Ursi Lysser
About Ursi
Ursi Lysser (*1956, Olten, Switzerland) is a Swiss visual artist specializing in encaustic art. She lives and works in Oberaargau, Canton of Bern, where she maintains her studio and teaching practice.
Her artistic work is grounded in an extensive international education, including study residencies at EncausticCastle (USA), the Burren College of Arts (Ireland), and the Academy of Fine Arts in Kolbermoor (Germany), as well as advanced training in Switzerland. Continuous professional development through workshops in Switzerland, Germany, England, and the United States has shaped her distinctive artistic language.
Alongside her studio practice, Ursi Lysser is deeply engaged in art education. She teaches at the Etter Art Academy in Germany and leads courses and workshops in schools and independent studio settings. Her commitment to knowledge exchange is further reflected in her role as founder and board member of several art initiatives and professional networks in Switzerland and Europe.
Ursi Lysser is the author of the German and English workbook Encaustic – Painting with Fire & Wax and a regular contributor to international encaustic publications. Her work and writings have been featured in digital and print editions of International Encaustic Artists and Encaustic Magazine. She is a member of the Swiss Society of Women Artists (SGBK), International Encaustic Artists, and European Encaustic Artists.
You can view Ursi’s work at:
Class Details
Layers of Time
Inspired by ancient inscriptions we build surfaces in wax
This workshop approaches painting as an evolving terrain rather than a finished image. Working with encaustic on wooden substrates, we construct and disrupt layered surfaces using pit lime, stencils, rust, heat, water, and time.
Layers are built, scarred, dissolved, and partially erased. The surface is pushed, stressed, and exposed — like an old wall shaped by decades of rain, wind, and human passage. Cracks open, fragments collapse, traces remain. What appears is not planned, but revealed.
Chance plays an essential role. Materials react unpredictably; control is negotiated rather than imposed. Participants are encouraged to work experimentally, allowing erosion, tension, and material memory to guide the process. The result is a surface that feels inhabited — carrying the quiet imprint of countless unseen moments, like a wall passed by thousands who never stop to look.
This workshop is about trusting process, embracing imperfection, and discovering depth without leaving the plane of painting. It is an invitation to slow down, to listen to materials, and to let surfaces speak.
