Two of My Encaustic Paintings Selected for the 2026 Recent Work Art Competition

Sep 25

2 min read

I’m excited to share some wonderful exhibition news: two of my encaustic paintings have been selected for the 2026 Recent Work Art Competition at the Robert T. Wright Gallery in Grayslake, Illinois.

This year’s exhibition is the 46th annual juried competition, bringing together artists who live or work in Lake, McHenry, and Cook Counties and working in a wide range of fine art media.

More than 500 entries were submitted, and only 108 works were selected for the exhibition by this year’s juror, Matt Irie. Having two of my pieces chosen from such a large group of entries is a real honor.

About the Juror

Matt Irie received his MFA from Northwestern University in 2002 and has an extensive exhibition and public art background. His work has been included in exhibitions in the United States and internationally, including the Luleå Art Biennial in Sweden. He also completed a permanent commission for the Chicago Public Libraries and participated in Double Take, a public exhibition of site-specific sculpture funded by the Public Art Fund in Brooklyn.

Irie currently teaches painting and drawing on the McHenry County College Art Faculty.

About the Exhibition

The Recent Work Art Competition is an opportunity to see what artists in our region have been creating over the past two years. I’m always interested in exhibitions like this because of the variety of approaches, materials, and perspectives represented by artists working in our own area.

My two selected works are encaustic paintings, a medium that continues to fascinate me because of its unique combination of color, translucency, texture, and dimensionality. Working with beeswax, damar resin, and pigment allows me to build a surface layer by layer, creating luminosity and textures that would be impossible with other mediums.

I’m looking forward to seeing the work come together in the gallery and to sharing the exhibition with other artists and visitors.