At first glance, most people coming across the exhibit of landscapes by Earl Schofield in the Peterborough Town Library might think the works are oil paintings.

In fact, the several dozen works by Schofield, a longtime art teacher at the Dublin School, were all painted in encaustic wax. 

“Encaustics are not new; it is actually a really, really ancient form of art,” Schofield said at the opening reception for the exhibit Jan. 30. “Encaustics are one of the oldest forms of painting, going back to ancient Greece and Egypt. Tthey were used for ancient Egyptian funerary masks in the time of Cleopatra.”

Unlike oil paintings, which typically crack and decay over time,  encaustics, if kept in the right conditions away from extreme temperatures, will last indefinitely.

“There are no chemical reactions in encaustics; they can actually last for thousands of years. It is just hot wax and pigment; there is no varnish,” Schofield said. “It is often called the ‘queen of paints.’”

The exhibit of Monadnock-region inspired landscapes is on display in the Community Art Gallery at the Peterborough Town Library until Feb. 28.  All funds raised by sales of paintings in the exhibit will go to the Peterborough Food Pantry in honor of Yvette Contreras, who died in 2023. Contreras, Schofield’s former wife and the mother of his two children, was a volunteer at the Peterborough Food Pantry.

“She had very little herself, but her favorite thing to do was to volunteer at the food pantry, to help others,” Schofield said. “This time of year is especially crucial for the food pantry, and we’re trying to raise awareness about that as well.” 

Schofield said he does not know of any other artists currently using encaustics to create landscapes. Well-known artists who work in encaustics include Jasper Johns, Diego Rivera and Brice Marden. 

“I always say that oil paint is like driving your mom’s Dodge  minivan – it’s very comfortable and easy. Painting with  encaustics is like driving a fancy Italian sports car. It’s awesome, but it’s complicated and it doesn’t always work,” Schofield said. 

Encaustics require wax be heated to a certain temperature, at which point pigments are ground in. According to Schofield, unlike oil paints, “you can’t go back and just correct something easily with encaustics.”

“You actually have to get a torch and manhandle it off if you need to change something. It’s similar to watercolor in that way; you need to have a plan well in advance. You need to know what you’re going to leave behind. The final color happens after there are three layers of paint on it, so you need to know what colors you are going to use when, and it what order,” he said. 

Asked why he enjoys encaustics, Schofield said,  “They are just yummy; they are just really delicious and fun.” 

Schofield created the paintings in the exhibit over the past five years, including some of his  newest works from 2024. 

“What I am really trying to do is elicit emotional reactions to the natural environment. I’m really trying to get you to reconnect with nature in that way. I get the energy. I get infused from nature directly, and  I take it  back into the studio try to show the relationships with nature and share them. These are really my spiritual prayers,” he said. 

Schofield also donated a work in Contreras’ honor to the library which now hangs permanently in one of the library study rooms. 

“We never really had a service for Yvette, so this is all in her memory,” he said. 

For information, go to peterboroughtownlibrary.org/cag-current-artist.