Encaustic

She was born in Athens. After graduating from high school (Lycee), she attended the Doxiadi’s School of Arts. Professors in free design were Giorgos Moralis, Mina Papaloukas - daughter of the famous painter Spiros Papaloukas.
Furthermore, her professor in architectural model was the architect Fotis Vrettos.
Eva Persakis, George Barounis, George Kordis and Kanellos Kanellopoulos were her teachers in Byzantine iconography (aghiography).
In addition, she studied Encaustic with Evgenia Psarros and perfected her skills in the encaustic technique through personal study for ten years.
She took engraving lessons from Fotis Mastixiadis and Giannis Giermenitis.
Some of her works in Byzantine iconography and Encaustic can be found in private Collections in Greece, Germany, France and the USA.
She participated in many exhibitions with other artists and in a personal exhibition in “Estia” of Nea Smirni. She teaches the technique of encaustic at the Benaki Museum (Educational Programs). She is also the instructor in the Schools of iconography of the Holy Church of Ascension (Volos) and the Holy Church of Dormition of Virgin Mary (Glyfada).

The encaustic technique which is considered as the forerunner of Byzantine icon painting, is according the Roman Historian Geo Plinio the Elder , an Ancient Greek art (“About Ancient Greek Painting” in his 35th book of his Naturalis Historia 23-72 AD). Especially, he was mentioning Praxiteles, Apelles and other great Greeks from the 4th century BC in his book.

However, the best known of all encaustic work was in Egypt. To be more specific, this technique was notably used in the funerary portraits found in Fayum in Egypt. This took place, firstly, during Ptolemaic Empire. It is worth mentioning that Ptolemies were Great Alexander’s descendance.

The encaustic technique involves using heated, molten wax (mostly beeswax) to which colored pigments (earthy colors) are added. Usually, they are used four colors for the creation of a face (white, black, ochre, red). Later were added blue cobalt and green cement.

After the heating of the palette knife, which is known as cestrum from where the word encaustic is derived, and the receipt of a minimum quantity of the existent mixture (wax and colored pigment), the portrait is shaped. Usually, this mixture is applied on the basswood or on the wood of sycamore.

Encaustic is a particularly durable paint, because wax is waterproof and over time can retain all the freshness of a newly finished work