About Encaustic Painting
Encaustic painting also known as hot wax painting is a form of painting that involves a heated wax medium to which colored pigments have been added. Encaustic mediums are commonly a mix of beeswax and damar resin (tree resin). Torches and other methods of applying heat are used by artists to fuse and bind the medium, allowing me to scrape, shape, layer and sculpt the wax. Each painting has a texture and a voice!
A brief history of encaustic painting
The word encaustic originates from Ancient Greeks, and means "burning in". The oldest surviving encaustic panel paintings are the Romano-Egyptian Fayum Mummy Portraits from Egypt, around 100-300 AD. But it was a very common technique in Ancient Greek and Roman painting.
Here I'm working with a hot plate, melted wax and heated brushes. The wax gets applied to the painting, and fused in with either a torch or heat gun.The layers come ups from behind and form fascinating colors and shapes.
