Encaustic paint is pigmented beeswax that is melted with torches, heat guns, flat griddles, and small irons. I have longed to paint with encaustics for more years than I care to count.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would be as hard to manipulate as it is.
I truly believed that I would heat this wax paint, paint with it as I would oils or acrylics - that it would flow, mix, and smear. It does none of these things, and I was wrong!

The medium dries almost as soon as the brush touches the canvas—or the cradle board, a sturdy wood surface suitable for hot wax.
The wax is unceremoniously and ungraciously dabbed and jammed onto the board, at which point the flame becomes the brush.
Admittedly, painting with fire is so fun, but it is hard to control and even harder to discipline. Every hour I spend with the torch in hand is an hour I’ve gained in learning to manipulate the wax medium in a visually pleasing manner, but this learning is measured in hours and weeks, as most things of value are.