Location : United States
I'm Karma Kitaj, encaustic and mixed media artist. Encaustic is an ancient form of painting, having survived over millennia. The Fayum portraits were discovered, buried in mummies in Eqypt, created by Greek painters in 1st c. AD, revived in the 20th century. The pigment is composed of beeswax and a resin that gives the wax more body and shine. Then luscious pigments are added to that medium. Many encaustic paintings are made on wood, which holds the wax well and does not easily bend. The artist applies various layers of pigment and burns in each layer with a heat gun or torch. This process is reflected in the word encaustic, which means "to burn in". In my paintings and mixed media work, I use a combination of wax, oil, tar, spray paint, cloth, mylar, paper, and any variety of found objects. The wax can be built up to have a sculptural effect or it can be very smooth and glossy or luminescent. The work does not have to be framed, saving the buyer a lot of money.
I discovered encaustic painting about 7 years ago. Since then I've studied with many of the best encaustic artists practicing in the US today. I've attended yearly workshops at the International Encaustic Conference in Provincetown, MA, USA. I've fallen in love with the process of applying the molten wax, watching it shimmer and change when heat is applied. Then, as it cools in a few moments, I can see the image or marks I made. If it's not right to my eye, I just apply heat again and change it. I can add many layers to build texture or I can use almost transparent colors over one another. This creates a luminescent effect, as if a mysterious world is appearing beneath the surface. I can embed many different natural and person-made materials into the surface, then partially cover these with more wax. It's completely engrossing as an artist. In recent paintings, I've used tar, joint compound, mylar, coffee or tea grounds, eggshells, and dried leaves.