Waxing Poetic: Encaustic Art

Waxing Poetic: Encaustic Art
By: Eileen Bergen
http://www.theartfulcrafter.com

Encaustic painting, also known as hot wax painting,
involves using heated beeswax to which resins and colored
pigments are added. This results in a paste like meduim
which is applied to a surface such as prepared wood or
canvas.

Encaustic painting methods were invented by the ancient
Greeks and Egyptians. The word is Greek for “burnt in”. A
reason for its popularity was the durability of the finish
when dry. It resists atmospheric conditions and was used to
protect sculptures.

However it was almost a lost art form until recently.

To make the encaustic medium, you combine beeswax with resins,
such as copal, dammar and linseed oil. Dry pigments are then
added to the mixture. Each artist develops his own special
mixture to best suit his technique or style.

Once the mixture is right, heat must be applied to make the
encaustic medium fluid enough to apply. The proper application
of heat is what makes encaustic so difficult to master.

Electric hot plates, irons, heat lamps and even flame torches
are used to fuse the encaustic mixture to the canvas and to
allow the surface to be manipulated. Many artists maintain it
takes up to two years of determined experimentation to get the
process perfected. It’s not surprising that there are not many
artists using encaustic techniques today.

Encaustic is a demanding organic medium which engages the artist
in a process of controlled accidents with unpredictable results
that can be selectively enhanced.

It is a medium that provides a seductive skin that is unusually
malleable and changeable. It can evoke sensations and emotions of
transformation, religious ritual, history and the passage of time
in the hands of an accomplished artist.

Encaustic is a truly introspective art form.

For examples of encaustic art, please visit
http://www.theartful crafter.com/encaustic.html

By: Eileen Bergen
The Artful Crafter
http://www.theartfulcrafter.com