What is Encaustic?

Encaustic is a Greek word meaning “to heat or burn in” (enkaustikos). Heat is used throughout the process, from melting the beeswax and varnish to fusing the layers of wax. Encaustic consists of natural bees wax and damar resin (crystallized tree sap). The medium can be used alone for its transparency or adhesive qualities or used pigmented. Pigments may be added to the medium, or purchased colored with traditional artist pigments. The medium is melted and applied with a brush or any tool the artist wishes to create from. Each layer is then reheated to fuse it to the previous layer.
History of Encaustic

Encaustic painting is an ancient technique, dating back to the Greeks, who used wax to caulk ship hulls. Pigmenting the wax gave rise to the decorating of warships. The use of encaustic on panels rivaled the use of tempera in what are the earliest known portable easel paintings. Tempera was a faster, cheaper process. Encaustic was a slow, difficult technique, but the paint could be built up in relief, and the wax gave a rich optical effect to the pigment. These characteristics made the finished work startlingly life-like. Moreover, encaustic had far greater durability than tempera, which was vulnerable to moisture. Perhaps the best known of all encaustic work are the Fayum funeral portraits painted in the 1st through 3rd centuries A.D. by Greek painters in Egypt. A portrait of the deceased painted either in the prime of life or after death, was placed over the person’s mummy as a memorial. These are the only surviving encaustic works from ancient times. It is notable how fresh the color has remained due to the protection of the wax.

The 20th century has seen a rebirth of encaustic on a major scale. It is an irony of our modern age, with its emphases on advanced technology, that a painting technique as ancient and involved as encaustic should receive such widespread interest.

Care of Encaustic Art

These paintings are extremely archival, but as with any fine art, care should be given to them. It takes two months for the painting to ‘cure’ and completely harden for optimal safety. There should be no fear of the work melting in normal household conditions. The wax and resin will not melt unless exposed to temperatures over 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Leaving a painting in a car on a hot or freezing day would not be advisable nor hanging a painting in front of a window with direct sun.
Like chocolate, encaustic ‘blooms’ or appears matte over time because everything in the painting is living and breathing. If your painting appears flat and you do not like the look, See buffing notes below. The wax medium continues to cure and harden for up to 1-3 years.
— info Courtesy of the Encaustic Art Institute, http://www.eainm.com

Buffing Encaustic Art

You can buff your painting from a matte surface to a shine. For the Shellscapes Collection I like to shine just parts of the painting to reflect the qualities in a shell that are both matte and shiny. Otherwise, you can buff the entire piece with a tightly woven, non-linty cloth, free of a textural pattern or a nylon stocking. It is best to buff when the surface is cooler so mornings tend to be better. The shine will go back to matte over a matter of time, so do not worry if you decide you like one option better, as you can always buff it again. The older the painting the longer the surface retains its shine. Remember, the surface of the painting takes two months to fully harden so be careful while handling.

Buffing video coming soon!

View my encaustic art here:

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