Encaustic 7: Abstract Landscape

This is a small painting, but probably my favourite encaustic to date. 

Encaustic 6; Red Heads.

Small scale on panel.

Encaustic 5

encaustic 4

This is painted on the back of a wooden box for holding cassettes. Since we no longer have any cassettes it was destined for the tip, but was ideal for painting on. Encaustic needs a rigid substrate, usually wood. Apparently it will cause canvas to sag because of the weight, and could crack and break. It goes on much thicker than oil paint. It hardens immediately, so there is no blending and you have to fuse each layer with a heat gun. You have far less control over it than oil paint. 

Encaustic 3

It doesn't always work out quite how you expect.
We decided that this looks like a scene from the walking dead. Still, at least that means that Archie is keen to have it on his wall.

Encaustic 2

This is day 2 of my experimenting with encaustic, working on a small piece of plywood. I have been trying different using materials with the wax, in this case oil paint and then attaching a photograph. It started off as a very painterly landscape, and developed into an abstract piece. Oil paint reacts quite interestingly with the wax, with a lot less control than I'm used to, especially when I fuse it with the heat gun. 

Looking at it now I probably should have stopped with the first image, although I quite like the abstract, but the real purpose here is to build up my experience with it and see what it will do.

Part of me wonders if I should have stopped here, but this is about me learning, not producing.

Jeez, I'm coming over all growth mindset!

The end result.

First Encounter With Encaustic

Hot Wax.
I've been interested in this technique for some time. I'd see paintings on the web with the most beautiful luminosity and transparency, and wondered how they were done, so I did a bit of research into encaustic, and got some equipment for my birthday.
From the name I thought the technique would involve some unpleasant chemicals, but far from it. The name comes from the Greek, meaning To burn in, and the only chemical involved is actually beeswax. It needs different kit to my oil painting; hotplates and heat guns, and is is completely different to use. I'm learning it from scratch, which is quite exciting.
This is my first attempt at encaustic. It is a rook drawn in biro, mounted on board, and them worked into with the hot wax. Fun to do, but not even scratching the surface of what I think the encaustic can do..

Rook.
Encaustic.