wax art

Connect the Dots

Inspiration, Portfolio, Process, Studio / By

(posted 08/17/2025)

I can’t say I like all of Pablo Picasso’s work (and there is lot of it), but I have always loved his “line drawings,” which you can see on this linked web site dedicated to the artist. To be able to represent a person or animal so simplistically is quite a feat. I set out wanting to create some flowers in that same style, but taking it a step further by carving the drawing in beeswax.

There are many ways to transfer an image to an encaustic surface, but I have a unique “connect the dots” process I like to use. First, I made a sketch of the flowers, then I made a more detailed line drawing of it on paper cut to the basic size of my canvas. The blank wood canvas had already been layered with dark then white pigmented encaustic medium, so the next step was to tape down the drawing on top of it. I heated the surface just a tad then began poking holes with the needle tool along the lines through the paper, right into the warmed wax surface as shown in this video.

Once that was finished, the canvas looked like a connect the dots page from a kid’s coloring book. (There’s nothing better than feeling like a kid again in my studio ha ha!) I set to work connecting those dots by carving deeper lines into the wax surface with the help of a flame. Those deep lines revealed the dark pigment underneath the white wax.

A very interesting effect I hadn’t expected was the dots merging with the carved lines and creating a unique textured pattern once I added more heat. I wanted to accentuate that texture as much as possible, so I applied black powder pastel then removed a lot of it with some mineral oil.

I like the dramatic results of leaving some of the black smudges and smears. This also depicts a contrast to the floral outlines, and it shows off the distinction of encaustic medium as compared to flat paintings and illustrations.

“Idle Charms” Encaustic Painting by Rachel Rivas-Plata

The title of the piece is “Idle Charms.” That came from my idea of taking colorful flowers from nature and abstracting them to just a few jagged lines. The 12×12 inch canvas has been framed and is available on Etsy linked here as of the date of this post.

Influential Artists Part 2: Shari Replogle

Education, Inspiration, Motivation, Process / By

(posted 08/01/2024)

You might recall me stating one big reason I like encaustic is its versatility in the studio. I have been watching and learning from other artists since I first used the medium around 2018. Shari Replogle is an artist who taught me not to be more playful and not fear mistakes. Her web site linked here shows her talent for creating the most intriguing images from various mediums.

Image Source: stencilgirltalk.com

Shari has posted a series of videos called “Wax on Wednesdays” that are filled with beautiful, nature-inspired experiments with the medium. I especially love how many of her mixed-media art works included use of leaves and other natural materials. I found Shari’s YouTube videos to be quite addictive back in the first weeks of learning to work with encaustic. Her numerous tutorials gave me a foundation of playfulness which served me well when trying out new techniques of my own, uninhibited by expectations but with the purpose of learning. The videos are still on her YouTube page if you want to watch some yourself, linked here.

What I found most influential from Shari was the use of PanPastels with encaustic wax. To this day I consider them an essential part of most of my art works. The medium consists of powdered oil pastel which easily fuses into the encaustic wax with just a little time under the heat gun or torch. With limited time in the studio, it’s necessary to work quickly. Once I switched from pigmented wax to this alternative color option, my art work flowed much more easily from my ideas.

Here’s an older, sold piece I remember being directly influenced by one of Shari’s videos. From what I recall she had built up several layers of multicolored wax on her canvas, then carved away the top layer to reveal what was underneath. I used a picture of a chain link fence to create this pattern, and the green color on the surface was done with PanPastel. The second image is a closeup.

“Pattern Revealed” by Rachel Rivas-Plata, 8×8 in., 2020
“Pattern Revealed” detail

Making Encaustic Magnets

Inspiration, Midjourney Images, Process, Uncategorized / By

(posted 01/27/2024)

Over the past few months I have made several 1-1/2 inch encaustic magnets. I like to present them as gifts or a small items to sell at events, and a lot of people like them! I began with bee images created in Midjourney, then I added butterflies. I thought I’d share how I make these little pieces.

First the round images are digitally honed using Midjourney AI and Photopea (basically Photoshop). I like to change the backgrounds to showcase some of my other work, including landscapes, florals, and botanicals.

After printing them on plain white paper, the next step is to cut them out and adhere them to the round wood pieces.

Once dry, I carefully paint the edges and backs – usually black, but in this case I’m using gray chalk paint.

After the paint dries completely, it’s time to adhere the little magnets. I have tried a couple different brands and finally found some with good strength – weak magnets are no fun. One thing I didn’t think about when I did my first batch was that it was necessary to place them far enough apart, otherwise the magnets will travel a bit to get closer to one another until the glue dries.

The next day, the pieces are ready for the encaustic medium. It’s brushed on lightly twice, then fused with my heat gun.

Since I can put any image on them, you can see just how versatile these are. Contact me for pricing if you want me to make a custom set with a photo of your choice, or even a logo. Wouldn’t these make the most unique wedding and party favors? I think so!

For the Birds

Inspiration, Motivation / By

(posted 09/14/2023)

I have done a lot of bird art over the past few years. Why the birds? Whenever I think of my first drawings I’m always taken back to my grandparent’s house in Chardon, Ohio. They were bird watchers, and the couple always had full feeders outside the window and bird books on the shelf. In their bathroom behind the door was a huge poster entitled “Birds of North America.” It felt as if I was in a museum when I gazed up at all the colorful illustrations. 

I recall watching my brother place a piece of carbon paper under an illustration in one of the bird books, then trace it with a pen to draw an outline of the bird underneath. It was pure magic to me. I eagerly tried the trick too of course, and that seems to be where my love of drawing began. Most often, my subjects were houses, horses, butterflies, and birds. Whenever I went to their house as a young child, I would sit on the floor and pull open the bottom desk drawer which always held a stack of gleaming white paper. The top drawer held a collection of pencils and pens and a big, well worn eraser. I remember also drawing cross sections of houses too of all things while I sat on the floor – I think stemming from my love of doll houses and/or Richard Scarry books. 

So now that I think of it, that explains why I made an image of a bird the first time I ever tried encaustic medium. And I go back to them as a space of comfort and unending inspiration. The shape of birds is such a familiar, simple, curved form. It makes me think of stylistic cursive writing, in a way. Their color palettes can be simple or complex and vary as much as a bouquet of flowers. When I don’t know what else to draw, I draw birds. Here’s my first attempt at encaustic. It’s oil pastel covered with clear encaustic medium. I keep this little piece of wood on my shelf in my studio. It’s a reminder of 1) how nervous and unsure I felt when I first tried it; and 2) that trying something different can end up changing the direction of my life and revealing what’s important to me.

Of course the symbolism of birds appeals to a lot of people too. The meanings and feelings that come with images of eagles, owls, peacocks, storks, crows, swans, and doves are strongly attached. I like bluebirds and goldfinches the most, since every now and then I’ll see a bright blue or yellow one darting about our yard in the summer, my favorite time of year.

In October 2021, I embarked on an Instagram challenge called Birdtober. The directions were to follow a list made by a Texas artist, Andrea Holmes, and create art pieces of each bird for every day of the month of October. I gained a lot from the experience, and you can read about it here if you missed that post. After two years, I feel ready to take the challenge again and have started some preliminary work on the 31 birds. Next month I’ll be able to show you the complete collection of these one-of-a-kind creations. As they’re finished, they’ll be listed on my Etsy site linked here, along with some 2021 editions currently there too. I will be making the round ornaments again since they allow me to work more quickly and keep up with the daily goals.