Jacquie's Class on Encaustic Painting

Encaustic Painting…. I have taken two classes (hope to take a third before retreat) from a wonderful local artist, Tristina Dietz-Elmes on Encaustic Painting and fell in love with the medium. Encaustic painting is hot wax painting. Heated beeswax and colored pigments are used to paint on a number of surfaces. The technique dates back to 100 AD; it is one of the oldest forms. Those masterpieces survive today. Encaustic painting is considered one of the most archival painting techniques, since the wax doesn't become brittle and crack over time. Although it hardens, you can go back and re-work it years later. Because the wax remains malleable, the painting needs to be done with on a hard surface such as panel rather than canvas. Tristina told us that the Greek shipbuilders developed Encaustic to paint their boats and make them waterproof. Today we use the art form in mixed media art. In class we will be using a mixture of bees wax mixed with damar resin. I have purchased each of you three different panels to work; I will also teach you how to transfer a photo onto watercolor paper. If I am able to take Tristina’s third class I will teach you how to do other transfers as well. I think you will all be able to use this in your journal pages, project life and ATC exchanges. I have shared three samples of my work with Tristina Dietz-Elmes. If you want to see some videos of encaustic painting (for those over achievers…) go to www.rfpaints.com and check out Encaustic Monotypes by Paula Roland; Encaustic Paper by Diana Woolf, Judy Stabile, Wendy Aiken; and, Encaustic Collage by Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch. Can’t wait to share what I have learned….