Mixed Media Encaustic Artwork “Hive Mind”

Mixed Media Encaustic Artwork Hive Mind on Vintage Billiards Cue Rack

This one-of-a-kind mixed media encaustic artwork Hive Mind by American artist Lola Baltzell uses a vintage billiards cue rack found by the artist in Montpelier, Vermont. The original movable scorekeeping beads invite hands-on interaction and are often mistaken for an abacus, adding a playful element.

The work recalls 1970s American homes, when billiards tables were common in family basements, and evokes a sense of nostalgia.

The artist works with encaustic and cold wax. Encaustic—an ancient technique dating to the 5th century BCE—uses molten beeswax-based paint that artists fuse, carve, and layer for depth. Here, encaustic defines the lower section, while cold wax collage shapes the upper section, creating strong texture and contrast.

Dimensions:

37 × 21 × 3 inches

About the Artist – Lola Baltzell

Lola Baltzell is a contemporary American artist whose practice spans photography, painting, collage, and encaustic mixed media. She began her artistic career in black-and-white photography, focusing on portraiture and hands-on darkroom processes.

In the early 1990s, Baltzell shifted toward large-scale oil painting during a period of intense personal change. She later embraced collage, which led to international exhibitions, including a project shown in China in 2008. In 2012, her Art and Peace Project appeared at the Moscow International Book Fair and the Tolstoy Museum in Tula, Russia.

Around fifteen years ago, Baltzell discovered encaustic painting and fully integrated it into her mixed media practice. Today, she continues to explore abstraction through layered materials, physical process, and intuitive mark-making.