Sylvia Torres
Painter/Encaustic Artist
Portrait © Donna Granata 1993
Her artist-grandfather was very stern. He knew all the rules about art and wanted to be sure little Sylvia understood them. Consequently she stayed away from art until an understanding and gifted educator gave her permission to embrace her own feelings about ART! Did she then pursue this avenue of exploration? Well, no. Life intervened. Marriage. Motherhood. Making a living. But always in her thoughts was the notion that she needed to be an artist.
Enter Hiroko Yoshimoto who taught Torres a lot of what she needed to know and encouraged her to find her own vision. Encaustic, that ancient medium of beeswax and resin, set her free. It is an art form that at once requires strict adherence to rules (perhaps Grandpa was right), yet involves all the senses. Torres is a very contemporary artist at home with an ancient process.
Sylvia Torres’ documentation took place in 2010 and was sponsored by Meg and Jim Easton. Her AfterGlow was hosted by Kevin and Christine Beirne. The FOTM Archive contains extensive information about this artist.