As smooth swirls of color mingle with rippled textures and solid bands of color, Kate Meyer builds a palpable tension, both visual and emotional. Assembling opposing materials like the impressionable beeswax of the encaustic medium with rigid metal and bolts, she creates a balance of soft and hard, light and dark. These contrasts are shaped by Meyer’s guiding inspiration based on the human experience, like the universal struggle of having the courage to be open and vulnerable at the risk of being hurt or shielding oneself from the outside world.For Meyer, the nature of her materials is key. She appreciates the forgiving properties of the encaustic medium and the need to fuse the layers of wax with heat, which requires her to give up the illusion of control and allows the piece to develop organically. Adding metal, wires, thread, resin, and glass contributes to the dimensionality of her work, adding texture and depth to each piece.Torn between the creative world of visual art and the logical world of science throughout her youth, Meyer led a winding path between both worlds during her career. She first studied photography before completing her degree in fine art. Soon after, she attended Michigan State University and earned her Bachelor of Science in the study of Zoology, with a concentration in Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology. Her paintings are exhibited throughout Michigan and are in private collections throughout the state.