Amanda Jolley: Intro to Encaustic

Encaustic is an art medium involving melted wax and a heated palette. Painting with encaustic involves applying the molten medium or paint (a mix of beeswax and damar resin with pigment added for paint) to a substrate while the wax is fluid. The wax is fused with heat and then cools to a solid state. While encaustic may be approached like traditional painting, the wax also maintains sculptural qualities, inviting marks, carving, and texture that may not be acquired with other mediums. The paint can be opaque or translucent, allowing the viewer to look deep into the painting and the layers beneath.

In this workshop, we will learn the basics of encaustic painting including:

History
Safe practices
Making medium
Mixing paint
Fusing
Creating a smooth surface
Creating layers
Creating texture
Scraping
Incising
Mark making
Exploring additional applications