Questions and Answers II

More questions, this time by Kathy:
Q: My first one is the use of wax, I so far have not used this and was wondering if you could give me some tips on how to use this in paintings, the do's and don'ts would also be beneficial to know?

Anne: I'm in the middle of posting a pretty detailed encaustic 'workshop' on the blog. Subscribe to it so you get notified when there is an update. The first post described materials needed for encaustic. The next post will focus on Technique.

Q: The use of gloss and oil paint in your paintings, do you mix the gloss in with the oil paint or do you use the gloss when the painting is finished. I am aware that you cannot gloss a painting until it has been at least 12 months? 

Anne: I haven't used gloss in my paintings for year. I have found that it ages unreliably. Unfortunately the same goes for Bitumen, a material I used a lot and which is one of my favorites.

Q: Last and final question, I usually finish my paintings with a final glaze of liquin mixed in with a transparent colour to give it a bang!  I have not however found the correct ratio to use that is how much liquin to oil paint, I have been doing this through trial and error.?

Anne: I don't think there is a 'correct' ratio of oil paint to Liquin. It depends on the paint you mix into the Liquin. And it depends on how fluid you want to use it. Since you can apply Liquin pure, there is no detrimental effect or no way of over or under mixing it. Simply mix it as you like it best.