History of the Encaustic Art Institute
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| Adrienne and Douglas Mehrens |
Douglas Mehrens' life and career has been many-faceted, beginning with architecture, and then expanding to include his love of art.
Douglas left architecture school at UNM to design and build custom homes. Over the next 35 years, he designed and built some 50 unique, dramatic private homes and exciting commercial properties in 8 different states, coast to coast.
In 1980, with the love and fascination of the Universe, he started his career in wax by dripping Crayola ® crayons one drop at a time from the wick of candles; each dot representing a star, planet or galaxy. His art evolved to include many forms of wax and currently resin and wax.
See artist statement for pictures and in-depth biography.
It was after 15 years of private shows, and a gallery in Scottsdale Arizona, that Douglas decided to buy 12 beautiful private acres south of Santa Fe, on the Galisteo River Basin. Here he would begin to build his dream of the Encaustic Art Institute. As part of the overall design of the buildings within the compound, Douglas envisioned a gallery/studio for himself and the Encaustic Art Institute. After a 10 year process of completing the "pyramid", a magnificent 24oo sp. ft. space, it has now become the permanent home of the Encaustic Art Institute. In 2005, he formed EAI as a 501 -C non-profit, to fulfill his dream of giving back to the community, and other encaustic artists. That same year, Douglas and his wife Adrienne (also an artist), donated the building to EAI.
His vision is more than a vast and vaulted space to show art. It extends to having an encaustic art organization that uniquely appreciates beginning artists as much as successful ones. At EAI each of them joins together to benefit one another, establishing a unique relationship between artists, galleries and non-profits.
As Douglas puts it, "It is time to get artists (our first priority), galleries, art organizations and museums, to all work together for the success of the artist." He and Adrienne have certainly realized the dream of the space and established the edifice and the vision to make EAI the premier encaustic art organization in the world. With your help, support, and of course, your ideas, we will grow and succeed.