18th International Encaustic Conference

When do you embed actual objects – such as string, shells, glass, flowers, or a random shoe - into your encaustic paintings? When do you represent, abstract, or suggest images through mark making? Who has practiced these techniques over time? Do you pour wax to create a welcoming surface, or adhere them while painting? Together, we will explore these and other questions, issues, concerns, and fun in our practice.

This demonstration will give Conferees the skills to construct simple storage and shipping containers for their encaustic work. They will learn how to construct a basic cardboard box and then adapt that “basic box” to protect and cushion the work. Conferees will also learn how to adapt the “basic box” in order for it to function as a reusable container for shipping work to galleries and museums.  I will also cover simple solutions to protect work when it is stored in the studio or in a gallery rack including constructing padded sleeves and removable “bumpers” to protect the edges and surfaces of work. Conferees will leave this demonstration with all of the basic skills needed to construct their own customized boxes, storage protection solutions and shipping containers. A handout with patterns will be provided.

This demonstration will show you how to add drawings, text, photo images, organic matter, gilding foils, and much more to your encaustic creations through the processes of collage and transfer.  Learn how to apply and prepare a wax surface for transfer & collage and how to layer and protect images after they are adhered.  The archival characteristics of these mixed media techniques will be covered.

Are you ready to push your work to new heights? I will show you how to create deeply textured and layered paintings, embedding objects and carving the surface. You will learn many accretion techniques using  recycled materials as collage as well as excavating paint layers with clay tools.

This demonstration will delve into additive and subtractive techniques used in encaustic painting, focusing on how the layering of pigmented encaustic medium can create richly textured and tactile surfaces. Attendees will be guided through each step of the process, from applying heated encaustic medium and pigments to manipulating the surface through scraping, carving, and scoring. The demonstration will draw connections between the artistic process and geological transformations, showing how layers are constructed, eroded, and reshaped over time. Participants will experience how the physicality of encaustic painting mimics natural forces like erosion and decay, while also revealing textures and patterns inspired by the landscape. The goal of this demonstration is for attendees to gain a deeper understanding of encaustic painting’s unique characteristics, learning how to use its layering potential to create dynamic, multidimensional works. This session will appeal to artists seeking to explore encaustic's tactile qualities and its ability to evoke a sense of time, place, and transformation.

There are many ways to apply encaustic materials beyond the conventional cradled birch panel. This demo will include layering hot to cold applications on paper, creating alternative surfaces on wood with prepared boards (plaster, fresco, encaustic), and also demonstrate techniques in applying paint to three-dimensional surfaces.