Alto Vineyards, Alto Pass, IL- January 1 through March 31, 2026
Opening reception, and artist meet & greet, Sunday, February 1, from 1-2pm
To see a short clip of the show, click here.
Tabitha Tripp, Southern IL native.
Tactile abstractions in wax and oil—art you can feel. My work is rooted in painting, encaustic, cold wax, oil pastel, and mixed media. It is a direct response to the violent unraveling of ecosystems and human dignity across the globe.
Nature has always fueled my creative spirit. In recent years, my art has become a vessel for processing a deeper, more entangled grief. This includes climate collapse, political apathy, and chaos. There is also systemic violence—not just against the planet, but against entire peoples.
My process: The body of work in this show is cold wax and oil on archival Arches oil paper. Cold wax is mixed with oil paints in a 1:1 ratio. I then use squeegees, brayers, and palette knives. I also use stencils, tissue and wax paper, and plastic wrap. I use anything that has a texture and can leave an imprint in the wax. Another technique used is the application of mineral spirits to remove portions of paint to reveal the earlier layers. I continue with the process until the painting feels finished.