Encaustic Art

Encaustic comes from the Greek word meaning “to heat” or “to burn in.” This ancient medium uses a mixture of natural beeswax and damar resin (a crystallized tree sap), which is heated and applied to a surface in molten form. I’m especially drawn to the wax’s luminous, translucent quality.

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Working with encaustic means everything is hot—the palette is a heated surface, and only natural-bristle brushes can be used (synthetic ones melt). A heat gun or torch is used to fuse each layer of wax, and while the wax is still warm, objects can be embedded into it. I also use tools like electric batik pens and small irons to add texture and detail.

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India ink, pan pastels, photo transfers, and a variety of drawing materials allow me to build rich, layered compositions—each one truly unique.

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