Bespoke Contemporary Fine Art Encaustic Wax Workshop.
Description
Looking for a gift idea for that special ‘creative friend’ in your life? Why not give them a gift voucher for one of my encaustic wax workshops, and let me do the rest! I am one of only a handful of artists in the UK and Europe painting in this ancient medium. Once you try it, I guarantee you will be hooked. This workshop will introduce you to the lesser known encaustic wax technique of painting multiple layers of molten beeswax, damar resin and pigments on a high-quality wood panel. This method, as compared to the iron and wax on card method, allows the painter to create depth and textures in their artwork. Embedding imagery and ephemera and a wealth of mixed-media. This is just SO satisfying. Spend a day with me in my studio on the beautiful Isle of Portland in Dorset. This dramatic coastal location offers so much inspiration for my work, and I hope will inspire you, too. I will share my knowledge and skills developed over several years experience of working with this ancient Egyptian painting medium. Still relatively unknown in the UK and across Europe, and yet so mesmerising. I will give you personalised tuition. We will discuss your ideas so I can get a feel for your creative journey and understand what type of art gives you most pleasure, (equally, if you have no pre-conceived ideas, we can explore together!). I will help you to produce a piece of work that is individual to you. I take a maximum of two students - Great day of fun and creativity for two friends, Mums and daughters, partners, etc. The price quoted here is for one person. Unlike lots of painting workshops, there is no set formula. You are free to paint exactly what you would like: abstract, impressionistic, seascapes, landscapes, portrait, etc! I will guide you every step of the way, making suggestions, incorporating lots of mixed media. So that you leave with a painting that is individual to you. Each session covers the basics of working with hot beeswax in a textural, layered way. The day normally starts at 10am and finishes at 4pm, but if you prefer an earlier start, then I am happy to accommodate this. Please reach out via the 'message the tutor' button to discuss. During the session you will work on a high quality cradled birch ply panel. You will learn about the tools, materials and methods of creating your encaustic wax painting in a safe environment. I am extremely fortunate to be supported by US manufacturer R&F Handmade paints for my workshops. The day will begin with a short introduction to working with encaustic paint in a safe environment, how to use R&F paints and pigment sticks, followed by a demonstration of building up layers of the wax medium, and fusing the wax with a heat gun. I will discuss various techniques for example, photo-encaustic, mixed media collaging, wax casting, use of stencils (manmade and ‘found’) and a wide variety of mark-making into the wax. I encourage you to bring along your ideas, photographs, anything that inspires you. You will have ample time to experiment. This session is ideal for experienced Artists who are looking at ways of integrating encaustic wax into their current practice, or novices who are intrigued by this relatively unique medium in the UK. Why not make a weekend of it and include a Photo-Encaustic workshop? I can offer suggestions on local accommodation recommended by previous students.
What's included in the price?
- Birch ply painting panel (approximately 30cm x 30cm). - All encaustic paints, heat tools and hotplate are available to use. - Selection of mixed media materials. Teas, coffee, and home baked cake. Please bring a snack/sandwich for lunch. Plenty of places locally to purchase. If you are travelling a distance I can recommend local places to stay. This is based upon excellent reviews from previous Students, I am not affiliated with any accommodation or receiving any financial benefits from promoting them.
Duration
1 day
Cancellation policy
Easy - Cancellation and a full refund can be obtained up to 2 weeks before the course starts
Maker
Hi, I am passionate about encaustic wax as I hope you can tell from the reviews by previous students. Being able to pass on my knowledge and little tricks of the trade is a real pleasure. I have been painting all my life, but ‘found’ encaustic whilst studying as a mature student at Art College. I was hooked! I am a member of the International Encaustic Artists organisation (IEA) and a prize winner for my encaustic work. My workshops are always fun. We pack a lot in, but the time just flies!
Suitable for
- Adults
- Seniors
- Teenagers
- Hearing impaired
- Spooky
- Christmas
- Suitable for all abilities
- Father's Day
- Overseas Holiday
- Easter
- Daytime (weekdays)
- Mother's Day
- Public transport
- UK Holiday
- Weekends
- Pet lovers
- Parking provided
- Tutor can travel
- Intermediate level
- Romantic
- Advanced/pro level
- Suitable for beginners
- Fairs, festivals & exhibitions
FAQs
There are several Airbnb properties on the Island. WhiteStones in Easton is probably the nearest and is a short walk from my studio.
If you book a workshop during school holidays Portland can get very busy, and you may find it preferable to stay in nearby Weymouth where there is an abundance of guest houses and hotels.
If you do choose to stay on the Island you won’t be disappointed. It is wild and exciting in the winter and a haven for birds and butterflies in the summer months. Lots of lovely walks if you bring a companion, and many places welcome dogs.
The Isle of Portland is served well by buses. The First bus no.1 leaves from Weymouth to Portland around every twenty minutes, and the bus stop to aim for is the George Pub in Reforne. (www.firstbus.co.uk) which is almost directly opposite my studio. There is normally parking in the street, or at the carpark near to St George’s Church at the top of the street.
Train’s from London Waterloo to Weymouth take approximately 3 hours.
Please bring your lunch, and any special dietary drinks. I like to provide homemade cake, but if you prefer not to have this I can bring a selection of fruit and nuts.
If you have a sketchbook, photographs that inspire you, or artistic styles that you would like to use as a reference point, then please do bring them along. I do my very best to personalise each workshop for my students. So aside from the standard discussions around health & safety, materials, equipment and process, we can be flexible on how the day progresses.
Absolutely not. Encaustic wax is unlike any other painting medium, it almost has a life if its own, and in that respect is both exciting to work with and unpredictable. So, whether you are an experienced artist, or a complete novice, I am confident that you will find working with molten beeswax, damar resin and pigments, fulfilling and full of potential.
If you have booked the photo-encaustic workshop with me, I do recommend that we use your own images wherever possible. In creating a new narrative for images, I find using ones that have some personal relevance produce the best pieces. These could be family portraits, vintage or contemporary, places with significance, pets or childhood memories. The other benefit to using your own images is that there should be no copyright issues.
I will work with you to select the images that I feel will work best with the wax. Good focal point, strong contrast, could be mono or colour. We might choose to isolate a specific part of an image and recreate a background in encaustic. Or collage several photographs, letters, tickets, ephemera to produce a new story. It is all part of a discussion prior to the workshop. Ideally I need the chosen images about one week before the workshop so that I can print out on specialist papers (we don’t use originals).
