What the heck is “Encaustic?”

Encaustic medium is 50% beeswax and 50% damar resin, and it is traditionally used as a painting medium.
I don’t use it that way.
The story begins in Spring 2020...

Ok, so technically, it begins before that. I was a photography major in college, and in my Junior Year I was introduced to the work of Leah Macdonald, a local encaustic artist who created brillant and messy collages atop her photographs. I was immediately hooked, and post graduation I stayed in touch with her and took two more private lessons in her studio. And for years this is how I used it, as a medium to paint over my photographs.
So, as I mentioned, I had been doing this process in my spare bedroom pre-kids, so I had the supplies in my basement when Quarantine 2020 hit. At the time I was pregnant with our third baby, with a 2 year old and 9 month old in the house. No studio. No space to get away to make art. I am insatiable in my need to create, so on our family walks I was collecting little bits of nature and bringing them home with me, just to bring some of the outside in, and I started playing with flowers. I had recently purchased a bunch of embroidery hoops in the hope of connecting with that art form (I didn't) but I did have a bag of encaustic, some flowers, and an artist's mindset, and that is how I came up with the idea to POUR the wax into the hoops, rather than painting with it. 
So it was pretty simple, really. When the boys napped I threw a drop-cloth on my kitchen table, set up the griddle and wax, laid down parchment paper and hoops and just placed the flowers we had collected on that day’s walk inside them and poured. It was meditation. It was equally calming and exciting. Every day I just tried something new, which is how I came to pour encaustic inside found frames, and playing with larger and larger hoops which led to more complex compositions than just one flower at a time. I started asking friends if they had flowers that held meaning to them, and creating small but thoughtful gifts during a time when we were all trying to support one another from afar. It gave me mental health stability during a time I really needed it, and that is why I constantly say that art is therapy because it is, no matter what it looks like!

That’s cool and weird. Now what?

  • My favorite way to engage in this art form is through custom commissions. Most people have a flower, or a story behind a flower, that holds meaning to them. I prefer to collaborate and create something that sparks a memory of a person or a place, rather than trying to guess at “what people will like.”

    I have created individual pieces as well as collections from bridal bouquets, funeral flowers, and personal backyard gardens. My pieces have been gifted for birthdays, anniversaries, house warmings, and after child and partner loss.

    These pieces hang in homes all throughout the Philadelphia area, serving as daily reminders of the abundant love we have the opportunity to give one another.

  • Please contact me directly if you are interested in visiting my studio for a tour of my inventory and/or to discuss a custom artwork. Or you can head to my shop & purchase a gift certificate for a loved one.

  • Prices depend on size, material, and labor used, but they can range from $20 for a small hoop up to $400 for a large framed work. An average commission collection ranges from $100-$250, typically.

CONTACT

Studio

The Upstairs Studio Artists

209 Bridge Street

Phoenixville, PA

4th Floor

Hours

Monday-Friday

by appointment only

Want to try this at home?

I have created a simple 20 minute video that takes you step-by-step through my one-of-a-kind encaustic process.

Video Only & At-Home Kit plus Video Bundle available through the shop.