Dennis Lakusta was born on December 9, 1946 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. After finishing school in Edmonton he moved to Vancouver, British Columbia where he spent a number of years working for the Canadian Railway System.
A lifetime of interest in music resulted in Dennis becoming involved in the North American folk music scene as a songwriter and folk guitarist. Many of his original folk songs were inspired by working and traveling throughout western Canada.
In the mid-seventies he move to Europe and continued to travel, perform and develop his music and songwriting skills.
It wasn't until 1985 that he became interested in "encaustic", the art of painting with wax. Since that time he has been busy developing the techniques and equipment necessary to paint in this ancient and exciting art form.
The word "encaustic" is formed from the Greek words en meaning full and caust meaning heat. Approximately 3000 years ago the Greeks invented the method of mixing ground pigments with a fine grade of beeswax. This method flourished and became "the" art form throughout Europe, Persia and North Africa. Most fine arts libraries carry an abundance of information on encaustic art from this period. Encaustic art died out around the year 500 A.D. as oils came into prominence. It was somewhat revived during the Renaissance by artists such as Rembrandt and later Van Gogh, Monet and Degas.
Although this art form is primarily European, there is society of North American artists who work exclusively in "encaustic". For example, many of the works of artist Jasper Johns are painted in this medium.
Dennis presently divides his time between Vancouver Island and central Alberta, working as a visual artist.