R & F Encaustic

Since winter seems to be going nowhere fast, and because there is more snow on the way, I need a 'pick-me-up.'  I need colour - colour everywhere.  I have developed an addiction to turquoise in the past few weeks, and I have become obsessed with obtaining the perfect shade.  This is my perfect shade:

 

Gorgeous isn't it?  This is a sample of R & F Encaustic's Turquoise Blue. 

 

R & F Encaustic (check them out at www.rfpaints.com) is a company out of Kingston, New York, which creates the most beautiful encaustic paints. 

 

"R&F Encaustic is a paint composed of beeswax, damar resin and pigments. The term “encaustic” is often used to describe both the paint itself, and the method for using it. Encaustic paint is applied molten to an absorbent surface, and then fused, (or re-melted), to create a variety of effects. Unlike other paints, encaustic goes from a liquid to solid state and back again in seconds, which means layers can be built up immediately, without any drying time. Once the surface has cooled, the paint has reached a permanent finish, but the painting can be revised and reworked with heat at any time – minutes or years later."

 

At the shop, both Eric and Kathleen have worked with Encaustic, and once this past fall I stumbled into Eric's garage as he was working on a little project and I was able to learn a thing or two about it.

 

 

R & F Encaustic comes in these beautiful bricks of colour....

 

 

Or in the form of pigment sticks.

 

 

A sample of their colour range.

 

 

R & F's Indian Yellow.... I love it.

The R & F webpage (see the link above) is a wonderful place to visit - so many resources!  They have a forum and a blog, and they feature artists who work with encaustic.  There are some really great videos that you can watch as well, and a really neat tour of their workspace in Kingston.  The best part?  They're really big into featuring and supporting artists who work with encaustic.  Its the perfect place to be inspired by both art and colour!

*Little note - all of the photos here are from the R & F website - gorgeous photography all around that site, and credit is certainly due to the photographers and to the company.