I have dabbled and experimented in many different styles and mediums. From creating ocean-inspired décor pieces with fabric and driftwood, to painting with acrylic, and assembling mixed media collages with vintage paper, found objects and acrylic mediums. And lately, I’m integrating all of these things into encaustic paintings with hot wax. 

What is Encaustic Painting?
Encaustic painting is an ancient media using natural and pigmented beeswax. Dammar resin is used to help stabilize it.  The process involves using both clear and pigmented hot wax to paint, and then heat to fuse each layer.  

Subtrates (Surface)
Because the wax needs to have something to grab hold of, in order to establish a solid foundation on which to build with more wax and additional elements, the surface needs to be absorbent or porous. This means that I cannot use my beloved acrylic mediums and paints since they are not compatible. (I still do very minimally – if it doesn’t impact the integrity of the encaustic artwork.) 

With encaustics, the surface also needs to be rigid or hard. The rigidity helps prevent ripples and waves from cracking the surface of the completed artwork. This means that I haven’t been using large stretched canvases for my encaustic paintings.  My primary substrate of choice, lately, has been cradled wood art panels. (This creates a need for me to make room in the garage for a table saw, so I can build very large cradled wood panels.) 

Encaustic Medium, Paints and Pigments
I make my own encaustic medium (a blend of clear beeswax and damar resin) and encaustic paints used in my paintings. I also use pan pastels, India Ink, watercolor, and oil sticks (which are composed of beeswax, linseed oil, and pigment. I like the Pigment Sticks brand made by R&F).

The many layers give the encaustic painting a translucent, romantic, ethereal and intriguing quality. 

My Collage Assembly and Painting Process
I start with an idea sketch, and then mostly go on faith and intuition around the story that I’m trying to convey. I go into a meditative state when creating encaustic mixed media art pieces. The process and completed art work is very mesmerizing. This journey in exploring, discovering, stretching new limits with encaustic artwork connects deeply with my heart and spirit. 

Storytelling with Found and Reclaimed Objects
I layer a wide variety of found and recycled materials in all of my mixed media work. I enjoy recycling them into my artwork to help create interesting background and foreground, honor memories, and to add otherwise intriguing effects in the piece.

Found materials that I frequently use are: Vintage paper such as tissue paper, newspapers, maps, letters, paper bags, postage stamps, puzzles, music sheets, travel brochures, magazines, corrugated cardboard, laces, fabrics, cheesecloth, nettings, film strips, rusty metal, screws, nails, rivets, sea glass, sea fans, and anything else to see what would go with the story in the painting.

With encaustic medium, I see, hear and feel deeper meanings into each of my subject matter. Each artwork echoes a narrative. The hidden depths in each art piece tells a redemptive, compelling and powerful story through the embedded materials and multiple layers of translucent wax. 

For me, encaustic is very seductive.  All the media and found objects that I have worked with come together magnificently with encaustic. This medium opens up, far and wide, the possibilities of creative expression using wax.