Our Beginning In 1977, brothers, John and Mike Lesczinski purchased Rochester Art Supply Inc, their family business.  The retail store specialized in high quality artist materials.  Therefore, committed to providing the best art supplies available, Mike began to introduce many new brands to the store shelves.  He added brands like Gamblin, Golden, Escoda, Mussini, Blockx, and a  lesser known brand of encaustic paints called Mrs. Appletree's Studio Encaustic Wax Paints.  Intrigued by the potential of encaustic, Mike and John decided to buy the encaustic manufacturing company from its creator, Ann Huffman, in 1996.  Not only we're they excited to get involved in manufacturing, but they also saw an opportunity for growth in this unique medium.  The first step as owners was to  rename the company, Enkaustikos.  This was the greek word for "to burn in"...perfectly fitting given these paints need to be heated in order to use.   Since the market for encaustic paint was relatively small in 1996, Enkaustikos originally only sold directly to artists.  However interest in encaustic painting continued to grow over the years and by 2008, there was an explosion of interest in encaustic.  More and more artists were finding ways to incorporate wax paints in their artwork.  Thrilled by this increased attention to encaustic,  Mike and John decided to completely re-invent the line.  They upgraded their milling process from a 3 roll  mill to a state-of-the-art modern, milling machine.  This new system shears pigment particles to their finest particle size which allows the paint to reveal only the true personality of the pigments.  Enkaustikos colors are heavily pigmented.  With the new milling system each color is  milled to be creamy, rich, and more vibrant than ever before.  Using only the finest ingredients: United States Pharmaceutical Grade Beeswax, quality Damar Resin, and beautiful pigments, Enkaustikos colors are truly artist quality.   Second, Mike and John altered the packaging of the encaustic paints to make them both more retailer and artist friendly.  Trademarking the name Hot Cakes, Enkaustikos began to manufacturing the paint in the metal tins which make heating and storage even easier. And with these innovations, Enkaustikos decided to make their products available to retail stores.  Currently, you can find Hot Cakes Encaustic Paints in over 450 retail stores.  Enkaustikos Hot Cakes were named the "Best New Product" and "Best Packaging" at the NAMTA 2009 convention in Louisville, KY.  The sundries line, which was introduced at NAMTA 2010, managed to win  "Best Packaging" at the last conference.  Both John and Mike remain dedicated to creating professional encaustic supplies.  New colors and products are added to the line constantly.  If you browse our website, you will be able to learn more about these products.