Tools

From the beginning, my fascination has been with the beeswax.  The smell, feel, and very nature of it is a wonder to me and I knew it would be a huge challenge. Working in this medium actually had me stumped for longer than I expected - I did a LOT of staring at the board, walking away, popping the top on a Diet Mountain Dew (a trusted delay tactic) and then staring some more.  

What I’ve realized is that it wasn’t the wax that was so alien — it was the tools.  I could still think like a painter but my hands were handling totally different tools and it was like learning a new language, which is another thing I’m REALLY bad at.  

I do a lot of cutting, carving, digging, and gouging.  These dental tools work great but in the beginning, I destroyed them in days.  I was trying to plow through too much wax with a delicate tool.  They now last much longer and I’m more accurate with my cuts.  I also have a “cat hair removal” pick too.  The average encaustic artist doesn’t need one of those!

Without a doubt, the hardest thing to learn to handle has been the single edge blades.  I scrape back each layer of wax to the thinnest possible layer, also hoping to get a level layer that is as flawless as possible.  It reminds me of pulling a beautiful graded wash in watercolor - the only way to learn to do it is to do it over and over and over…..and over.  

I’ve had a brush in my hand daily for twenty years.  Wow, that seems so strange to say.  Anyway, it’s true but these hake brushes are completely different.  I’m using them like mops.  I load them with pigmented wax, pull color over an area, then load the brush with another color, mixing pigment IN the brush and bring it back to the painting.  The wax is hardening in the brush as it approaches the painting, so I’m working fast and thinking has to be done in advance.  There is more feeling than thinking in the moment….and some hoping and praying.

My work area looks like this right now.  I have finally, after many adjustments, settled into a comfortable and productive work space.  I can see that I’ll need another griddle soon and that will shake things up.  I’m also almost ready to graduate to a larger board.  I’m working on 12” x 18” boards now and will want to work larger soon.  That will be my next challenge.