Encaustic art is art which is made by melting wax and using it as a pigment medium. The result is a rich, vibrant, textural work of art which can be endlessly manipulated with an assortment of tools. While many people associate encaustic art with melting crayons as a young child, the art form is actually thousands of years old. Several museums and art galleries have examples of encaustic art from places like Ancient Egypt and medieval Europe, for people who would like to see historical examples of the art form.