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We're exploring the ways we find and bring joy into our lives. It’s about the things we do not because it’s a job or a necessity, but simply because we love to do them. Support for This Is My Thing comes from Fox Service Company. One Call. One Company.

This Is My Thing: Encaustic Painting!

Encaustic painter Carol Stanley Aaron poses for a portrait in her home studio in Austin on June 9, 2025.
Leila Saidane
Encaustic painter Carol Stanley Aaron poses for a portrait in her home studio in Austin on June 9, 2025.

On This Is My Thing, we are continuing our mission to talk with people about the things they do just for themselves – not because it’s their job and not because it’s a responsibility, just because they love to do it. The stuff you do because it’s your thing.

The latest episode of This Is My Thing is about encaustic painting, which has been around for a couple thousand years but these days isn’t so well known outside the art world. It is, however, very well known to Carol Aaron, who discovered the medium over 15 years ago. It quickly became her art form of choice, and now she spends as much time as she can in her home studio-slash-garage.

We’ll talk about her history with encaustic painting, what it means to her, and her journey from non-artist to artist.

On this page, you can listen to the on-air version of this story, but if you check out the This Is My Thing podcast feed, you’ll find a longer version of this piece (as well as some older pieces you might have missed or might just want to listen to again).

 

We’ve talked to a lot of other people about their things and those stories will be coming in future weeks. We’re working on stories about quilting, whittling, and more! Stay tuned!

 And we want to hear from you about the thing you do just because you love it! You’ll find an online form on the main This Is My Thing page where you can tell us about the thing that brings you joy, calms your mind, or feeds your soul in some way.

 

Mike is the production director at KUT, where he’s been working since his days as an English major at the University of Texas. He produces and hosts This Is My Thing and Arts Eclectic, and also produces Get Involved and the Sonic ID project. When pressed to do so, he’ll write short paragraphs about himself in the third person, but usually prefers not to.