Encaustic painting, also known as hot wax painting, involves using heated beeswax, damar resin and pure colored pigments, creating a jewel-like effect with translucent glazes that add an aged patina. Applied to a surface such as prepared wood or canvas, the result is a rich, vibrant, textural work of art which can be endlessly manipulated.
Encaustic allows you to incorporate a wide variety of media and the wax takes on a life of its own — which is not repeatable from one piece to another. While many people associate encaustic art with melting crayons as a young child, the art form is actually thousands of years old. Invented by the ancient Greeks and Egyptians, encaustic is Greek for “burnt in”. Several museums and art galleries have historical examples of encaustic art from places like ancient Egypt and medieval Europe.
The advent of electricity has made it easy to control the heat of tools, but in Ancient times, when encaustic was first used, the heat source was charcoal. The Greeks, Romans and Egyptians would melt the mixture of beeswax and damar resin (or dammar, a hard resin from conifers that is used in making varnish) over this heat source and blend the ingredients. Once the wax formula was molten, the colored pigments could be introduced, mainly earth pigments. Using natural hair brushes, the wax color was then quickly painted about 3mm thick onto a wooden surface.
To make the encaustic medium today, you combine beeswax with resins, such as copal, dammar and linseed oil. Dry pigments are then added to the mixture. Many encaustic artists use blocks of wax which have already been dyed, but it is also possible to purchase pure pigments for the purpose of coloring your own wax. Some companies also offer wax paints which are in a semi-liquid form, for artists who do not want to use melting irons.
Once the mixture is right, heat must be applied to make the encaustic medium fluid enough to apply. The melted wax is daubed onto a sturdy backing and then spread as desired. 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, or it can be allowed to cool so that the wax can be carved. In either case, the texture of the finished work can be altered, allowing artists to work and rework it until they are satisfied with the end product.
Encaustic is a demanding organic medium which engages the artist in a process of controlled accidents with unpredictable results that can be selectively enhanced. The wax colors, alive in their vibrancy, add an exciting dimension to color. Nearly a lost art, the use of beeswax for painting lasting images that span over 2,000 years confirms that this use of a wonderful natural product is here to stay.
The following video tutorials from encaustic artist Michael Bossom will get you started. If you can iron a T-shirt, you can create an encaustic masterpiece!