I’m very happy to be showing my paintings once again at Fortingall Art this year. Most of the inspiration for my work comes from the local landscape and this show is an opportunity for me to share it with the community as well as with visitors, writes Kari de Koenigswarter
I’ve had a couple of very exciting years with group shows in New York, London and Glasgow, and a solo show and a group show at the Henderson Gallery in Edinburgh. I’ve also exhibited at Open Weekends at Coburg Art Studios in Leith, where I have had a studio for the past six years.
My main medium is beeswax. I melt pure beeswax and add powdered pigments – making my own colours – and then either brush it onto wooden panels or build it up into layers so that it stands on its own.
The use of beeswax in painting is a 2000 year old technique. The results are extremely durable as they’re impervious to moisture (the No 1 enemy of paintings), they don’t yellow with age, and they keep their original colours. Pure beeswax melts at very high temperatures (62 C) so there’s no need to worry about putting a painting above a fireplace as it won’t affect it any more than an oil painting or watercolour.
I also really enjoy printmaking, and love pen, ink and watercolour drawings. I hope to show some of these at Fortingall Art, too.

Above is Kari’s ‘Skyline’; Beeswax, pigments & 24ct gold leaf 11x28.5 cm