Do you provide collectors with encaustic care instructions? I’m sure that we have all had questions about how wax will stand up to heat and humidity. There will always be people who presume that encaustic is more fragile than other fine art mediums. It is good to reassure them with the knowledge that some ancient encaustic… Read more Encaustic Care Instructions | Free Download
Disclosure: Kama Pigments sent me free encaustic paints to review for this post. Commercially available encaustic paints I usually make my own encaustic medium, I haven’t very often used ready-made encaustic paints. But, I must say, the highly-pigmented encaustic paints I received from Kama Pigments are luscious! I also love that Kama Pigments is a Canadian company. 🇨🇦… Read more Encaustic Paints by Kama Pigments
Disclosure: Diamond Core Tools sent me two free tools to review. Artists painting with encaustic use clay tools for scraping, incising and carving into the wax. Thanks to this Instagram video from Cathy Nichols I discovered Zebratools by Diamond Core Tools! Diamond Core Tools is a manufacturer of high-quality tools for ceramic artists. I am so happy to introduce… Read more Encaustic Carving & Incising Tools
Is encaustic toxic? With adequate ventilation and a working temperature that is under 200°F, encaustic is a safe medium to work with. It is important to use a thermometer to keep a check on your temperature. Encaustic fumes, when released at a safe temperature, are not considered dangerous. Yet, all wax mediums, when heated, do… Read more Venting your Encaustic Studio
Cold wax painting does not use the encaustic painting process Encaustic is the name for both a wax painting medium and a painting process that uses heat to apply and fuse the medium. Encaustic painting uses heat at every stage of the painting process. The name encaustic literally means “to burn”. Cold wax medium is… Read more Cold Wax is not encaustic
Disclosure: Paula Roland sent me a free copy of her DVD to review for this post. Encaustic Monotypes | Paula Roland’s instructional DVD Encaustic Monotypes Painterly Prints with Heat and Wax is a beautiful instructional DVD by Paula Roland. In 2011 I took an encaustic monotype printmaking workshop in Toronto, this DVD was the refresher course… Read more Encaustic Monotypes Painterly Prints with Heat and Wax | Paula Roland
What are Wax Emulsion Water-Soluble Paints? Water-soluble wax paints are tube paints comprised of pigments in a wax binder. Although the manufacturers are branding them as encaustic paints they are better described as wax emulsion tube paint that can be an interesting complement to encaustic. Wax emulsion tube paints allow encaustic artists to experience a more… Read more Using Ceracolors with Encaustic | Water-Soluble Wax Emulsion Tube Paint
Sourcing Stencils for Encaustic Painting When using stencils in encaustic art it is important to create or purchase stencils that work well with heat. If you don’t use a heat-resistant stencil, your stencil will melt! Artist Lynda Ray sells heat tolerant silicone encaustic stencils from her Etsy shop. Her fabulous stencils are designed specifically for encaustic painting.… Read more Using Stencils in Encaustic Painting
With the turn of a new year, like many others, I take time to reflect on the year that has past and to set goals and to dream for the year ahead. Reflecting on the Past Year This year, instead of sitting down to write out my reflections on 2017, I painted. Encaustic Paper Scrolls… Read more Happy New Year! Encaustic Scrolls with Calendar pages
A few people have asked me about a technique that I’ve been using this year. I call it Encaustic Ribbons. I’m sure other encaustic artists have done the same thing before but I hadn’t seen it done anywhere. I stumbled upon this encaustic ribbon technique quite by accident. I took a painting that I wasn’t… Read more Encaustic Ribbons | 3-D Strips of Wax
Encaustic Diptych Workshop Notes: Last weekend I created an encaustic diptych at an abstract-landscape diptych workshop put on by Waxworks Encaustics with artist Dania Al-Obaidi. Here are my notes and additional research and reflections about working on two panels. What is a diptych? A diptych (pronounced “diptik“) is when two panels are used to create one work… Read more Encaustic Diptych | Painting on two panels
Painting photographs with encaustic opens up another whole world of possibilities! Photographers can take their art to a new level adding more interest and texture to their pictures. “Photographers are increasingly discovering the potential of combining photography and wax. Given the importance of light in photography, it seems a natural marriage, since wax refracts light in… Read more Encaustic Photography Tutorial | Painting Photographs