Over the years Joan Mattera has gradually reduced the imagery in her work to finally arrive at this celebration of color, surface and also the medium she has championed: encaustic painting.  Mattera combines conceptual order, as embodied in the structure of the grid, with beauty.  The grid is represented both explicitly and implicitly.  With the former it is the even distribution of the 1 foot by 1 foot square paintings along the wall.  With the latter, the grid is subtly woven into the paint handling and the medium.  However, in this presentation of concept and pure esthetics the two are kept separate and distinct and this becomes problematic.  The danger is that in this clash of approaches each threatens to overpower the other.  As I take in these panels the beauty is seductive and Mattera’s masterful handling of the medium is evident.  But my enjoyment of this is frustrated by the standardization of the diminutive format and rigid presentation  I want to see more variety.   On the other hand, when confronting the conceptual structure and order of the grid I find the splendor of the materials and color too distracting from the concept.  I can appreciate what the artist is trying to accomplish but I think the two aspects are too divergent for it to fully succeed.

Joanne Mattera, Silk Road 87, 2007, encaustic on panel, 12 x 12 in

Joanne Mattera, Silk Road 54, 2006, encaustic on panel, 12 x 12 in

Joanne Mattera, Silk Road 91, 2007, encaustic on panel, 12 x 12 in