Arty Girl: Learn Encaustic at Eye Lounge

By Lilia Menconi Mon., Oct. 5 2009 at 9:05 AM

Categories: Arty Girl

Painting from Lisa Marie Sipe (on left) and Christopher Jagmin (on right).

Hooray! It's a new artist workshop! I love these things.

And it's an encaustic workshop...one of my all-time favorite media.

Encaustic is a painting method that uses melted wax to cover a surface. Of course, wax is thick and malleable so this can border on sculpture from time to time. I've heard that encaustic is incredibly tricky and takes a lot of patience. But, those who are into it, are into it. As with most art practices, the actual art-making process is a large component of what compels the creator. Plus, encaustic artists use beeswax and it smells really, really good.

The ancient Greeks pioneered encaustic. Historically, the process of melting wax, adding pigment, mixing it to the right consistency and then bonding it to a surface has been cumbersome. Diego Rivera tried his hand at encaustic and gave it up because it was too difficult. So he went with the "easier" way and created fresco murals. Yeah, fresco. Because we all know how simple that is.

Artists today are crazy thankful for technology. Heating processes have gotten much easier and encaustic really hit it big in the 70's when Jasper Johns started working with it.

Local encaustic (and Eye Lounge Gallery) artists, Lisa Sipe and Christopher Jagmin, will be teaching the first-ever workshop at the Eye Lounge Gallery and will show students all the tricks of the encaustic trade. It's a one-day gig on October 24th from 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. and is friendly to all levels of experience.

Seats are limited so you better get on those reservations. And it's going to cost you $150.

The Eye Lounge Gallery is located at 419 East Roosevelt Street (downtown Phoenix). Reservations can be made to chrisjagmin@gmail.com, or by calling Mr. Jagmin at 602-315-2527. More information can be found at www.lisamariesipe.com.