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My mixed media art practice explores transformation, continuity, and renewal through texture, layering and embedding materials into the ancient medium of encaustic wax.  Elements act as conduits within a visceral narrative.  These  elements are invested organically and intuitively - refined beeswax and damar resin (encaustic), pigment, acrylic,  oil, collage paper, handmade harakeke (native New Zealand flax) paper,  pressed flowers, feathers, leaves, leaf skeletons, ash, precious and non-precious metals, photo transfers are all delights that reveal themselves over time and ignite the senses. Encaustic wax preserves as much as it reveals within  transparency and translucency -  both glassy sheen finishes and  Accretion where the encaustic is heavily textured.  Surfaces hold memory of evolving and invite contemplation. Uncertainty and spontaneity allow each painting to emerge through responsive action and curiosity rather than predetermined outcomes. My work predominantly investigates themes of sovereignty, freedom, belonging,  purpose, through balancing vulnerability with resilience.  Seeking to create works that encourage meaningful engagement, close up and personal encounters to discover the mystery and aroma of this ancient medium.

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​Keen’s artistic practice transitioned from ceramicist, to discovering the artisanal techniques of working with encaustic wax and the raw flame. Hands-on to the point of sculptural, hands become tools, used to feel and feed the multiple layers. Paintings are literally actioned into being. Wax brushed on in molten form, cooled, incised, and torched  (upwards of 50 layers),  melting each piece into existence. This difficult yet versatile medium, provided Helen with a foundation for experimentation and an exploratory abstraction where conversations occur between artist, and artists past and present. Alive each painting encompasses its own unique properties.  Once cured for up to 12 months paintings are burnished by hand distilling a soft luminosity and transparency, rich in blended textures and it is here where the layers are revealed.  Igniting the senses of visual, touch and even smell is a hallmark of this ancient and revered medium.