76 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM {home & design} into it—which is exactly what I want because that is how I feel, like I am in it again,” she says. Because Lonnie works from memory, a simple hike in the hills or fishing in a local stream can become subject matter. In Sky Through the Trees, she recaptured a childhood memory of lying in the grass and gazing upward. She loves testing limits, which she did in Migration II. In this large-scale (96” x 66”) triptych, a flock of pink flamingos takes flight across the three sections. Because she works alone, she had to develop strategies for pulling the print without losing the imagery. How does she know when a print is done? “I need to feel I have been somewhere, that I have experienced/re-experienced a moment in nature, a moment in my imagination,” she summarizes. In addition to being a wellthe tremendous latitude and inherent variability: “There are more possibilities and freedom in this medium; I am never bored.” Even after ten years, Lonnie says, every print still holds a surprise. In addition to showing her work, Lonnie enjoys demonstrating the process. In September 2023, she held a solo exhibition of over 20 prints at Palo Alto’s Pacific Art League (PAL), marking the rollout of a one-of-a-kind, dedicated encaustic art center, funded by PAL and a grant from the International Encaustic Artists Project. At PAL’s Ramona Street studio, Lonnie is able to instruct 10 students, each equipped with their own “hot box.” Lonnie credits this development to her reputation for taking an experimental approach to the medium. Thanks to the custom ABOVE: Migration, 102” x 70”. BELOW: Spring Reflections, 36”x 34”. PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF ANDREW ZAREM creation of a super-sized hot box, she’s able to work in very large scale, and she pushes the boundaries with layers of color. She also creates more representational imagery through the use of charcoal or graphite lines. “There’s a lot to teach, in terms of scale,” she observes, “and students can get so much out of encaustic because there are so many techniques.” Her own work is inspired largely by nature and the experiences she has had while hiking, traveling or enjoying the panoramic views from the window of her Los Altos home. A recent trip to Iceland resulted in a series of prints that reflect the wild, dramatic scenery. Back in the studio, she used her layering expertise to depict the scudding white clouds that overlay the marineblue skies. Streams of translucent shades of blue, gold and green evoke the feeling of thundering waterfalls. “I have been told my work is very energetic and brings people
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