Encaustic is a beeswax-based paint that is kept melted on a heated palette. It is applied to a surface and reheated to fuse the paint into a uniform enamel-like finish. The word encaustic comes from Greek and means to burn in, which refers to the process of fusing the paint.
Greek artists as far back as the 5th century BC used encaustic painting. The best known of all encaustic works are the Fayum funeral portraits painted in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD by Greek painters in Egypt. These portraits of the deceased were placed over the person’s mummy as a memorial. Many of these paintings have survived to our own time and their color is as fresh as any recently completed work.
The durability of encaustic is due to the fact that beeswax is impervious to moisture. It can be polished to a high gloss; it can be modeled, sculpted, textured, combined with collage materials, oil paints and many other mediums. It cools immediately, so there is no drying time, yet the paint can always be reworked by being reheated. Encaustic paints are applied with brushes, palette knives or by pouring the melted paint. The paint can be fused or reheated with a variety of heating implements, such as hot air guns, heat lamps, heated spatulas or torches.
Greek artists as far back as the 5th century BC used encaustic painting. The best known of all encaustic works are the Fayum funeral portraits painted in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD by Greek painters in Egypt. These portraits of the deceased were placed over the person’s mummy as a memorial. Many of these paintings have survived to our own time and their color is as fresh as any recently completed work.
The durability of encaustic is due to the fact that beeswax is impervious to moisture. It can be polished to a high gloss; it can be modeled, sculpted, textured, combined with collage materials, oil paints and many other mediums. It cools immediately, so there is no drying time, yet the paint can always be reworked by being reheated. Encaustic paints are applied with brushes, palette knives or by pouring the melted paint. The paint can be fused or reheated with a variety of heating implements, such as hot air guns, heat lamps, heated spatulas or torches.