THE MAGICAL MEDIUM
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No I am not talking about someone clairvoyant, I am talking about ancient artistic medium that has originated with ancient Greeks over 3000 years ago. The two main ingredients in encaustic are damar resin and beeswax. Damar resin is used in crystal form and it is a sap from a tree found in Malaysia. It is one of the most sustainable resins around due to its cultivation techniques that do not impact the tree. When beeswax and damar resin are melted together, it makes beeswax harder, more durable and it elevates the melting temperature of beeswax to 200F/93C. Damar resin is non toxic, but it's still advisable to have an adequate ventilation, however it is not required to wear a respirator. When working with encaustic medium, an artist uses heat to fuse it, so we work with Hot & Cold instead of traditional Wet & Dry. When mixed with pigments, encaustic becomes coloured wax-based paint. Encaustic must be applied to a rigid and absorbent surface, such as wood. It cannot be used on a canvas, since it is flexible, it will cause the wax to break, crack and flake off. In ancient times encaustic was used for painting portraits and scenes of mythology on panels, for colouring of marble and terra cotta, for work on ivory and to caulk ship hulls. Today Encaustic is still relatively unknown as an art medium, but it is starting gain more popularity among artists due to its translucency, versatility and as for me, it's just magic.