What is Encaustic

Encaustic is a wax medium made from bee’s wax, damar resin, and pigment which is heated to melting, painted onto a substrate in layers and fused in between layers with a torch. By playing with the layering of colors, the heat and application of the wax, I am able to create a sense of depth and luminosity that is hard to emulate with other mediums.

Working with a medium that is fluid in one moment and solid in another has been a practice of patience and experimentation. Learning how to get the paint to flow just how I want, and knowing when to embrace the medium’s desire to do what it wants is a delicate balancing act and when it works it’s just magical.

Encaustic can be used to paint in any style from abstract to realistic, combined with other materials, and even used sculpturally. Because the medium has such broad capabilities, I have found myself working in series, choosing an idea or concept and seeing just how far and in how many ways a can push the idea.

Click on the series above to see more paintings.