About Encaustic Painting

            Encaustic (melted wax) painting dates back to ancient Greece and Egypt.  The word encaustic means “burning in”.  Melted beeswax is mixed with pigment and a resin like Dammar crystals is usually added.  Generally encaustic paintings are done on a specially prepared wooden panel, however a variety of surfaces such as paper or canvas can be used.   Encaustic paint is one of the most beautiful and durable forms of paint.  It will not yellow plus age and moisture have little or no affect on it.  Ancient Greek artists from as long ago as the 5th century BCE used encaustic paint for a wide variety of applications such as murals and tiles.  Fayum funeral portraits are the best known encaustic works from ancient times. Greek artists working in Egypt from the 1st through 3rd centuries CE painted funeral portraits that were entombed with the person's mummy.    Artists of our time, such as  Diego Rivera and Jasper Johns, have used encaustic paint.  An endless number of innovative applications and textures can be achieved through encaustic paint. 

            The basic technique involves two different ways of applying the wax.  The layers of wax are built up and fused together with heat.  The panel can be slightly warmed to allow the artist to fuse the layers of paint immediately.  When the panel is cool and warm  brush strokes are applied the top layer “freezes” immediately.  Then the final “burning in” is done and the layers are fused.  Some of the basic tools used for this are heat guns and irons.  Specialty tools can also be used and devised.  One of the great advantages of encaustic paint is that it doesn't dry it cools in minutes.  This allows for the artist to immediately apply other layers or easily make changes.  The finished work can then be polished to the desired sheen.

            Encaustic paint medium (beeswax and resin with no pigment) is also an excellent collage medium and allows the artist to include a variety of collage techniques.  Combining encaustic paint medium with different materials, such as photographs, different types of paper, and found objects creates a very permanent collage.  Encaustic paint is a wonderfully flexible media and allows the artist great freedom to explore an endless number of different visual and textural effects.