I recently discovered a Canadian shop on Etsy that makes and sells beautiful encaustic paints. The
Bees Knees is located in Ontario. My first order arrived this week so I squeezed in some time to play yesterday.
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| Just a few of the luscious colours the Bees Knees carries. |
I use a warming tray that I picked up at Valu Village for $3.99 and melt the paints in a muffin tin. This electric tray doesn't have variable settings but I checked and it keeps the melted wax at close to 200 degrees F. The muffin tin fits perfectly on the surface and it's nice and stable.
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| Melting down the encaustic paints |
For my support, I like the cradled wood panels that I can purchase from
Opus Framing and Art, a supplier in Vancouver, BC. These panels are also made from a readily renewable resource, as the
hardwood is from the fast growing Paulownia tree. The Paulownia tree can
grow from 10 to 20 feet in a season — an entire tree can even regrow in
one season after being severely cut back. The panels come in a variety of sizes and depths. They also carry great front loading wood frames in black that compliment the encaustic paintings very well.
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| I like to finish the sides with acrylic paint so I cover them in blue painters tape while I complete the encaustic painting so I don't have to clean up drips later. |
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And here is my finished piece! 'Garden Party' is an expression of the happy feeling of celebration I get whenever I look at my beautiful summer flowers.
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| Garden Party, 6x6", encaustic on cradled board |
