Description
This could be the perfect time for you to learn a new, ancient painting technique. 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 your own photographic images under a veil of encaustic wax is so very satisfying. Giving experienced and intermediate photographers the opportunity to connect in a hands-on painterly way with their original images. Spend a day with me in my Studio on the beautiful Isle of Portland in Dorset. This unusual and 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. This private session focusses on the technique of photo-encaustic. This describes the method of embedding a photographic image under the translucent layers of encaustic wax. This is particularly of interest to those people who may have already attended my Contemporary Encaustic Wax Workshop (but not a pre-requisite), and who wish to progress creating photographic based encaustic artwork. The importance of creating a smooth and even surface upon which to embed imagery is vital on this one day workshop, and we will spend some time honing this skill. There are two main methods of creating a photo-encaustic painting. Transposing the printed image to the surface on paper and dampening the paper making it easier to rub away everything excluding the image. Or, printing your image on specialist papers which are fine enough to soak into the wax leaving the image on the surface. I have had limited success with the former, probably down to my impatience! But love the process of embedding the images in the wax, watching them reveal themselves is as exciting as removing a print from your etching press. Using images (supplied in advance by you) or from my resources. I pre-print your images using a variety of papers to embed photographs (both mono and colour) onto the waxed birch ply surface. You can work on up to three panels (varying sizes - maximum A3) using three different images to create a unique finish to your photographs OR create a single piece of collaged work on a larger panel. Creating a narrative with family photographs, postcards, treasured ephemera (we don’t use the originals). The price includes some pre-workshop discussions/zoom call on what images will be most successful. Please ensure that you seek permission to use photography which is not your own. This workshop is suitable for complete novices, intermediate encaustic artists or photographers looking to create a different finish to their images. I am very fortunate to be supported by US R&F Handmade paints for my workshops. Please check out this image library for examples of mine and previous students work.
What's included in the price?
All materials, hot and cold drinks in my studio and homemade cakes. Pre-workshop communication on suitable images and digital preparation of said images.
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
- Fairs, festivals & exhibitions
- Pet lovers
- Daytime (weekdays)
- Christmas
- Public transport
- UK Holiday
- Weekends
- Easter
- Parking provided
- Suitable for beginners
- Advanced/pro level
- Spooky
- Father's Day
- Intermediate level
- Tutor can travel
- Overseas Holiday
- Mother's Day
- Suitable for all abilities
- Romantic
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).
