ENCAUSTIC is a paint made up of beeswax, damar resin and
pigment. To be used, it must be melted, and kept molten on a
heated palette. The wax is painted quickly onto a firm, porous
surface, such as wood or masonite, where it hardens
immediately. The paint strokes must then be heated again and
remelted in order to fuse each layer of paint to the layer
below. I use a hot air gun to do this. The painting is built up
in this way, layer by layer. The word “encaustic”
comes from Greek, meaning to heat or to burn in, referring to
this process of fusing the paint. III
One of the joys of encaustic is its
luminosity. Layers of pigmented wax deliver color in a way no
other medium can, since light passes through those layers and
is reflected back up to the surface, so the painting appears
illuminated from within. III
Encaustic is the most versatile of
artists’ paints. It can be polished to an enamel-like
finish, or left matte. It can be sculpted, textured, or
combined with collage materials which, when embedded into the
wax, won’t deteriorate. It cools and hardens immediately,
so there is no ‘drying’ time, yet it can always be
reworked by heating it again. It can be ‘erased’ by
simply scraping off the paint. Encaustic is more durable than
oil paint since wax is impervious to moisture, it will not
yellow or darken. Encaustic paintings do not have to be
varnished or protected by glass. However, they do need to be
kept from extreme heat or cold, as with any work of art. III
