Creator of beeswax abstracts holds a candle for ancient art

New York: A black skillet, a heat gun, pigments and beeswax take up a corner of LeRone Wilson's art studio in Harlem.

They are simple tools and materials that his skillful hands use to create unique abstract artworks in beeswax — richly textured, three-dimensional coral- like sculptural paintings in warm tones of yellow, gold and white and in metallic silver and bronze of varying shapes and sizes.

Wilson's use of molten beeswax — called encaustic — is based on an ancient technique used in hieroglyphics. It requires a great deal of patience and control, with one piece taking up to six months to complete.

While he modestly claims he's still learning, the 43-year-old artist is a master in its use — a medium he has applied in art for 16 years. In December, Wilson garnered national attention during Art Basel Miami Beach, one of the largest contemporary art fairs in the country. He bested 4,000 others to win the national Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series. The recognition is a result of his perseverance even in the face of hardship.

Wilson's winning piece, ‘A path through the sky', is among 16 of his works that being exhibited at Simmons' Rush Arts Gallery in Chelsea since yesterday.

Of the thousands of pieces shown during Art Basel week, Wilson was the only artist to use encaustic, said Andre Guichard, Bombay's national curator. "I thought that was very interesting considering it's one of the oldest archival mediums in existence," he said.