Encaustic is a wax based paint (composed of beeswax, resin and pigment), which is kept molten on a heated palette. It is applied to an absorbent surface and then reheated in order to fuse the paint.  The word ?encaustic? comes from the Greek word enkaiein, meaning to burn in, referring to the process of fusing the paint. Encaustic is perhaps the most beautiful of all artists' paints, and it is as versatile as any 21st century medium. It is be polished to a high gloss, carved, scraped, layered, collaged, dipped, cast, modeled, sculpted, textured, and combined with oil. It cools immediately, so that there is no drying time, yet it can always be reworked.