Encaustic Art - History and Care 

The art of encaustic painting goes back to the time of Roman rule in Egypt where portraits in wax covered Mummies upon burial.

 

Nowadays, layers of wax are fused with heat between each layer.  This hardens the wax and, when buffed with a clean dry cloth produces a wonderful shine.

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​I make my encaustic wax from locally sourced natural beeswax and damar resin (a resin obtained from trees in India and East Asia.) 

I use recycled timbers such as Rimu and Macrocarpa.  I saw, sand, drill and burn to try and expose their forgotten beauty. 

I also use recycled cardboard and papers to form substrates.  I 'magpie' pieces of interest to add, which may includes photos taken, or discarded treasures from salvage yards. ​

 

Store at normal room temperature.  Avoid freezing and extremely hot temperatures.  Wax will melt at 150 deg C.  Keep out of direct sunlight.​​​