Always keen to learn something new I treated myself to a half day workshop with Brian Nelson at Encaustic Art Plus, Elsecar. I use the word “treat” advisedly! The afternoon was full of fun thanks to Brian’s excellent tuition and the company of him and the other workshop attendees. We were all up and running really quickly with some basic techniques…who would have thought that ironing could be so much fun!!!

My Beeswax colour is selected (I chose to start with vivid) and my iron is set to somewhere in the region of a silk setting. Now I know it is unlikely I will burn myself severely I’m ready to paint.

Encaustic painted pineapple

Encaustic Zeppelin

Spreading a background colour, creating lines using the edge and point of the iron and manipulating the wax using different parts of the sole plate.

I have carved wax before, but encaustic painting is completely different – liquid, runny and far less predictable than wax in its solid state, but it’s interesting to work with less control.

Further experiments produce interesting effects in beautiful, vibrant colours, enhanced when lightly polished with a soft cloth:

Encaustic “Butterfly Wings”

Encaustic “Raspberry Ripple”

A few more experiments with colour and technique and we are ready to move on to more complex techniques that will enable us to create landscapes . This is the moment we had all been waiting for! First, a simple landscape:

Encaustic “Green Landscape”

Using only one colour, but with a small residue from the previous picture,  placing and dragging the iron creates a background “mountain”.

Placing and lifting the iron in the foreground creates the sense of depth and the effect of foliage. The  side of the iron carves out the meadow grass. This feels really satisfying!

With a little more colour, thought and skill we are able to introduce a whole mountain range in the background. A body of water is created in the mid ground and a pathway through the foliage in the foreground to the lake beyond.

Encaustic “Purple Landscape”

With the introduction of the stylus tool we can add fantasy castles, fences, flower heads and picket fences…this is a real revelation!

Encaustic “Magic Kingdom”

And finally we are introduced to the scraper tools and stamps – the opportunity to add finer detail to the finished images.

Encaustic painted flower

Encaustic VW Camper

It’s refreshing to work in a different medium once in a while and I have thoroughly enjoyed this fluidity of this particular adventure.

Note to self: remember to save for further encaustic adventures…