It is, simply put, painting with pigmented beeswax, with a little resin tossed in for durability. The 5th century Greeks called this technique enkaustikos, meaning "to burn in."

I apply melted wax to a wooden panel with a brush or knife, then fuse it with a heat gun. It cools almost immediately and I can add another layer. In this way I build up layer upon layer, scraping down or scratching into the layers to reveal color surprises.

Encaustic is perhaps the most beautiful paint ever known. When cool, it creates a jewel like surface, which can be buffed with a cloth to a high sheen. When you touch it it seems to touch you back--there is a warm responsiveness as if you had touched something living.  It IS alive in a sense, because t is an organic substance. Completed paintings exude a subtle scent of warm honey.

It is also the most durable of all artists’ paints, since wax is impervious to moisture and will not yellow or darken with age.

Encaustics Gallery