My ‘Aha’ Moment: How Tissue Paper Transformed My Photo Art

The moment that changed it all.

The moment that changed everything for me as an artist didn’t arrive with fireworks. It came quietly, after months of experimenting with alternative photographic processes, searching for more depth than a flat printed image could ever give me. I wanted something tactile and alive—something I didn’t have to hide behind glass. I craved texture, luminosity, scent, and the physicality of working with my hands.

The first time I saw encaustic painting, I was mesmerized. I instantly knew I wanted to merge my photographs with this ancient wax-based medium. I was tired of two-dimensional images that felt sealed off from the viewer. I wanted my work to feel organic, textured, and truly three-dimensional.

Like many artists, I began with what I thought encaustic photography was: pour wax over a photo and call it done.

And I did get good at it. I learned how to level an image perfectly, heat wax to just the right temperature, pour with one hand while fusing with the other… but every time I stepped back from the finished piece, something didn’t sit right. That quiet gut feeling? It was telling me the work wasn’t fully mine yet.

It looked better—but not right. Not ethereal. Not mysterious. Not expressive. And really, it felt no different than putting a photo behind glass. The wax was the only interesting part, and that wasn’t enough.

My turning point came during a trip to Vail, Colorado. I wandered into Forre Fine Art and found myself pulled straight into the bold, textured work of Ashley Collins. She isn’t an encaustic artist, but her expressive brushwork unlocked something in me. In that moment, I understood exactly what my work had been missing.

I gave myself permission to let go of everything I thought encaustic photography “should” be—and I began experimenting. Messily. Boldly. Obsessively. Months of trial and error eventually led me to a piece that made my heart stop. It had texture, mystery, and depth in a way I’d never achieved before.

I still remember exactly where I was standing in my studio when it hit me: This is it. Not just a lucky moment, but a repeatable way of working—my way.

The breakthrough came when I stopped starting with the photograph glued to the substrate. Instead, I began building up layers of wax first, then incorporating the image as a top layer. Printing on tissue paper completely transformed my results. The translucency, the softness, the depth—it finally felt like the work I was meant to make.

And others felt it too. When I hung No Music Needed in a show, people walked across the room to get closer. They leaned in, studied the layers, and yes… they touched it. Every time someone’s fingers drifted toward a corner, just to feel the beeswax, I knew I was onto something special.

Working with wax and tissue paper opened a whole new chapter in my artistic expression. I’ve never looked back.

If you want to learn this technique in-depth—the exact process that changed everything for me—I teach it step-by-step inside my online course Embracing Tissue Paper. It’s where I share every method, insight, and mistake that led me to the work I’m most proud of.

What’s been your ‘aha’ moment?

Be well….be creative,

Clare

Learn how photographs, wax, and intuition come together.
View my photo encaustic classes, courses, and workshops.