about encaustic

encaustic is an ancient, beautiful, and highly versatile paint comprised of pigmented beeswax and a hardening agent. it is applied molten to an absorbent surface, and then fused (re - melted) to create a wide variety of effects. unlike other paints, encaustic is never wet or dry - it changes from a molten to solid state and back again in seconds. it can be polished to a high gloss, carved, scraped, layered, collaged, dipped, cast, modeled, sculpted, textured and combined with oil.

 

after it is properly cured, a process that takes roughly 45 days after the painting is completed, it wil last for generations.

 

encaustic originated in the 5th century b.c.e. when greeks used encaustic to weatherproof their ships. greeks in egypt added color and ornamentation to create the fayum funeral portraits in 1st and 2nd centuries a.d. an encaustic portrait of the deceased was placed over the person's mummy as a memorial. many of these pieces still exist.

in the great period of economic instability that followed the decline of the roman empire, encaustic fell into disuse. there have been attempts to revive encaustic, including jasper johns mixed media “flag”, but it remains an obscure art form.