encaustic on wood

So, I have been doing a little investigation on google+ these days.  It is basically facebook, but that is where I am so confused.  I know that google is awesome and everything google does is also usually awesome.  SO, the question in my mind is why would they attempt to create a social network to rival facebook unless it is completely better?  I still don't feel like I have found the answer to that question as of yet.  I still wonder if people will actually ever make the switch from facebook to google+...

One feature, however, that I did find somewhat interesting as I was browsing today was the photo albums that I apparently already have on my account.  You see, google is connected to everything I do, including blogger, so all of the photos that I have EVER posted on blogger appear in different albums.  I put ever in all caps for a reason.  I found photos that I remember uploading to posts and then deleting for whatever reason, old bog headers, and other things that I have even removed from my blogs.  I am not quite sure how I feel about this, but I was able to find this little gem that I had completely forgotten:

It is an encaustic painting that I did at BYU.   (I guess there can technically be a debate about whether or not this is a new painting, but since I make the rules, it will function as my painting for today.)  Encaustic paintings are made of wax. 

I painted this with beeswax using melted crayons for the pigment.  It was an interesting process which included working very quickly, a muffin tin, cookie sheet and stove top. 

I painted this for an art history class as an end of the year project.  We were supposed to learn about a technique that early artisans used and recreate it.  This is a technique that was used by the Egyptians to create death masks for burial.  (Not exactly like King, Tut, but more for the common man and middle-upper class...those who couldn't afford gem encrusted caskets...so basically everyone.) 

The neat thing about encaustic, and the reason that the Egyptians used it for this purpose, is that it lasts forever.  So long as the wax is not damaged. 

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So, I know that now, this image will appear twice on my google+ photo album under my art blog section, but this will be the first official time that the image has actually be published on my blog.  I still can't figure out why this image made it on there, but I am glad to have it now!