Statement
My work is very much influenced by a passion for architecture, ecology, and the built environment. The two art processes I am engaged in encaustic painting (being additive & subtractive) and wood sculpture (reductive) conjoin elemental references and architectural landscapes, intermingling interpretations of space and structure, historical precedents, archeology, and larger worldviews.
The built environment is central to my current work, intermingled with references from my own memory, of places I have been, or desire to explore, and those imagined past and future.
I was a practicing architect for many years and continue working as a visual artist. I bring and bring these two paradigms together to juxtapose the patterns and meditate on the balance of our environs.
My work brings together various visual references; intermingling interpretations of space and structure; referencing urban patterning and historical precedents. I am drawn to the dynamic nature of being, seeing; moving through the built environment; bringing together visual references from my own memory, of places I have been or desire to explore, and those imagined past and future.
I conjoin interpretations of space and structure, abstracting viewpoints, and other architectural ideas. It is very much influenced by my obsession, passion, and occupation with architecture and the built and natural environments.
Inner Landscapes (2024 encaustic paintings and wood sculptures)
Building on past themes my inner thoughts have been preoccupied with the cycles of the seasons, forestry, and climatic events, retaining an inner hope, and dreaming of new paradigms. My wood sculptures (2014-2024) were influenced by my earlier paintings, and the new paintings inspired by the sculptures, another step in the cycles of my life.
FAB (2010-11 encaustic painting)
This body of work closely references urban patterning, architectural manifestations, and imagined spaces. Inspired by a long-time fascination with figure-ground study and spatial relations, I work in layers to compose a positive-negative environment in which space, form, perspective, and place are interwoven. I am interested in the dynamic nature of being, seeing, moving through the built environment; bringing together visual references from my own memory of places I have been, places I desire to explore, and those imagined past and future.
About Encaustic works
I work in encaustic medium (pigmented beeswax), which allows the application of translucent and opaque layers to be interlaced. This process is both additive and subtractive, complementing the exploration of various thematic constructs. The fluid nature of the encaustic process lends itself to the exploration of these forms and patterns, which interlace structured and unstructured shapes, as well as colors to form a shared surface layer.
The encaustic process has parallels to the design process in architecture, where more ideas and details are added over time to create a more exacting construction. While completed architecture does not exhibit all the thought within the design process; encaustic painting, layered in wax and color, provides nuanced views to the construction of ideas.
About Jay
Jay Lazerwitz is a registered architect, a visual artist and a passionate arts advocate. He founded Art & Architecture in January 2001 and has worked in encaustic medium for many years, and more recently translating his painting into wood sculptures.
A former commissioner of the Seattle Arts Commission, Jay was instrumental in organizing a city-wide forum focusing on live-work artists’ studios. He developed BallardWorks, a large arts center providing exhibit areas, and artists’ work spaces. Currently Jay chairs the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association.