Hot & Cold Wax Sampler: Two Days & Two Instructors!

In this unique two-day participatory workshop experience you’ll be introduced to the exciting processes and techniques of encaustic painting (hot wax) and cold wax painting. The workshop is appropriate for absolute beginners as well as those with some encaustic and/or cold wax painting experience.

Participants will create a minimum of four works of art and leave with confidence to continue the exploration of encaustic painting and cold wax painting. The workshop will be split into two sessions. The morning session from 9am – 12:00pm will be an introduction and exploration of encaustic painting. We’ll take an hour break for lunch. The afternoon session from 1:00 pm – 4pm will be an introduction and exploration of cold wax painting.

Barbara McFarland will lead the cold wax section of the workshop. This process will undertake applying paint in an intuitive way or with more direct intention. We’ll experiment with color, composition, and content, using a variety of tools for layering, scraping, and incising, and glazing. And that’s just the beginning! We’ll wipe away the mystery of the blank, white surface by mastering inspirational underpaintings which will set the stage for tonal depths of whatever speaks to you in the moment.

Kathleen Kvern will lead the encaustic section of the workshop.  Painting with the ancient, luminous medium of encaustic wax offers unlimited creative possibilities. Encaustic medium is a combination of beeswax and damar resin with pigment added to the medium for color. Encaustic painting is a process of applying the heated wax onto a substrate and fusing layers of wax with a heat gun or torch. Review of the history, safety practices, and basic skills of encaustic painting will be covered through conversation and demonstrations with hands-on practice. We will review various encaustic tools and materials, and multiple techniques for achieving lines, texture, and composition when working with encaustic paints. Participants will explore the medium and be encouraged to move beyond the basics into exploration of layering techniques and collage work. We’ll cover individual creative goals and discuss studio set up for encaustic painting as well.