What is encaustic painting?

Encaustic painting is a very durable art form that has been around for 2,000 years!  It is comprised of colored waxes that are melted and applied to various surfaces.  The word “encaustic”, which means to burn in, relates to the use of heat as the solvent for colored waxes.  This technique was developed thousands of years ago.  One of the earliest applications was a lifelike portraiture of the deceased, painted onto the mummy casings designed to transport the bodies into the spiritual afterlife.  This was done during the Greco-Roman period in Egypt from 100 B.C. to 200 A.D. and works during this time period can be seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.  In the encaustics of today, numerous surfaces are being used to take this medium into a whole new realm