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Weave of Life Project: In Progress

Weave of Life is an evolving, living project—growing panel by panel, story by story. This space offers a glimpse into the process as it unfolds: from early material gathering and studio moments to community contributions and new installations. You’re invited to follow along as the work develops and to see how memory, nature, and community connection are woven together over time. Subscribe to get updates directly to your e-mail! For project details visit: https://www.nancyfritzart.com/weave-of-life

Close-up of a fragile honeycomb resting on a teal encaustic panel, showing the delicate hexagonal wax structure of the comb against the smooth painted surface below. The honeycomb was left behind by a bee colony removed from Nancy Fritz's former home and
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A Gift From Our Last House Guests

We were days away from closing on our old house when we found out there were unexpected tenants moving in. Bees had built a home in the space between the balcony floor and the porch ceiling. A colony, fully committed, completely unbothered by our closing date. We were lucky. Within a few days, a beekeeper was able to remove and relocate the hive safely. The bees found a new home. We closed on schedule. And they left something behind: The honeycomb came out intact — fragile and intricate. I...

Beautiful panel — the texture of the reclaimed material on the border against the smooth encaustic interior is striking. Alt text (blog/accessibility): "Close-up of a leaf-shaped Weave of Life encaustic panel by Nancy Fritz, featuring a periwinkle blue wa

There is a number that lives in my head right now. 13. That's how many Weave of Life panels I need to make every week between now and September 12th, when I install approximately 300 panels at Monroe Community Church in Grand Rapids for ArtPrize 2026. I'm doing the math in the living room. Our house is being renovated, so Charlie and I are temporarily in an apartment. The encaustic painting table is next to the Glowforge, which is next to Charlie's desk and the couch. Materials are stacked...

A large square framed panel displaying the Seed of Life geometric pattern, composed of dozens of individual encaustic panels in varied colors and textures. Each panel features unique layered wax surfaces in deep reds, blues, greens, golds, and earth tones

This Work Won't Exist After September Weave of Life - Seed of Life 2 On June 22nd, Weave of Life — Seed of Life 2 opens at the Indy Art Center in Indianapolis as part of Art From the Heartland, a group exhibition running through September 13th. This is the first time this particular arrangement of panels has been shown in a formal exhibition setting. And it will be the last time it exists in this form. Here's what I mean by that. Weave of Life is a long-term, modular installation — hundreds...

A fan-shaped encaustic panel with a dark teal border. Inside, bold black lines cross over warm beige wax embedded with bright marks in pink, purple, yellow, green, and orange — made by a community participant at the AmplifyHER event in Fort Wayne, Indiana

What a Stranger Left Behind In early May, I was part of AmplifyHER — a celebration of women vendors, arts, and community here in Fort Wayne. I brought a table, some colored pencils, markers, and an invitation. The invitation was simple: take a moment to create. I offered two options. Pre-cut paper shapes from the Weave of Life project — if you wanted to draw or write something and see it join the growing canvas right there, in real time. Or uncut paper — if you wanted to make something that...

Messy living room studio.

The Living Room Studio There is a particular kind of creative life that doesn’t wait for ideal conditions. Right now, our living room is doing a lot of work. It holds two computer desks — one for me, one for my spouse Charlie. My encaustic painting table. A table for the Glowforge. Along the edges and tucked under everything: laser materials, painting supplies, Fritz Studio merchandise, and the general organized chaos of running two creative businesses out of one small space. And at the end...

This past week was full of conversations, ideas, resources, and inspiration — so much so that I’m still processing everything I learned. As artists, it can sometimes feel like we are building quietly in our own corners of the world, so it was energizing to spend time surrounded by creatives from across Indiana. I got the opportunity to share the Weave of Life project with other artists, mentors, and program leaders. Being able to speak about the vision behind the project helped me further...

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to be part of the Body Mind Spirit Celebration in Cincinnati. Events like these are always a beautiful mix of conversations, shared stories, and moments of discovery. But within all of that, what I continue to seek — and hope to offer — is something quieter. A moment to pause.A moment to breathe.A moment to simply be. ✨ The Weave of Life — Created Together One of the most meaningful parts of the weekend was the creation of a community Weave of Life...

It was great to be at GROW WIWO Conference in Fort Wayne yesterday! I had the opportunity to share Weave of Life Project with attendees in a hands-on way—inviting people to slow down and create their own small pieces. A number of those pieces will be incorporated into the larger installation, which makes the work even more meaningful.There’s something powerful about creating, especially in the middle of a busy day. It naturally reduces stress, helps you reset, and allows you to absorb more of...

The studio is in transition once again. As part of preparing our current house to be listed, I’ll be moving out of my current studio setup and into a temporary workspace for the next little while. The new studio in the new house isn’t quite ready yet, so I’ll be creating a smaller, more simplified setup in my apartment while renovations continue. It’s not the ideal or final space—but it’s a space to keep going. There may be a short pause as everything gets packed up and moved, but my...

Each panel in Weave of Life carries its own story. While the installation is meant to be experienced as a whole, sometimes it helps to slow down and look closely at a single piece. This panel brings together fabric, encaustic wax, and a gel print on paper. Each material holds its own history and energy. The fabric introduces texture from reclaimed pieces of samples that once lived another life. The gel print is a memory created with my sister-in-law, Liz, introducing me to geli prints for my...