Will It Melt?

.

Encaustic painting is the process by which melted wax (beeswax and in modern times, microcrystalline) is mixed into a molten state with oil pigment (dry, in sticks or in tubes). It is a tool-laden painting technique which relies on blowtorches, heat guns, irons and carving tools in addition to the traditional paintbrush.

Encaustic painting has a long history and is understood to have originated with Grecian shipbuilders who used beeswax to caulk the joints and hulls of their ships. It is believed that these ancient builders then took to pigmenting the wax as noted in the writing of Homer 800 B.C in references to the painted warships sailing into Troy. Artists from the fifth and fourth centuries B.C. also used beeswax mixed with pigment on marble sculptures. The best preserved ancient encaustic works are the famous Fayum mummy portraits which date back to Greco-Roman Egypt from about 100 B.C. to A.D. 200. These head and shoulder wax portraits, numbering more than 600, were set into mummy cases designed to transport the bodies of the deceased to a spiritual afterlife. Considering this history, it is no surprise the word encaustic comes from the Greek “enkaustikos” which means, “to burn in”.

Today, encaustic painting is undergoing a revival primarily due to its visual and physical properties and the range of colour and texture possibilities. Gail Stavitsky explains this versatility of the medium in Waxing Poetic :

“ Encaustic’s contradictory aspects-opaque/translucent, hot/cold, liquid/solid, thick/thin, immediate/enduring – attest to its unique potential to embody many phenomena at once.”

Although a graduate of the University of Toronto with a bachelor’s degree in Fine Art History and Studio Art, my own training in encaustic began with a Saturday workshop at the Ontario College of Art and Design. This introduction to the technique was followed by further instruction at the Haliburton School of the Arts. Previously I had only painted in acrylic, as I disliked the messiness and long drying time of oil. Yet I remained frustrated that I was unable to attain the depth of colour and texture that was inherent in oil painting. It was in the encaustic medium that I found the perfect solution to my creative dilemma.

In preparing to paint with encaustic, the first step involves the heating of your palette. For this process, I use a thick piece of anodized aluminum that sits atop a hot plate. In my city studio, I use a deep fryer and in my studio in the country, I have the luxury of a stove whereby I begin to melt down the wax. My board is either raw rigid wood or wood wrapped in raw canvas. The first layer of wax is applied unpigmented and is absorbed directly into the surface. I fuse the wax with the surface by using a heat gun or blowtorch. Once the first layer is applied, I begin to mix the pigment and melted wax together on my heated palette of blended colours in the same way other artists use a regular palette. I continue to apply layer after layer, each time fusing the top layer to the one beneath with heating utensils mentioned above, including the possible addition of various irons. It is during this final stage that one can witness the short drying time of encaustic painting. The wax cools within seconds and remains dry to the touch as the oil pigment is encased in the wax.

And now, to address the question...“ Will it melt?”

My answer would be that it would take extreme heat to harm an encaustic painting. Wax melts at 150 degrees. If your encaustic painting is melting in your home, you have a bigger problem than a damaged painting. Your house is on fire. Proper care for an encaustic painting involves periodic light dusting of its surface with a lint-free cotton cloth. The painting should also not be kept in areas of extreme temperatures, freezing or excessive heat. Having said that , one should not put any fine art in direct sunlight, whether there is potential for it to melt or not.

The subject matter of my current work are Ontario landscapes, specifically Prince Edward County whereby I live part time. The rolling fields, the glistening lakes, and the snow-topped trees combined with the colours of the changing seasons provide me with endless inspiration. My favourite and most well known pieces are images of the birch tree. I have always been moved by the birch tree’s graceful linear shape and unusual bark. In traditional folklore, the birch tree is credited with many medicinal healing properties ranging from diuretic to the easing of muscle pain and arthritis. In addition, the birch tree is a symbol of rebirth and renewal in Celtic mythology.

It is this latter meaning of the birch tree that reflects my own personal and artistic rebirth through the medium of encaustic painting.

Susan Wallis is a Toronto born artist , and a 16 year resident of the Leslieville\South Riverdale area. She divides her time between her studio in Toronto at 262 Carlaw Ave. Studio 111 and her Cherry Valley studio in Prince Edward County, Ontario. Her work is widely collected throughout Canada and the US. Visit her studio during the Riverdale Art Walk, June 2 & 3rd, where she will be performing live demonstrations in this exciting medium of encaustic painting.

Artist catalogues are available for purchase on her website or at her studio.

To see more of her work please visit www.susanwallis.com

For further reading:

“Mystical Lakes”, Susan Wallis, Rich Fog Micro Publishing, Toronto 2006.
“Tree Worshipping”, Susan Wallis, Rich Fog Micro Publishing, Toronto 2007.
“Waxing Poetic”, Gail Stavitsky, Rutgers University Press, 2000.
“Word”, Encaustic Paintings by Susan Wallis inspired by the writing of Vladimir Nabokov and Synesthesia, Rich Fog Micro Publishing Toronto 2006.
“The Art of Encaustic Painting”, Joanne Mattera, Watson-Guptill Publications, 2001.