Customer Reviews

The Art of Encaustic Painting: Contemporary Expression in the Ancient Medium of Pigmented Wax

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have long been fascinated by the technique of encaustic painting and this book fills a void in references on the subject. It contains a vast array of detailed information on everything from making your own paints to exhibiting your artwork.

The book starts out with a history of encaustic art. A gallery section then showcases four different portfolios of art including representation, color and pattern, dimension and modular work. Captions include artist, title, materials used, size and date introduced. Artwork is displayed in a variety of sizes. Some of my favorites are a beautiful face by Tony Scherman and the organic looking "Miasma Morph" by Sylvia Netzer, made of wax with pigment fired on ceramic.

The next sections focuses on encaustic materials. It starts out with details on the wax types. A reference chart of all the wax types, their source, composition, properties, melting point, flash point, color range and average price is here too. Information on heating equipment and well as melting and fusing the wax are next. Then pigments and making your own paints is covered. Selecting and caring for brushes is also here. There is even a great section on using materials safely.

Painting preparation and techniques follow. These include information on substrates and grounds with step-by-step instructions on how to make your own. Recipes of rabbit-skin glue and gesso, as well as tips on using them are explained as well. Then techniques and tips for textured, smooth, scraped and incised surfaces accompanied by example artwork are given. There are also details on collage, mixed media, creating artwork on paper and making large-scale pieces. I loved the helpful answers common questions such as what are good beeswax mixes, what wax is best for glazing, how does one get rid of bloom and what do if you get a wax burn?

In the back of the book there are very helpful resource sections including supply sources, galleries, a glossary and bibliography as well as photo credits and an index. This book is an indispensable reference for anyone wanting to learn about and create encaustic art.

All of the reviewers of my book, "The Art of Encaustic Painting," said quite positive things about it and most gave it five stars. Thank you, one and all. However for those two reviewers who described it as "cultish," I'd like you to know how I researched the book:
. I ran a classified ad for two months in Art News asking for "reproduction quality" images of strong encaustic painting.
. I searched the visual data base, maintained by a wax paint manufacturer, of the work of hundreds of artists who work in wax.
. I visited galleries in New York City and elsewhere for at least a decade, taking announcement cards and getting contact information.
. I found very little in the way of representational or figurative work. I did, of course, find some wonderful images, which I included in the book, but percentagewise, the number was small. And it was smaller still because some of the slides were not repro quality or the work did not have the boldness it needed to hold its own in print.
. On this last point--the boldness: By the time you see a work in print, it is many times removed from the original painting. Sublety gets lost, which is why I opted for bold, bright, luminous images.

Since the publication of "The Art of Encaustic Painting," I have found some wonderful figurative and representational painters. Or, should I say, they have found me. But to imply that I somehow selected images from limited group of artists when in fact I made a wide-ranging search, does a disservice to both the art and to me. The fact is that there ARE more artists working abstractly in encaustic that representationally.

If you work representationally or figuratively, I'd like to see your work. Send me a j-peg at joanne@joannemattera.com.

My comments are those of an amateur, self-taught, new-to-encaustic, artist.

I found Joanne Mattera's book to contain more practical information on this exciting medium than any other source so far. The sections on "Preparation and Technique", "Materials for Encaustic", and to a lesser extent "Preparing and Exhibiting Your Work" are especially beneficial.

There is plenty of help on mixing-your-own wax, tools, supplies, and ideas. It is not a Step 1-2-3 How To Paint book.

The "Porfolios" chapter leads you to believe encaustic is only for the abstract artist. She addresses this issue by stating, "Only a small percentage of contemporary encaustic painting is pictorial, etc...", and with the inclusion of a couple non-abstract images. I get the impression most works are by a select clique of fellow artists. As I paint mostly abstracts myself, the examples were fine. However, the Portfolio would have conveyed this mediums versatility more completely if works of impressionists, such as Dorothy Masom and others, would have been included.

It is a book every aspiring encaustic painter should have. Along with "Waxing Poetic:Encaustic Art in America during the Twentieth Century" by Gail Stavitsky. ...

This is the best book on encaustic wax painting that I know of in print, but...
in my opinion, it leaves something to be desired. The reviewer's comments about a "select clique of fellow (abstact) artists" seems to me quite apt. Encaustic wax can be a beautiful medium in which to express, not only abstract, but realist, impressionist, and pretty much any other style of painting. It's an excellent medium in which to use traditional, natural hair bushes and techniques. Focusing almost entirely on abstract work done with all manner of spatulas, gouging tools, and clothes irons, is a disservice to the potential of wax. I also found some of the advice on supports to be rather questionable. I think, for instance, most museum conservators hold a rather dim view of using things like conventional plywould and the like as a painting supports. (I use a heavy, acid-free paper like Arches Cover or Stonehenge glued to well-sized Masonite with hide glue for studies; but I switch to 4 or 8 ply museum board glued to an 1/8 in. archival corrogated board which is in turn glued to a 1/4 archival corrogated board. Glue it up with rabbit-skin glue. In larger sizes cradle if neccesary. [yes, it's expensive. Are you a fine artist, or a hobbyist?]) Don't get sucked in by the list of exotic waxes and what not in this book though. A mixture of 1 part damar resin, 1 part carnuba wax, and 16 parts heat refined (NOT "bleached") bee's wax makes a good all around medium. This isn't a bad book; I just feel it's rather incomplete and somewhat misleading. Use it as a jumping off point as it is the best available, but temper it with likes of Ralph Mayer and the other classics on materials.

This is a great introduction to the medium. I've painted with acrylics for a few years and wanted to experiment with encaustic. Mattera gives a simple but thorough overview of encaustic. After reading this book I felt I had the basic knowledge I needed to start and it has continued to guide and inspire my exploration. I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in painting with wax.

The reviewer Angel Lee gives an excellent description of this book. I like the book very much and would not be without it. However, in the product description, it says readers "will discover dozens of clear, step-by-step directions detailing how to use these various encaustic techniques in their own art." This is simply not true. My quarrel is not really with the book, which is excellent, but with its blurb not accurately representing the book. Not every book can be everything to everyone, and it doesn't need to be. But when you are buying a book sight unseen over the internet, it does need to be represented accurately. Pages 4-27 comprise a history of encaustic, ancient to modern, including a few Fayum portraits. Pages 29-88 are pictures of the work of encaustic artisits with very spare explanations of technique. Pages 89-109 have a good deal of excellent information on various waxes, heat sources for fusing, pigments and making your own paints, a discussion on brushes, and studio safety. Pages 111-119 are on substrates, and 120-131 on techniques: one page on textured surfaces, one page on smooth surfaces, one page on scraped surfaces, etc. So you should be asking yourself if "dozens of clear, step-by-step directions detailing how to use these various encaustic techniques" would really fit on 11 pages that are themselves half taken up by photos of finished work. Pages 133-137 are about preparing and exhibiting your work. Almost half the book is the portfolio of contemporary encaustic artists, as is reflected in the subtitle of the book. The most substantial parts of this book aside from the portfolio are the sections on wax types, heat sources, making your own paints, studio safety, fashioning substrates, and making sure work is suitable for exhibition.

Joanne Mattera has written a comprehensive volume about my favorite medium, encaustic painting. She details the history of the art, as well as current artists using the medium. Perfect for beginners in encaustic, as complete instructions on melting, mixing, fusing, tools, safety issues, as well as how to build substrates, are given.

For someone totally new to encaustic, this book is great! I am interested in encaustic painting and this book gave me tons of technical information regarding materials--wax, pigments, brushes, heat guns, etc. Additionally, it shows many different expressions in encaustic art: abstract paintings, representational paintings, sculptures....This book does not teach one HOW to paint, rather it highlights the materials and examples of encaustic works. This is a very informative, enjoyable book.

Very informative and inspirational.
As a novice artist it really put me into the perspective of
experimenting with encaustic in the near future.

You've got to buy this book! Read it from cover to cover. And keep it in a visible place in your studio as a lifetime reference. When I embarked on using wax as a medium, the sales person at Pearl Paint in NYC advised me well by saying, "Buy this book." They knew their stuff and was very informative, helping me get all the materials I needed to get started. I paid full price for this at the art store, and still know it was well worth the investment. I am very grateful to Joanne for the time taken to compile so much information. I would recommend this book to any artist, abstract or representational.

There are so many important details to be learned from this book. One of the most vital is wax recipes. Who knew?!

Yes, I enjoyed the technical information...but WOW those images of beautiful paintings and sculpture done by encaustic artists (all different styles!) This book is motivational, inspirational and factual. The scope of creativity one can enjoy with encaustics is endless. In the encaustic classes I teach and even in my coming educational video, I suggest reading this book. Thank you, Joanne, for your contribution to artists!