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
Collecting, Pressing, and Organizing Dried Flowers and Foliage for Encaustic Collage Last weekend I shared an encaustic griddle with artist Denise Callaghan. Denise brought with her to the workshop a large binder filled with dried flowers for encaustic collage. Her binder is beautiful—pages and pages of pressed and dried flowers and foliage. Denise kindly gave… Read more Encaustic Collage with dried flowers and foliage
Encaustic is an ideal medium for assemblage, mixed media, collage painting. Encaustic wax can both preserve and adhere collage elements to artwork. 5 Rules for Encaustic Collage / Mixed Media / Assemblage Here are five guidelines for adding collage elements to an encaustic painting: Ensure that your ground is rigid and absorbent. Encaustic painting on… Read more Encaustic and Collage / Mixed Media / Assemblage
Unlock your Creativity | Start Copying As I explore creativity in my own life, I have been reading Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You about Being Creative by Austin Kleon. In this book, Kleon isn’t suggesting that we plagiarize or break the law, but he does give us permission to look at the work of… Read more Exploring Creativity | How to Steal Like an Artist without plagiarizing