Encaustic is an ancient technique of making paintings with hot, pigmented wax. Using a heated pallet and other tools, the surface of the painting is scraped, gouged, and may contain embedded objects. Unlike my oil paintings built in stages, encaustic requires a more intuitive, dynamic process.
These paintings are the result of five weeks spent experimenting with encaustic paint (pigmented, hot wax) at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA. I was excited about the opportunity to immerse myself in a studio experience with out the usual life distractions, and decided that during the 5-week period, I would work in an unfamiliar medium. My intention in doing this was to challenge myself and the method in which I use oil paint, with an unfamiliar medium known for it’s immediacy.