Encaustic Workshops

• 2-DAY ENCAUSTIC WORKSHOP & RETREAT

Instructors: Jude Lobe and Carol Engler
Location: Horseshoe Farm, Westfield, NC
Dates: Saturday & Sunday. September 17 & 18th, 2016.
Cost: $300. (Includes overnight accommodations, Saturday lunch & dinner, Sunday breakfast and lunch)
Spend the night in the air-conditioned cabin on-site. Limited to 5 persons.
All materials will be supplied. At the end of the workshop you should have completed at least 3 works of art and a sample board.

Spend the weekend in a beautiful venue to learn encaustic painting. Spend free time hiking trails in the woods along the river and lake, cooling off in the swimming pool, and relaxing at night in the hot tub with a glass of wine.

We will have 3 sessions on Saturday with breaks for lunch and dinner. On Sunday we will begin with breakfast then have a session. After breaking for lunch, participants will have the afternoon to work on their own or enjoy the surroundings or both. If you want to hike on Sunday, a lunch bag with sandwich and drink will be prepared for you.

Download Workshop&Retreat-SCHEDULE

Scene from walking down the trail from the cabin is this view of the lake.

What will be covered
• Materials needed to begin working in encaustics
• What type supports to use and how to prepare them
• Creating colored wax from earth pigments
• Embedding objects, fabric or paper into the painting
• Fusing layers and learning heat control
• Inscribing and making texture
• Applying alcohol ink
• Sources for supplies.

Space is limited. Small class size (usually 4 to 5 students) makes for a very personalized learning experience and students of all skill levels gain from the intimate studio environment. Due to the limited number of spaces available per class early registration is recommended to secure your spot. Cabin has 2 twin beds in downstairs bedroom, and 2 twin beds and 1 king size bed in the upstairs bedroom. It has a full kitchen if you’d like to bring snack food or extra drinks.

You will receive a Workshop pamphlet that has information about how to begin working in Encaustic, the workshop schedule and sources. At the workshop we will begin by doing a Sample Board of techniques applying textures, collage, inscribing, etc. This will be a good reference to use during the workshop and to refer to when you are home.

Please give your name and address so we can send you directions, syllabus and schedule and reminders about bringing a bathing suit if you are using the hot tub and/or swimming pool. Towels and linens will be provided. You do not need a paypal account to pay. To REGISTER or FMI: Click HERE.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

HISTORY OF A PAINTING

ANCIENT PORTAL, Cold Wax & Oil, reclaimed iron and brass, 9X12X1.5, $285  click image to visit website.

Nature is my muse. I'm inspired by its unrelenting qualities of rejuvenation and renewal necessary for survival. As a part of nature, I believe we need to respect the connection we have with the natural environment. In nature things change over time, evolve. Like a forest goes through an ecological succession, so do we as individuals evolve and are, at present, a compilation of bits and pieces of the experiences we have traveled. This idea I want to translate in my art.

Cold wax and oil lends itself perfectly to expressing this idea. It affords the opportunity to show a history of the painting by building up layers, obscuring what's beneath, and removing layers to reveal bits of past layers. It represents the history of a life that becomes an aggregation of our observations and experiences. 

Cold wax was a widely used medium in Greco-Roman art beginning in the 5th century BC. Cold wax can be used to make oil colors thicker and more matte. The wax I use is Gamblin Cold Wax. It is made from naturally white unbleached beeswax, alkyd resin and odorless mineral spirits. It can be thinned to brush on or mixed 1:1 with oil paint and applied with a palette knife, brayer or brush. It can also be used as a wax varnish over a dry oil painting. When I use a 1:1 ratio I use a rigid support. If I used canvas or linen, the stretching and shrinking of the soft supports could cause the wax to crack. However, if you want to use a flexible support, mix the cold wax with a Galkyd Gel 1:1 to add flexibility to the wax. 

A nice advantage to using cold wax with oil, rather than just oil painting, is that you do not have to varnish, so you do not have to wait for the painting to cure, which could take  several months. The cold wax paintings dry to touch within about a week. They would take more time to thoroughly dry, but because they don't have to be varnished you can ship or exhibit them within a week or so. I do buff some of mine with a soft cloth after a week when I want a slight shine. 

I've just begun to put some of my pieces on my website. I also have some pieces exhibited at Hillsborough Gallery of Arts including the image above. You can check out my website by clicking the  image above. Jude Lobe


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