Encaustic art
Encaustic painting.Encaustic means : \"to burn in\"
This is a process of applying molten wax colours to a surface for the creation of images, decoration and so forth. It started over two thousand years ago. Excellent examples are the famous Fayum portaits whose colours retain their clarity and vibrancy today. The medium was revived in 1950\'s by Jasper Johns and work is becoming more and more popular today although there are still very few true encaustic artists.
I use a heated palette and brushes to apply the was. As with all my art media I only use top quality materials as I want my art to look as good in 200 years as it does today. The paintings are unvarnished, needing only an occasional polish with a soft cloth to bring back the depth of shine, almost a glass like look. The wax will harden over time until they only need a quick shine perhaps once per year. They cannot be appreciated through the medium of a computer, and really need to be seen to give the full richness of colour and depth of sheen. They also smell wonderful! ( I have had a problem with bees flying into the studio and settling in the box of waxes...)
Encaustic paintings, like all fine artwork should never be hung in direct sunlight. For those people worried about melting, wax melts at 130c – in the words of a famous American encaustic artist “ If my art is melting in your home – you have a bigger problem, your house is on fire”