Waxing artistic -- my first encaustic experience

Wax can be scary. Just consider the 1953 horror flick, House of Wax, starring everyone's favorite creepy star, Vincent Price. Maybe that's why I waited to learn about encaustics -- using wax to "paint."  Yesterday, I overcame my fears and tried this sticky medium.

My painting instructor, an artist-of-all-mediums, offered to show us how to use encaustics during yesterday's class. At first, the melting wax and the hotter-than-hot heat gun (for removing house paint, not the dainty kind for crafting) made me wary. 

But once I picked up a brush, I forgot my worries. Working with wax is nothing like painting, drawing, or anything else. I practiced different techniques demonstrated by our instructor. I carved circles and lines into the wax, then filled them with a different color.

I dripped blobs of wax and sprinkled graphite shavings on top. I love the different kinds of organic texture that the wax creates.

I buried a scrap of paper in the wax and painted around it. It's hard to tell, but this is a pair of chimps.

Next time, I'll try more paper, cloth, string and whatever else I can find. I'm excited about the possibilities for collage. And grateful that I didn't burn myself.