The key to encaustic is learning to control the amount of heat. Using more heat gives a smoother surface, while using less heat produces texture. These paintings are built up, layer upon layer upon layer, using less heat and hundreds, if not thousands of brushstrokes. (I do not count.) I have discovered that changing the direction of the brushstrokes can cause different kinds of effects. There is a relationship between these heavily textured paintings and the smooth paintings, in that the brushstrokes become collaborators in the final result, even if the end product is completely different. Creating these bumpy paintings is an incredibly meditative process. For many people, it is common to see a strong connection to organic textures - both at a microscopic level and at a macro level. (For example, the earth as seen from the air.) This process is called Accretion.