Painting is my personal journey. I paint with the intention of creating a restful and quiet state. Holding a space free from the noise and chaos of everyday life and allowing one to experience a moment of tranquility and peace. It is my hope that my paintings bring that to each viewer.

I work in several mediums. A process called encaustic painting, cold wax medium and oil paint. Each medium uses a different vehicle to carry the pigment. Encaustic uses beeswax as a carrier with heat, cold wax uses cold wax and oil pigment and oil painting use pigment and linseed oil.

Encaustic is a wax based paint process (composed of beeswax, resin and pigment) which is kept molten on a heated palette. It is applied to an absorbent surface, usually a wood panel and then reheated in order to fuse the paint. The word encaustic comes from the Greek word enkaustikos, meaning to burn in, referring to the process of fusing the paint.

Heat is used in every step of the painting process, requiring me to work quickly as the wax hardens as it cools. Heat, with a hot gun or torch, is applied to each layer of the surface fusing the layers.

Cold Wax uses wax, gamsol and a small amount of resin. Heat is not used in this process as it dries by solvent envaporation (gamsol) and not by cooling (encaustic). Cold wax makes color thicker and more matte. It is excellent for creating textures amd using palette knives to carve into paint.
In oil painting, pigment is added to linseed oil, it increases the flow and gloss of oil colors.

Celine Ennis Painter