A few weeks ago, Kim, Jennifer and I took an encaustic
workshop with Sherri Rae Broyles in Sandy Spring. It was great to try and experiment with a new medium. We learned that this requires an
entirely different tool set – ventilation mask, masonite or wood cradle boards,
plain wax, parafin (to clean brushes), demar (hardener), blow torch or heat
gun. To color the wax, you can use
oil pastels, R & F Pigment sticks, oil sticks or oil paints. You mix these in individual tins. The great thing is that you can save
the tins of color for another time.
You heat the tins on a big griddle.
The goal is to keep the colored wax at 180 degrees since wax gets toxic
around 220 degrees. The first step
is to brush several clear coats on the board to achieve a smooth surface. Then it is time
to start layering, photo transferring, embedding, carving and more layering. The more porous the materials you use
the better. Once you have
completed the piece, you can use demar as a top coat. It was a fun medium to learn although we just "scratched" the surface. Thanks to Jennifer for organizing.
Lorra Kurtz
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