What do you make/sell?

I make and sell paintings in many shapes and sizes, including miniatures, as well as holiday and year-round ornaments, wearable art, greeting cards., and bookmarks.

What IS Encaustic Art?

• Encaustic is a wax-based paint made from beeswax, Damar resin and pigment. It is melted and applied to an absorbent surface and then worked with heat in order to fuse the paint. The resin hardens the beeswax.

• Encaustic wax can be used as paint in its molten form, but can also be carved, scraped and built up to a highly textured surface. It is excellent for preserving photographs or for collage projects. Fire can be introduced to Shellac and ink to create unique and delicate patterns on top of the wax.

• I like to use encaustic paint on wood, particularly birch panels. For smaller pieces, miniatures and ornaments mostly, I work on plywood treated with Encaustic Gesso. My husband makes all of my frames and ornaments for painting. We work together to stain or paint each frame to suit each piece.

How long does it take to make an encaustic painting?

This depends entirely on the piece. 

• The larger the piece, the longer it takes to melt, apply and fuse the wax. The wax hardens as soon as it is applied to the board, but is reheated to fuse it to the substrate, creating a bond. It takes time to create several layers of wax, each fused, before other techniques can be employed.  Each layer must cool before the next is applied. 

• With smaller pieces, ornament and miniatures, this application process can be much quicker, but other techniques such as shellac burning, or oil painting can also be time consuming. Ornaments with oil paint can take weeks to dry.

•  In addition to the creative process, taping, framing, staining and preparing a painting to hang are all part of the process that sees a painting through from conception to the art show or gallery.

• Any piece can take a few days or a few months to complete.

How do you price your work?

I try to price my work with consideration for the amount of time and material that have gone into it. The cost of creating includes supplies, materials, power, tools, space, travel, advertising, gallery commissions, etc. That said, I also try to create at many varied price points because I strongly believe art should be attainable for everyone. I do put a lot of thought into pricing a piece, and I generally don’t like to haggle over a price, but I am happy to explain my reasoning for reaching what I consider to be a fair price for my work. Please don’t hesitate to ask and I will happily explain my pricing considerations for a particular piece.

How long have you been painting?

I signed up for an art class called “Art class for people who’ve never had an art class” at a local gallery when my son went to college. I really enjoyed it and took several other classes over the following three years. In 2014, I took an Encaustic class at the Visual Arts Center in Richmond, and it just stuck with me. I did my first art show in 2016. I encourage everyone to check out classes at local galleries, recreation centers and art centers. Anyone can learn to create once they find their niche.

Will it melt?

Damar resin is added to filtered beeswax to significantly raise the melting temperature to more than 170 degrees. Encaustic is one of the oldest and most archival of all paint mediums. The care of it is not very different than that of any oil painting.  As long as temperatures do not drop below freezing or get over 160 degrees, your encaustic piece should remain unchanged. I tell people that if your house is 170 degrees you have more serious problems than a melting Encaustic. 

That said, one should follow some standard precautions:

• Like your children or pets, do not leave encaustics inside your car in hot weather.  

• As with any piece of art, it is recommended to keep them out of direct sunlight. The paintings can begin to soften at 120°F or in direct sunlight but shouldn’t sustain any damage.  If you are nervous about the placement of the painting just feel the surface.  If it is warm the painting should probably be moved.  It should always feel cool to the touch

• I have exhibited Encaustic art in warm weather, and they can get tacky and soften, potentially leaving an impression if touched.

• In freezing weather, an encaustic piece can shatter if dropped while very cold.

Is it safe in the bathroom?

Encaustic wax is impervious to moisture and an Encaustic painting should be well suited to a bathroom. That said, if you have a particularly steamy bathroom with poor ventilation, I recommend painting the back side of the piece to prevent moisture from damaging the wood substrate that way. I have several Encaustic paintings in my bathrooms at home and have not had any issues thus far.

Are the paintings easily damaged?

Encaustic medium has Damar resin in its formula. This cures and hardens the wax over time making the paint less vulnerable to damage. It's like varnishing the painting from within...so it doesn't need glass. However, you can still take your fingernail and scratch the surface.

All wearable art is created with a Shellac Burn technique which further protects it from temperature changes.

Does it require any special care or cleaning?

The short answer is not really, but a little care and keeping will go a long way towards maintaining a piece’s luster.

You can buff smooth surface Encaustic paintings to renew the shine. When the painting is recently finished, it has not yet had time to cure and harden. (Not every painting has just been completed when it is purchased).  It can therefore go back to a matte looking surface after buffing the first few times. As time goes by and the mixture has had a chance to cure and harden, it will keep its buffed polished look. Over time, an Encaustic piece can become clearer, increasing the beauty of the surface and transparency between layers

To buff the painting, take a lint free cloth and gently rub it over the surface. Make sure the painting is at room temperature or cooler (75 degrees or less) and do not buff hard enough to generate heat.

Paintings with accreted surfaces (raised levels of encaustic wax) need to be polished more carefully as the raised areas can be fragile. Please note, works with high surface texture or oil paint on the surface should not be buffed in these areas. Dust these with a soft brush.

Wax has several inherent qualities that allow it to withstand the test of time: it is a natural adhesive and preservative; it is moisture resistant, mildew and fungus resistant, and unappetizing to insects. Wax paint also doesn’t contain solvents or oils so they will not darken or yellow with age. Oil paint used on top of Encaustic medium is subject to the same aging properties as any oil painting.

Where can I see Annie’s Artful Adventures in person?

I have work hanging in several galleries in Southeastern Virginia.

I participate in several Art Shows and Markets throughout the Year.