Randy Purcell
Randy Purcell
Born in 1968 in Paducah, KY, Randy L Purcell discovered his passion for art later in life. In 2005, after years of struggling to find the right vocation, he decided to attend Middle Tennessee State University. Since earning his BFA in painting at MTSU, Randy has carved out a distinct niche through a signature encaustic technique that involves transferring magazine ink onto beeswax.
Both his technique and the subjects of his paintings reflect his fascination with memories and how we perceive them. From a distance, his paintings look like a faded photo but up close you notice the text and imagery transferred from the magazines are like pieces of a collage and build up the larger image.
Randy has earned widespread recognition, including frequent media coverage, awards, and an international following. His work has been showcased in galleries and many non-traditional spaces, including the Nashville International Airport (BNA), Grand Rapids Public Museum, Middle Tennessee State University, and many Middle Tennessee art crawls. His public art projects include a Metro Arts Nashville bike rack design and murals for Nashville’s ARTober celebration and MTSU’s Veteran Center. He’s participated in renowned international events like ArtPrize, ArtFields, and a solo exhibit in Canada.
As a community supporter, Randy co-founded the Nashville Collage Collective and the collaborative Four Artist TN. He’s also served on the board of L’Evate, Turnip Green Creative Reuse, and NUMBER: Inc. Magazine. In addition, he teaches his unique process of encaustic art through educator workshops, in-class demonstrations, and online classes.
Randy is represented by The Copper Fox Gallery in Leiper’s Fork, TN, and KORE Gallery in Louisville, KY. He resides in East Tennessee with his wife Tracy and their dog Jagger.
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You can view Randy’s work at:
Class Details
The Busy Bee (Ink Transfer on Beeswax)
In this workshop, Randy will first give a quick demonstration of the process of transferring ink from recycled magazines onto a thin layer of beeswax. This is a good way to get familiar with the transfer technique and to figure out which magazines work best for you.
Then, Randy will dive into the nine steps of creating the “Busy Bee.” This is where he will go into much more detail about tools and materials, and share tips on how to successfully create your own “Busy Bee” composition
Do Easy & Bee Patient (Playing with the Process)
In this workshop, Randy will demonstrate the simplicity of transferring ink onto beeswax. First, he will quickly test a few magazines and show why some are better than others and then he will create a small painting while discussing other tips on how to get a successful transfer.
