Amy’s works are created using the ancient technique of Encaustic painting developed by the Greeks over over 2,000 years ago. Paintings from as early as 100 AD still exist today. The figureheads of sailing ships were also painted with Encaustic, protecting them from the elements.
Amy starts by heating raw beeswax (from her uncle’s beehives) and straining it through muslin. It is then amalgamated with Damar resin for hardening, and strained again. The mixture is poured into small tins which are heated and pure powdered pigments added to create the colours and saturation levels that Amy needs for the work.
The different coloured molten waxes are applied with a brush and then fused together using a heat gun. Various tools are then used to mold, scrape and etch the surface of the work, bringing images up from lower levels. In some works, metal powders are added causing chemical reactions which introduce yet another element. To finish, Amy scribes fine details into the surface to draw out desired aspects of the image.
“I find the process intriguing. Wax is a fascinating medium and the finished Encaustic has a transparency & depth that draws the viewer in with a unique luminosity & richness of colour.” Amy Melchior