The Development of New Vehicle Recipes for Encaustic Paints

The author presents the results of his investigation on wax-resin vehicles or mediums for encaustic paints. His aim was to develop a vehicle for such paint having a surface that has a hardness comparable to that of dry oil paint, yet is not brittle. To obtain helpful ideas he surveyed ancient encaustic procedures and recipes. Then he prepared several series of beeswax-resin mixtures that he tested for hardness, flexibility and workability in paints. He recommends several as being of a superior type. The author hopes that his investigation will stimulate others to experiment with encaustic vehicles.