal -- it just exuded such a peaceful feeling," she recalls. "I instantly loved the look and feel of it."

Another aspect of the medium appealing to Shari was its deep dive into the past of human history. Encaustic heralds back to the 4th Century BCE when it was used by the ancient Greeks and Egyptians.

Eventually, she located someone in another state who allowed her to visit her studio for one day only for observation and note taking. She ultimately learned that encaustic work is a lot of trial and error. Now her creations may include 15 layers of wax before adding mixed media elements to the surface. She'll juggle anywhere from five to ten pieces in various stages of completion at a time because of the many layers needed and cooling times between steps.

"I've made a lot of bad art for a while before finding my voice," she says with a smile.

Single-mindedly she continued immersing herself in the encaustic community, searching out like-minded artists, learning as much as she could along the way and even serving on boards of encaustic associations. All her efforts paid off as her own artistry grew.

Today, her work is available in various galleries across several states, online galleries, and such lauded, juried shows as the annual Celebration of Fine Art in Scottsdale, AZ. This is a three-month long (January - March) exhibit where artists recreate their studio so visitors can watch them demonstrate how they do their art.

Favorite subjects focus on nature particularly trees. As she explains, trees, with their deep roots and reaching branches, symbolize the strength, nurturing qualities, and wisdom often associated with the feminine.

Her prices range from $225.00 for a small 6" x 6" piece to the largest which may bring in between $10,000 and $15,000.

"What's great about art," she advises, "is there's no window where you age out. I'm an entrepreneur by nature and like setting my own schedule and doing my own thing. Just because you might be older, doesn't mean you've lost out on opportunities. Don't worry about your timeline in life, just get to work doing whatever you're passionate about. Take advantage of your remaining years. Success can come at any age."

And concluding, she says, "What's so amazing about all this is that I didn't choose encaustic, it chose me." ###

Find more information here: Shari Lyon Art

Art@ShariLyon.com

Insta: @sharilyonart