Dr Manjiri Joshi started to explore herself as an artist after a chance encounter with the Encaustic.
An Ayurveda doctor rediscovering herself as an artist using an ancient Greet art form, Manjiri narrates her fascinating story about her tryst with Encaustic Art and her journey with it.
Although encouraged early into many art forms by her artist mother, life had a different plan for Manjiri. Dedicating her lifetime to become a medical practitioner, little did she know it would all come a full circle!
My wellness journey
Her journey as a Wellness consultant started with her decision as a young adult to choose Ayurveda over becoming an artist. But life came a full circle by having pursue both training and passion in a community and atmosphere of artistic energy.
Wellness is an wholistic approach health and lifestyle. To be able to accept and to manage the perils and strengths of your body, and live a satisfying and able life.
Both her sides of work enable her to enrich knowledge about herself. It also helps enhance her work.
In 2007, Manjiri's friend gifted her a beautiful painting that stood out from others. Enamored by its beauty she was curious to learn more about it only to find out it was created using Encaustic Art. She immediately fell in love with the technique and started teaching herself purely through curiosity, research and experimentation.
"I had to change myself in order to learn to accommodate the end result of the process"
Encaustic Art was born over two thousand years ago, when the Greeks saw artistic potential in the wax they used to paint their wooden ships for preservation. They were attracted by the translucence that the wax attains as the temperatures go higher, and also, how it hardens with heat. They mixed beeswax and resin to create encaustic wax for creating paintings which were made by heating these elements to harden them into the air.
The Process
Textured
the base sets the tone and texture of the surface.
Smooth
the temperature and movement of the heated tool change the surface.
Layered
sandwiched layers of wax and paint:heating, fusing and blending these adds the depth.
Etched
scrapping with sharp tools to reveal the interesting pattern beneath.
Fused
Heat melts mixes and blends different forms of wax and colour.
