I never planned on becoming an artist. I just noticed things … the way light shifts through the fog, how moss catches the rain, or how the mountains turn blue when evening settles in. My sister Gena could draw them, and Shannon could put them into words, but I could only feel them. For most of my life, I didn’t know how to express what I saw.

It was during a time of grief that I discovered how to bring my emotions to life. Through my mentor, Erica Helder, I began learning the flow of alcohol inks and found a new way to express myself. Her guidance continues to inspire me as I grow into the world of encaustic work.

Working with wax, inks, and pigments has given me a language of my own. The process is physical and imperfect… layers built up, melted, and reshaped, much like memory itself. It allows me to translate what I’ve carried inside: moments of beauty, loss, and the rediscovery of becoming her.

Alarka Art Studio is rooted in the Great Smoky Mountains, where I grew up. Even though I’m far from home, those mountains still call to me like echoes of days long past. Their presence lives in my very soul and in my work… in the textures, the colors, and the stillness that forms beneath the surface.

Every piece I create holds a trace of home and that feeling… the pull of family and memory, the strength of nature, and the quiet reminder that art often finds us when we least expect it. Come along with me on this journey of becoming her.

~Robyn Leigh~