Workshop: Encaustic Art

Description

Encaustic Workshop with Instructor, Kat Fitzpatrick. Encaustic medium is created by melting beeswax with damar crystals. The addition of the crystals raises the melting point from 140 degrees F to 176 degrees, rendering it durable enough for fine arts applications. It can be used in in it’s pale yellow natural form or have colorant (dry pigment) added. The process dates back 1800 years to Greek artists who were creating wax on wood funeral portraits in Egypt. These images survive to this day. In the 20th century, Jasper Johns used encaustic in his paintings and introduced a new generation of artists to its wonderful properties. It smells good. It can be built up in layers, carved and embedded with all sorts of things (paper being a favorite). Photo transfers and mono­prints can be generated and encaustic is compatible with oil and wax based materials including, but not limited to: oil pastels, caran d’ache crayons, oil paints, shellac, oil pigment sticks and other media. Each layer is fused to the previous one with a heat gun, tacking iron or torch. Wood or matboard provide the most stable grounds. There are many entry points in learning to use this medium so that beginners as well as professional artists can create works that are beautiful and rich in complexity or elegant in their simplicity. The medium itself meets you halfway.