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Dale O. Roberts Biography
True classic encaustic,
the procedure dating from Roman times, is the medium I currently use to
carry out my investigations in paint. The work is done on a glue
prepared gesso panel, using paints consisting of beeswax, dammar
crystals, and dry pigments. Paint is applied hot, and manipulated in any
variety of methods. The final image is subjected to a heat treatment
heat treatment of the entire surface, known as “burning-in.” This final
process, essential to the true ancient method, causes the layers to fuse
into a stable, inert paint film.
During the past twenty
plus years, I have experimented with various paint formulations and
methods of application. The thermoplastic nature of the paint and
translucence of the medium are two of the rare, intrinsic qualities
which I find fascinating. Given the variables of pigment composition,
they will often exhibit spontaneous effects, unattainable with any other
medium. The paint has a very physical quality, capable of an exciting
range of applications. The practice of encaustic has become an extension
of my own vision, to the point where technique and aesthetic have fused
like the paintings themselves.
The materials and method
of true encaustic require studio preparation, making studies, notes and
drawing a necessity. The remote nature of the process, subject to its
own challenges, allows for internal changes and reactions to the
observable world. Finished artwork needs no special care, but can be
polished periodically to remove dust and bring up a luster.
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