Some of the earliest encaustic wax painters were probably the Greeks, who used the technique to fill in cracks in the hulls of their ships and to decorate their walls with murals.

Today, artists such as Debra M. Gaines still practice the art of encaustic painting, a process whereby beeswax is melted and pigment is introduced into the mixture. Ms. Gaines will be conducting an encaustic painting demonstration at the Louisa Gould Gallery, 54 Main street, Vineyard Haven on Monday, August 13, at 6 p.m.

The wax is applied to the “canvas” and the artist has the choice of working into the wax, with the wax or on the wax, to achieve different artistic effects. Ms. Gaines will demonstrate an example of each method. Guests will also be awarded a book explaining the encaustic method.

Call 508-693-7373 for more information or visit louisagould.com.