Encaustic Art: The Complete Guide to Creating Fine Art with Wax

by Lissa Rankin

With a history that stretches back to the hauntingly beautiful mummy portraits of Greco-Roman Egypt, encaustic art is now enjoying a renewal of popularity among artists and art lovers alike. Today, museums are staging exhibitions of encaustic art, workshops in the technique are thriving, and art collectors and dealers are assimilating encaustic art into their collections and galleries.
 
The word encaustic is taken from the Greek and means “to burn in.” In the encaustic process, pigmented wax is applied and then fused to a surface with heat. The result is a broad range of surface effects and a luminous translucency that is unique to the encaustic medium. Encaustic Art is a complete resource for artists who wish to learn to create fine art with wax. It features step-by-step techniques with easy-to-understand instructions and detailed illustrations, stunning examples of encaustic works of art (including sculpture), along with practical advice and thoughtful aesthetic observations from more than 60 professional artists working in the encaustic medium.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Reference

240 pages, Paperback

First published August 10, 2010

About the author

"Lissa Rankin, M.D., is a practicing gynecologist and the founder of The Owning Pink Center in Mill Valley, California, which is dedicated to redefining what it means to be healthy, vibrant, and alive as a woman in the twenty-first century."
- from the back cover of What's Up Down There?

"Lissa Rankin began painting in 1991, while in medical school and has been exhibiting her art in galleries and museums nationally since 2001. Trained as an OB/GYN, she brings the energy and inspiration of her patients to the art studio."
- from Lanoue Fine Art's artist profile for Lissa Rankin

Reviews

[Dee Prenger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reads well for the variety within its scope: studio/history/how-to and showcasing of practicing artists. Organized well also, with insets for some of the instructional items. I would have liked a bit more thoroughness at times in the instructional sections, as a beginning practitioner myself, simply to developing a better sense of the order of layering elements, as it's a key characteristic of the medium. Rankin is clearly enthusiastic and knowledgable yet very accessible in her own language. Photos are really important and well balanced against the text.

[Stephanie Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This thing is like a text book! Loved the format. Great variety of style and techniques of art. It made me much more comfortable to finally use the starter encaustic set I've had for awhile now. Excellent resource.

[JV Austen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Way over my head but really well put together.
I'm taking an encaustic class - which the author recommends - and may check it out again after the class.
Tons of pictures, examples.
Clearly well-researched.

[Valeri Bradford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great overview of the various techniques for someone getting started with this medium.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Am glad I read this after I started using encaustic methods. I am finding that I took a very different approach than anything described here which means this medium has amazing potential for uniqueness. This book shows the diverse approaches that can be made with detailed descriptions, sources of materials and equipment. This is a perfect introduction to the method. .

[Caborst]

Still just thinking about this book...and thinking...

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very comprehensive view of techniques and styles. I would have liked a little more explanation of how some effects were created.

[Jacqueline Madsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This obviously isn't the kind of book one reads cover to cover. But I have followed many of her techniques and projects in the book, and have found it to be a very useful studio guide.

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very complete information presented beautifully. So inspiring!

[UrbanWildflower · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reread for me. Lots of great info on encaustic painting. Lots of inspiration photos.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to get this again.