True encaustic painting is a process in which coloured wax is permanently burned into an absorbent backing such as plaster, canvas and some woods.

Historians claim that the art of encaustic wax painting is at least two and a half thousand years old and that it was practised by Ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians and in Museums around the World there are many portraits and icons of those times.

Today the technique of using an iron as your paintbrush and laying molten coloured beeswax on various surfaces, non-absorbent card being one, is generally thought of as encaustic art.

It is fascinating to watch heat transform the wax allowing you to be creative and succeed even when you think you have no artistic skills. Every piece of artwork produced is unique to the individual and cannot be repeated.

I am a qualified tutor and enjoy giving talks, demonstrations and running workshops to encourage people to explore their skills. By introducing textures I have been able to assist people who are blind or partially sighted to produce artwork they never thought they could achieve. Children also enjoy using their imagination to create their own works of art.

To me encaustic art is like being on a voyage of discovery whether it be new techniques, different textures to work on, stretching the imagination to achieve different effects from abstracts to landscapes and finally discovering the creative talents that lie within ourselves and the freedom to use them.

Contact Sheila Kilroy

Email: sheilakilroy