A tiny bit about ENCAUSTIC - the ancient art using natural beeswax dates as far back as Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, some 3000 years.  Encaustic is taken from the Greek work enkaiein ​meaning to '"burn in".  Heat is used throughout the process, from the actual melting of the beeswax medium to fusing each layer of wax onto the next layer.   In ancient times, the making of wax paint was a slow and difficult process having to bring the beeswax into a molten state over charcoal fires.
 
The Greeks recognized the great value in beeswax and were the first to use it in murals, sculpture, mummification and embalming; for sealing the hulls of sailing ships, in architecture, in surgical practices as well as in creams, ointments, make-up, adhesives and in prescriptions.  

The most well-known encaustic paintings are the very life-like Faiyum Mummy Portraits of Egypt. These portraits were created to be placed over a mummy as a memorial and had impressive details of realistic looking facial features.  These portraits not only showcased the advanced skills of the ancient portraiture artists but also demonstrated the unique qualities of encaustic paint. It is also amazing to see how well these Faiyum mummy portraits have been preserved over time.  Despite being over 2000 years old, they are still on display in museums today withstanding the test of time with minimal cracking and without having faded or darkened in color.                                                                       -0-

I AM A PROCESS PAINTER...  
The process of heating and melting the wax, fusing each layer and sometimes adding a variety of elements to whatever I'm working on keeps the sparkle in my muses eye and the inspiration flowing.   I particularly appreciate the adaptability of hot beeswax and, by building my own surfaces I am able to incorporate most things culled from my stash of collectibles aka 'fabulous junque' or re-found objects.  Thus. the ability to create diverse specificities such as assemblage, sculptures, mobiles, pieces with interactive movable elements, jewelry, spirit boxes...all with beeswax simply floats my boat!! 

For all intents and purposes, I must call myself a hunter cuz I love the thrill of the find... the browsing, the rummaging, the bidding, the sorting through and the gathering of old, vintage and unique materials to play with in my work such as  those tiny watch parts and vintage watch faces, children's spectacles,  porcelain castors, old paint brushes, long forgotten vials of pigments... handmade paper, fiber,  rusty bits, photographs, wire... and the list is never ending.

 

Below are close-up images of some of my Encaustic pieces