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Art Highlight: Encaustic Painting

You have probably seen encaustic artwork, but how much do you know about the painting medium?

“Redscape” by Laura Van Horne

The use of hot wax and damar resin (crystalized tree sap) gives encaustic painting its vibrant layers.  Artists use a wide variety of techniques to create a range of styles in this medium, and on substrates such as wood.  The hot wax is brushed on the substrate and can be layered for a more opaque effect, combined with pigment for color or collage materials, or scraped for different finishing textures.  The endless creative possibilities of the encaustic process can be especially fulfilling for the artist, and the works of art they produce can really resonate with the viewer.  Our artists Laura Van Horne and Corrie LaVelle create gorgeous encaustic paintings, and we wanted to share their experiences with painting in this medium.

“Chatoyer” by Corrie LaVelle

In a personal statement, Laura Van Horne shares what draws her to encaustic work, “I find encaustic wax paintings very satisfying to work on as they are multi-sensory. The smell of the wax, the texture, the sound of the hotplate cracking as it heats up or cools down, the vibrancy of colors, and the sheen of the cooled wax entice me”.  These encaustic paintings by Laura Van Horne (below) exemplify the vibrancy and texture in her encaustic painting that we love!  With so many different colors and styles, you can easily find encaustic artwork that will make a gorgeous statement on your wall.

We love how beautifully Corrie LaVelle describes her personal experience as an artist and why creating encaustic art is so meaningful to her, “Encaustic art is necessary to my life. It is where I spell out my personal journey into every piece. To have the ability to share that experience, and allow the viewer to choose their interpretation of and apply it to their own personal path is a joy”.  Corrie LaVelle’s beautiful encaustic work (below) has a distinct style and makes a stunning statement with its fluidity and layers of colors!

The encaustic pieces featured in this post–and lots more!–are available in our Print-On-Demand collection and Poster collection.  We also have some original encaustic paintings available on our website, with the unique texture and depth that an original encaustic piece offers.

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What do you love about encaustic artwork?

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