Encaustic still life - Cover Story

Arts & Activities, April, 2002 by Len Mathes

Encaustic painting--painting with melted wax that has been mixed with pigment(s)--has been an artistic medium used for centuries. Many of the beautiful mummy portraits from Roman Egypt (first through third century) seen in museums all over the world were created using this method. I have used this method with children from third through 12th grade with results that are always spectacular. The work seen here is from my advanced high-school art class.

Often I observe students in my art classes that are very "tight" in their painting approach. To help combat this tightness, it is helpful to acquaint students with various historical approaches to art ("isms"), and students seem especially curious about the techniques of Vincent van Gogh, Georges Seurat, Paul Cezanne and Claude Monet.

My motive for this particular exercise was to "loosen up" my students' painting technique. Although we began with a detailed pencil sketch, the students were informed that they would be painting with cotton swabs.

An actual still life was set up, purposely mimicking Vincent van Gogh's Irises. We studied the artist's technique, and the students recognized similarities between van Gogh's painting style/brushwork and the look of encaustic painting.

We then practiced our encaustic medium of choice--melted crayons. Students discovered they must work fast in order to ensure the melted crayon does not harden prior to applying it to their still-life drawing. After a short practice "awareness" lesson, it was on to our still-life compositions.

Over the years, I had purchased several electric skillets at garage sales and thrift stores. As long as they worked, it didn't matter what they looked like. I also picked up two flat pancake grills that worked well. I covered each with heavy aluminum foil for easy cleanup. I purchased six-cup muffin tins that would fit into the skillets. You can also use individual ramekin cups, baby food jars or empty cat food cans.

I now resorted to what every teacher has somewhere in their room--a huge container filled with pieces of old crayons. This was a great way of salvaging all these pieces and putting them to beautiful use. Removing the paper sheaths was time-consuming, but worth the effort. Alternatively, you may also purchase bulk crayons.

The palette will be limited--usually six or eight colors at , the most. Keep some empty jars handy to mix special colors. Spread newspaper everywhere to catch the drops and make sure your room is well-ventilated. Overheating wax crayons during the melting process may release irritating fumes, so be sure to use low heat (just past warm works well) and allow enough time for complete melting prior to painting--usually several minutes. Although crayon manufacturers recommend adult supervision when melting or ironing crayons with younger students, it's prudent to supervise students of all ages when engaged in this activity.

With a little organization, everything turns out great. We drew our compositions in pencil on heavy 18" x 24" card stock that had "tooth," so the wax could grab onto the surface. If your paper is too flimsy, the wax will have a tendency to break off if the paper bends too much.

Position your students in such a way so that they don't reach over each other to get at the melted crayons. Dripping hot wax hurts both the student and neighboring artwork.

Armed with cotton swabs and enthusiasm, the students proceed to accept the encaustic challenge with fervor. Flat colors were applied first followed by overlaying of other colors. Students sometimes copied van Gogh's complementary color schemes. Outlining with dark colors (a la van Gogh) was the very last step. Some students also elected to incise designs into their compositions.

This really turned out to be an exercise in discovery. Each student rallied to the challenge and created beautiful works of art of which they were proud. The final step was to take a soft cloth and lightly buff up the paintings, creating a shiny surface. Students realized a new artistic medium as well as a new, "loose" approach in creating a composition of great vibrancy and beauty--which with any luck will also last centuries.

MATERIALS

* Variety of colored crayons

* Cotton swabs (preferably with wooden stick handles)

* Dispensable paintbrushes

* Six-cup muffin tins, baby food jars or shallow cat food cans

* Old electric skillet(s)

* Aluminum foil (to line bottom of skillet)

* Heavy paper or board (at least 12" x 18")

* Newspapers

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Students will ...

* become familiar with the historical significance of encaustic painting.

* become familiar with the art and techniques of Vincent van Gogh.

* learn the techniques, along with the advantages and disadvantages of encaustic painting.

* learn the freer, looser technique of painting with an unfamiliar medium.

Len Mathes, who was named Los Angeles County Teacher of the Year for 2001, teaches art at South El Monte (Calif.) High School.