History

Encaustic is a Greek word meaning “to heat or burn in” (enkaustikos). Encaustic paint is a combination of beeswax, pigment, and a small amount of dammar resin. Encaustic art was popular in the 19th Century and has seen a resurgence since the 1990s.

My work combines painting, collage, and sculpture and is about making mistakes and charting new paths. The process includes brushing layers of wax and color on wood or paper, fusing with a heat gun or torch, scraping and carving, and discovering the beauty and often unpredictable behavior of wax. As the medium is heated and cooled, it takes on new forms and creates unexpected movements and marks, bubbling and blending to tell its own story.

The Process:

1)    Prepare the substrate.
I prefer wood panels, but also use watercolor paper, masonite panels, and really anything that’s absorbent. Typically, I tape my sides for a clean and unfinished look. Depending on my plan, I sometimes gesso the surface so that either black or white will appear upon scraping.

2)    Heat and mix encaustic medium on a griddle.
Sometimes, I mix my own but usually I opt for a ready-made encaustic mix. I usually have the heat at about 200°F and have my windows open and fan on for ventilation.

3)    Paint on the wax.
I use natural hair paintbrushes (usually horse) for encaustic, as synthetic ones will melt.

4)    Fuse every layer.

This means applying heat after every layer of encaustic is painted; my tools consist of a heat gun, blow torch, or heat iron. This is important to lock in each dreamy layer and keep it from cracking in the future.

5)    Scraping and carving.
Clay tools work well for scraping or carving the wax. Depending on the desired texture, you can use pretty much anything and painters tape is great for separating colors.

6)    Adding other elements.
I use a lot of photo transfers, pigment sticks, alcohol inks, and gold leaf in my work, but have also played around with metal, beads, fabric, using stencils, leaves and branches…the sky is the limit!

7)    Finishing touches.
After the work is done, you can remove the tape from around the edges and touch up the sides and smooth out any blemishes. I also like to put my painting in the refrigerator for a few minutes to cool it off before I buff it. Buffing it brings out the natural sheen of the resin.