Encaustic

The use of encaustic dates back 4,000 years to the ancient Greeks who caulked and decorated their wooden boats with it. A thousand years later in Egypt, during Roman rule, mummy masks were popular.These masks were executed in encaustic while the subjects were alive and then placed over their faces after mummification. The Fayum Portraits are famously intact.

The word encaustic derives from the Greek “enkaustikos” meaning to burn in, referring to the fact that the layers of wax have to be heated in order to meld together. Different effects can be created depending on the amount of heat applied.

I make my own encaustic waxes though commercial products are available. I line up as many small tins (tuna or cat food are good) as can fit on a griddle. First I melt the wax, then add powder or oil pigment for colour. I’ve purchased hot pink powders in Mexico, indigo in Vietnam and the yellow ochre of the walls of the old city in Marrakech plus a number of other powders from each of these countries. The last step in preparing the medium is to add resin for hardness and durability.

As soon as the melted wax hits the cool surface of the painting board it begins to harden. I add layer after layer of colour, building up the surface. After a few layers I turn on the heat gun.

Encaustic offers many possibilities for experimentation – one can carve it, embed things, add oil paint or images, transfer onto it; drip, dribble or scrape; the surface can be smooth or rough. It’s all in how one manipulates the medium.