Encaustic Art by Jean Davis

Encaustic painting is one of the oldest and most enduring art forms in history, with origins reaching back to the ancient Greeks over 2,000 years ago. The word encaustic comes from the Greek word enkaustikos, meaning “to burn in,” referring to the process of fusing heated beeswax with pigment to create luminous, lasting works of art.

The Greeks were among the first to master this remarkable technique, Perhaps the most famous surviving examples are the hauntingly beautiful Fayum mummy portraits of Egypt, created during the Greco-Roman period. These encaustic portraits remain astonishingly vibrant today, despite being nearly two millennia old, a testament to the timeless durability of wax painting.

Today, contemporary encaustic artist Jean Davis continues this ancient tradition, combining history, texture, fire, and pigment in a medium that bridges the ancient world with modern expression.

Jean Davis’s encaustic art a 2000yr old technique

Encaustic art 2000yr old technique