Iowa City Portraits

Description

Introducing series of paintings of Iowa City, Ely, Coralville and surrounding areas.

Series of original encaustic (wax) mixed media paintings on wood. Measuring 8″x8″, this piece is a perfect addition to your space. Crafted with intricate detail, each stroke captures the essence of the prairie’s rolling plains and endless skies. The encaustic technique adds depth and texture, with a polished, high-shine finish. Unframed, the gallery-thick panel’s sides are painted black for seamless integration into any decor. Ready to hang and elevate your space with timeless elegance. Technique: My encaustic technique involves using a heated mixture of natural beeswax and damar resin, to which colored pigments are added. The melted wax is applied to a wooden surface, and each layer is fused by heat to the previous layer. To add a rustic feel and touch to the, I like to incorporate non-synthetic materials such as plaster, wall compound, and hand-made paper. Encaustic is a laborious technique, but the result is an exciting relief and optical effect. It is about torches, heat guns, carving, molding, scraping, splattering, pouring hot wax, and patiently waiting for it to cool down. What is encaustic: Encaustic painting is an ancient technique, dating back to the Greeks, as far back as the 5th century BC. The name comes from enkaustikos, which means “to burn in.” Since encaustic is impervious to moisture, the medium was used for decorating ships. In Egypt, encaustic was used for painting funerary portraits on sarcophagi.