Memory of a Tree
MEDIA AND TECHNIQUES
Essentials of Cold Wax
Cold Wax is a painting medium that creates lush surfaces, adds luminosity, atmosphere, and a painterly quality to your art without fusing or heating. Cold wax is a semi-solid mixture of beeswax and solvent. It can be tinted with oil paint or pigments to add color, thick to transparent layers, texture and depth. Its' various drying stages allow it to be carved, scraped and polished. Cold wax makes a great companion to a variety of media and materials making it a valuable medium to know.
This comprehensive workshop presents essential principles for working with Cold Wax. We will explore the characteristics and qualities the medium brings to our art making. Working with a variety of tools and techniques we will uncover the unique qualities Cold Wax offers.
Artists of all disciplines, working with oils, acrylic, pastels and creators looking to add compatible media will enjoy this workshop.
In this class students will learn:
Color mixing and viscosity
Surface choices preparation and alteration
Tools and techniques
Creating transparency, texture and depth
Working in wet to dry states
Adding other media
Finishing steps
Advanced Cold Wax
A deeper dive into further possibilities for cold wax offers for students that are already familiar with basic tools and techniques of cold wax. We will learn to create thin veils of color, mix color, control transparency and create texture by using media to alter sheen, slow and speed up drying times. media to alter sheen, slow and speed up drying times.
We will consider different substrates, as we refine our ability to think and plan layers, using additive and reductive techniques.
In this class students will learn:
Surface Preparation and alteration
Working each state of wax: wet into wet, mid-dry and dryer states of wax
Creating thin veils of color, mixing color, controlling transparency and texture.
Additives such as Galkyd gel, solvents,
Pan Pastel, oil stick + oil paint, charcoal, graphite, Neo-color, Absorbent Ground
Masking
Carving into wax, gouging, scraping, polishing, and other finishing steps
Explore formulas for making Cold Wax medium
Cold Wax+ Collage
Enrich and broaden your approach to art making as we explore the countless possibilities hot and cold wax offer! Tailored for art makers, painters, wax and mixed media artists, this workshop will explore innovative cold wax, hot wax, drawing techniques and collage to create works on paper. Hone composition skills, as we assemble and organize our artwork with images, shapes, color and pattern.
This workshop covers fundamental and advanced cold wax techniques. Participants will learn a variety of techniques to create and alter their imagery, while exploring pastel, drawing materials, acrylic mediums, and adhesives.
Students should bring: Collected papers, book pages, drawings, photocopies, text, etc. for collage, scissors, Exacto knife with new blade, any favorite collage materials, and drawing media.
Large Panel Cold Wax
Taking the leap to larger paintings can be intimidating and hard to figure out where to begin. Completing a large scale painting is rewarding and can bring about valuable creative transitions in style and approach.
In this workshop, we will explore a variety of approaches to scaling up and working in a larger format. Applying fundamental and advanced methods for working in cold wax, along with composition, and color mixing, we will see how these elements join together to make the shift to enlarging our art work.
Cold Wax properties, working "wet into wet", adding color, controlling transparency and texture.
Methods for scaling up, planning and thinking in layers, additive and reductive techniques.
Advanced instruction for "mid-dry", "semi-dry" and "dry state" cold wax techniques.
Altering texture and surfacn
Additives (Galkyd), Solvents
Finishing steps.
Photo Encaustic Essentials
Create dreamy imagery, drive your narrative and process in this innovative workshop tailored for photographers, “artists with cameras”, encaustic, and lovers of mixed media.
Learn essentials of Photo Encaustic, how to hand color your photographs, drawings and photo collage. Discover unique ways of creating intriguing effects with your images as we explore wax, Pan Pastel and more. No previous experience required.
Investigate image mounting, media and techniques for hand coloring images, adding color, texture + surface, choosing papers. Students must bring at least one image to work on 4”x6” panel. Image can be printed on matte photo or presentation paper.
THEMATIC WORKSHOPS
Narrative, Ephemera, Secrets + Revelations: Collage + Cold Wax
Create something entirely novel, bizarre, arresting, beautiful, ironic, or unsettling...
A four-class series that sets the time and space to gather for a progressive investigation of art making. Each week we'll take a new approach to collage, mixed media and cold wax. Learn a variety of approaches to collage, principles of mixed media, how to alter digital and hand-made imagery. Gain new perspective and insight, as we bring our unique approach to organizing thoughts, images, shapes, color and pattern into compelling visual narrative.
A four-class series that sets the time and space to gather for a progressive investigation of art making. Each week we'll take a new approach to collage, mixed media and cold wax. Learn a variety of approaches to collage, principles of mixed media, how to alter digital and hand-made imagery. Gain new perspective and insight, as we bring our unique approach to organizing thoughts, images, shapes, color and pattern into compelling visual narrative.
Origins of Form: Yoga. Text. Marks. Cold Wax.
Are we the Maker of our artwork or does the Art make us? Where do ideas originate? In this workshop we will seek to begin to answer these and other essential questions.
Participants will be guided through simple yoga poses, with time to pause and reflect on the symbology and felt sense of the poses, Using this process of inquiry, we’ll work with writing, mark making and drawing to create a spontaneous series of visual responses. We will then take these mementos and documents of our experience to create a complete an art piece using cold wax.
The goal of this workshop is to offer a space for self-inquiry, support and freedom to literally draw from your inner source. Students will learn fundamentals of cold wax and how to incorporate it with mixed media on paper.
No previous yoga experience required. Mats and props provided. All movements can be taken while seated.
Students should bring a journal or sketchbook.
Cyanotype Workshops
Cyanotype is one of the oldest photographic processes as well as one of the most approachable, you don't even need a camera.
Whether using a digital negative or an object, the Cyanotype process relies heavily on negative spaces created by the shadow of the objects in play. They are beautiful on their own although I often work the image further, mainly with pastel and cold wax. Invented by John Herschel to make blueprints of architectural drawings in 1842, a few years later Anna Atkins created an entire body of Photogram prints of plants she collected. In the 1020's Man Ray made Photograms he called, what else but... "Rayographs".
Beginning Cyanotype
A step by step workshop to learn how to make a Cyanotype print. We'll start by examining historic and modern examples of Cyanotype and Photogram prints, what makes a good print and paper choices.
Paper, chemistry, negatives, pressed flowers/plants and class notes are included.
Advanced Cyanotype
In this hands on workshop, students will learn to create their own cyanotype negative, how to coat paper, and print, rinse and tone images.
All students must bring a laptop with images to create their own negatives.
Cyanotype Textiles
Create your own unique silk scarf, t-shirt or other garment.
Using photo negatives or pressed flowers, students will make a print onto fabric. Cyanotype instruction and negatives/pressed flowers will be included. Students are also encouraged to bring their own negatives and materials for printing.
PRIVATE INSTRUCTION
We are map-makers, explorers and wanderers, each set to discover our unique path. Whether our ideas are clear, concrete or open-ended, we set the course.
I am here for you... to invite a fresh approach to art making, coax and encourage your facility to glide between intuition and intellect, to acknowledge and honor your journey.
My classes provide practical information and essential skills for complete beginning to advanced instruction. Classes can include working with hot wax, cold wax, photo encaustic, creating digital imagery, printmaking, cyanotype, principles for adding mixed media.
Personalized Instruction:
$250 for two hours. Add $75/ additional person. Add $100 /each hour.
Beginning, Advanced and Personal Projects:
$300 for 3 Hours, add $90 for each additional person. Includes instruction and most materials.
Thank you!
