The Enaustic Collection and other paintings

Encaustic is a wax based paint that is either kept molten on a heated palette or melted by a low voltage applicator and applied to a surface and reheated to fuse the paint into a uniform enamel-like finish. Encaustic paint is made from beeswax, resin, and pigment. The ancient Greeks developed encaustic over 2,000 years ago. The word encaustic derives from the Greek word “enkaustikos”, meaning “to heat” or “to burn”. The wax layers of an encaustic painting need to be “burned in”. This simply means fusing the layers of wax together with heat to ensure that the different layers of wax are bonded together and will not flake apart. One of the joys of encaustic art is its luminosity. Layers of pigmented wax deliver colour in a way no other medium can, for as light passes through those layers and is reflected back up to the surface, the painting is actually illuminated from within. To melt the wax, the artist uses heating trays, a heat gun, an iron and a blow torch to manipulate the wax once it is on the surface. Because the wax begins to solidify once it leaves its heat source it must be placed quickly and the painting cools within minutes. Once the surface has cooled, encaustic paints present a permanent lustrous enamel appearance, yet the painting can be revised and reworked at any time. The process of heating and cooling sets up a dynamic of chaos and control unlike that of any other painting medium. Encaustic paints are perhaps the most durable form of painting, evidenced by the Faiyûm mummy portraits in Egypt, which have survived over 2000 years without cracking, flaking, or fading. Wax has several inherent qualities that allow it to withstand the test of time: it is a natural adhesive; it is moisture resistant, mildew and fungus resistant. Wax paint also does not contain solvents or oils so they will not darken or yellow with age, leaving the painting as fresh as the day it was painted.