Encaustic Wax Hearts

12" x 12" Encausti Wax on Birch Wood / 12" x 12" Encaustic Wax on Birch Wood with Glass

Encaustic Wax Hearts Project: Art for the HEART

I started this new project because of my dear friend Dr. Jack D'Angelo, who is on the board of the Staten Island Heart Society. He told me about a charity event he was planning, and hoping to assist in raising awareness and funds, I donated two Encaustic Wax Hearts. They were very well received, so I decided to carry on with the project. This year I am making 50 Hearts. I will be selling these hearts at art shows and charity events and 50% of the proceeds will go to the Staten Island Heart Society. THIS IS A TAX WRITE OFF so please open your hearts and support the Staten Island Heart Society as well as the ARTS!!

Every Encaustic Wax Heart is one of a kind, impossible to duplicate since the wax takes over the canvas.

Encaustic painting, also known as hot wax painting, involves using heated beeswax to which colored pigments are added. The liquid or paste is then applied to a surface—usually prepared wood, though canvas and other materials are often used. The simplest encaustic mixture can be made from adding pigments to beeswax, but there are several other recipes that can be used—some containing other types of waxes, dammar resin, linseed oil, or other ingredients. Pure, powdered pigments can be used, though some mixtures use oil paints or other forms of pigment.

Metal tools and special brushes can be used to shape the paint before it cools, or heated metal tools can be used to manipulate the wax once it has cooled onto the surface. Today, tools such as heat lamps, heat guns, and other methods of applying heat allow artists to extend the amount of time they have to work with the material. Because wax is used as the pigment binder, encaustics can be sculpted as well as painted. Other materials can be encased or collaged into the surface, or layered, using the encaustic medium to stick them to the surface.