Why use encaustic medium as opposed to just plain beeswax?
Medium is made up of beeswax and damar resin. It can be used as an extender for colors, as an isolator between layers in order to create a sense of depth, and for dipping paper or objects. The damar resin raises the melting temperature so the wax is less susceptible to heat damage, allows it to cure and harden over time making it more durable, and prevents blooming (a whitish haze that can appear on the surface of a painting). Resin also allows the encaustic to be polished to a high gloss, giving it more depth and intensity- although beeswax and medium are translucent, beeswax by itself will not maintain its’ translucency, while medium (because of the presence of damar resin) will.
