What is encaustic painting?As an artist, I love the sensuousness of working in the encaustic medium which I discovered in 2008. Encaustic painting involves beeswax, resin and pigments in varying combinations. They are mixed together and applied to a panel in layers which are fused with a torch or heat gun. This is where the name comes from. The Greek work “encaustikos” means to heat or burn.
Encaustic painting predates oil painting and was used to create portraits on mummy casings dating back to 100BC in Egypt. These paintings are known as the "Fayum" portraits. Many have survived because beeswax is extremely stable so the pigments do not fade over time.
The technique fell into obscurity but was resurrected in the 1950s by artist Jasper Johns. You remember this painting, no? It’s an encaustic painting! Fast forward to the twenty first century and you will find more and more artists working with wax and incorporating it into their repetoire. 
The Name GameIn the pursuit of all things tile, while on my trip to the Cevisama tile trade show with Tile Of Spain, I discovered something called “encaustic tile”. No one could actually tell me how it was connected to what I knew to be encaustic art so I decided to find out. 
Guess what? There is no connection. Here’s what I discovered:Encaustic tile is also referred to as cement tile, inlaid tile and hydraulic tile. The name“encaustic” with reference to tile, comes from the nineteenth century. Turns out there is a third type of encaustic! It is also the name of a process of medieval enameling involving wax. Victorians thought that inlaid tile resembled this enamel work and began to refer to it as encaustic. The intricate patterns and designs of encaustic tile mimic the encaustic enameling process. It is a total misnomer but the name “Encaustic tile” stuck. 
So what is encaustic tile?Cement tiles are not fired; there is no glaze layer on the surface of the tile. They derive their durability from the combination of finely dehydrated ground Portland cement layer and a more coarse layer of sand and cement. The pigment layer is hydraulically pressed into the surface and becomes a part of the tile. This merging of two layers creates the typically crisp clean patterns.
Originally these tiles were handmade but naturally today they are mass produced as described above. Encaustic, or cement tiles are known for their durability as floor tile and have lasted centuries. This explanation only scratches the surface as each country town and village in Italy, Spain, Mexico, Turkey etc. has its own history with the technique.
In my research I also came across the work of Benedicte Bodard. She lives in Barcelona where she salvages cement tile from dumpsters. With a little TLC ,she recreates them into furniture, wall hangings and more.So there you have it. If you have more info or would like to continue the conversation, email me or come by and visit on FaceBook.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Update: Since posting this on Tuesday I have heard from designer Lundy Wilder of Villa Lagoon Tile. Not only is she an expert on cement tile, she even has a blog devoted to it! Here's what she had to add to the conversation: "Today's cement tiles are indeed still hand made all over the world. Ours are made in the Caribbean, Morocco, Vietnam, and Mexico. We have been to the factories (workshops is more fitting word) and know the owners well, all our cement tiles are made by hand.
