Maggie Simonelli explores themes of nature, feminine beauty, and love primarily through material and process. Her signature encaustic “burn-in” technique begins with a mixture of beeswax and pigments which are “slow-cooked” in a double boiler. For this series, her materials include pearl dust, crushed oyster shells, coral, and a range of blue pigments – many from women’s cosmetics – as well as 22 kt gold, copper, and silver metal leaf. As Simonelli ads layer upon layer of satin translucent wax-based “paint”, she carves arabesque shapes and lines into the gold and metal leaf. A quote from Rumi inspired the series title:

“Love isn’t the work of the tender and the gentle;
Love is the work of wrestlers.
The one who becomes a servant of lovers
is really a fortunate sovereign.
Don’t ask anyone about Love; ask Love about Love.
Love is a cloud that scatters pearls.” ~ Rumi

Maggie Simonelli received a BA from Connecticut College and an MFA in Painting and an MS in Art History from Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York. She has had solo exhibitions at Sara Nightingale Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY and Gary Marotta Fine Art, Provincetown, MA. Other gallery exhibits include Van Brunt Gallery, NY, Kristen Frederickson Contemporary Art, NY, Margaret Porter Troupe Gallery, San Diego, CA and the University of South Carolina, Beaufort. Simonelli’s artwork has been commissioned for private homes and corporate lobbies including Kirkland & Ellis, LLP, David Rockwell in NYC and the Inter-Continental Hotel in Boston. Simonelli has lectured on her art for the NY Society of Cosmetic Chemists, COLOR 2020 and #BeyondTheBrief 2019 at Peclers, Paris. NYC Headquarters.

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https://hamptons.com/sara-nightingale-gallery-presents-maggie-simonelli-scatter-pearls-heart-of-water/