Immersing myself in the works of Jasper Johns naturally led to experimenting with encaustic paint . Making copies of his work and then
painting my own ideas in his style gave me invaluable insight into the handling properties of the medium . Inevitably , this led to experiments using hot beeswax to paint realistic portraits and objects . One attempt was a still life of various objects which included a Fayum mummy portrait . Copying the portrait within the painting gave me an opportunity to study the tools and working process of the original artist . My objective was to
Kevin Frank , The Lyre , encaustic , on wood panel , 20 x 24 inches , 2004 determine the size and shape of the brushes that were used and how metal spatulas or “ cauteria ” were utilized to fuse and blend the paint . After finishing a few more pieces , I had developed a solid working process , and the action of frequently switching between brushes and heated tools became second nature .
Up to this point , my work had been executed over a simple line underdrawing as a guide , but the specter of Norman Rockwell and his method soon fused itself into my practice . As I ' d learned from studying his work , as well as some of my favorite Old Masters , the only way to achieve this level of realism is to make use of photographs or projected image . After transferring the lens accurate outlines to the panel , a fully rendered monochrome value study is then made of the subject to be painted . earth toned crayon for the shade