WHY I PAINT
Turning Pain into Beauty
The Process: A Metaphor for Personal Growth
Creating an encaustic piece is a meditative ritual that can span up to 60 hours. The process begins by sanding a wooden board to its raw state—a symbolic stripping away of old beliefs and traumas. Just as we dismantle emotional walls in our lives, this preparation is the foundation for the transformative art to come.
Layer by layer, I build up the surface with homemade encaustic gesso. Each application mirrors the emotional work of replacing old, destructive beliefs with new affirmations of self-worth and acceptance. Only after these layers can I start applying the beeswax, symbolizing the new emotional foundation on which we rebuild.
The Alchemy of Encaustic: Turning Pain into Beauty
My journey with encaustic art began as a way to express what words couldn’t capture. This ancient technique, which involves layering molten beeswax with pigments, mirrors the painstaking process of emotional recovery. Just as each layer of wax is carefully applied and fused at over 80°C, so too does healing require patience, persistence, and the courage to face the heat of transformation.
The Patience of Encaustic Art: A Metaphor for Healing
Encaustic art demands patience—much like the journey of healing from past traumas and life challenges. The physical process begins long before the first stroke of wax hits the canvas. It involves hours of preparation—melting beeswax, mixing in pigments, and applying layer after layer of wax, each carefully heated to over 80°C.
This technique mirrors life’s own slow and deliberate process of physical growth. Healing, like encaustic art, isn’t instantaneous. It takes time, and each layer—just like the emotional layers we peel back in life—needs careful attention. Mistakes happen, wax cracks, but it’s all part of the beauty. Through encaustic, I’ve learned that imperfections are not flaws but marks of progress. Just as our emotional scars make us who we are, each piece of encaustic art is a testament to the beauty of the imperfect.
The Patience of Encaustic Art: A Metaphor for Healing
The encaustic process I use in my abstract landscapes is deeply symbolic. It reflects the emotional work of dismantling old patterns and traumas, paralleling my healing journey. The process begins with sanding the wooden board down to its raw, untouched state—representing the breaking down of emotional walls and deeply held traumas.
Each encaustic painting involves layering homemade encaustic gesso, sanding between each application. This mirrors the process of learning new thought patterns, replacing old, destructive beliefs—such as rejection and unworthiness—with affirmations of self-worth, love, and acceptance.
Finally, three layers of beeswax are applied, each one heated until the surface becomes smooth and shiny. This part of the process, which can take up to 16 hours, symbolises the fire of life that tests our new beliefs and emotional foundations. The heat of the wax brings emotional “dross”—old habits and behaviors—to the surface, where they can be addressed and healed. Only when the dross is cleared can I begin laying the artistic foundations for a new, transformed version of myself.
Finally, the board is ready for the painting process to begin. Only once all the dross, the bad habits, the wrong patterns, the wrong reactions, and the past are recognised and changed can I start laying a new foundation for a new me.
Each encaustic painting, then, is more than just art—it’s a reflection of resilience, renewal, and transformation. For those who collect my work, these pieces represent more than just visual beauty; they offer an emotional connection and a mirror to their own journey of personal growth and healing.
Creating a Surface for Encaustic Art:
- Use Quality Gesso: A mix of acrylic paint and Plaster of Paris provides a strong, absorbent base.
- Apply Multiple Coats: More coats ensure better adhesion for the wax.
- Sand Between Coats: Smoothing the surface between applications helps the wax adhere better.
- Prime with Wax: Use at least 3 coats of clear encaustic wax to create a durable foundation for your piece.