Workshop Description

You will be guided through daily projects that include panel-based painting, encaustic works on paper, an encaustic-altered book that incorporates fiber as sculpture and/or texture, under-paintings that use watercolor and oil paints, paper-clay as a substrate or surface element, and wax castings that will be incorporated into panel work. This workshop is about tapping into the creative play that moves our work forward. You are encouraged to bring your unique voice to each project, utilizing the materials provided in new and inventive ways. Time will be provided for you to work on each of the class-based projects, and then focus on specific techniques. This workshop can awaken the creative senses, as you work with the alchemy and physicality that are inherent in the hot wax medium.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Our Closing





Thursday night was so lovely-
we had poured our own bees wax candles earlier in the week, to light on our last night together.
We gather around and each took a turn lighting a candle and talking about the week-
coming together, lessons learned, friendships made, observations.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Their first Group Show of Encaustic Work!


On our last day together we held a group show!
Our venue was out doors at the Esalen Lodge, where we could welcome guests to come and view all of the work created during the workshop.
I guided an informal review of each body of work, giving time for talking about what worked well- and what challenged.
It is always exciting to see the culmination of work- the evolution of process and ideas.









More then Studio Mates


As the days unfolded, we developed a closeness with each other that became the foundation for friendships-- giving way to much laughter, tenderness, support, and sharing.
Our dinners became a group affair, sharing a bottle of wine and great conversations.

Bold Brushwork


We had a great time with an afternoon exercise for opening up our brushwork.
We each had our "own" color and a 5ft sheet of paper...
I asked each participant to make 5 marks with their brush, and then move on to their neighbor's painting...adding 5 more brush strokes. When we were done, each painting was a collaborative work guided by the first brush strokes that had the work of every one in our group.
This was a great way to Open things up!


Stepping away from the wax for a short while provided the opportunity to free things up and became the segue way to introducing line/edge/brush work in encaustic.

Our Band of Artists


It is always so exciting, that first meeting.
Slowly each participant trickled in for our first gathering in the place that would be ours for the week, the Art Barn.
Some were fatigued from travel, some were curious and wanted to start painting, others were a bit cautious while taking in this new environment.
It was lovely to learn about each person's journey, and what brought them to this workshop.
Each participant was given a journal and an invitation to write Morning Pages at the start of each of our morning sessions...
With intentions set and questions answered we headed back to our rooms (eager and excited to start the next morning!).

Getting There

Making my way to Esalen-
An early start to pick up Anne at SFO (so thrilled that she would be assisting for the week!)
drive, drive, drive.... because of the recent landslides HWY 1 was closed between Carmel & Big Sur- this required us to drive to King City, cut over the mountain range to HWY 1, and then head north to Big Sur. Having a VERY full car, almost bursting at the seams with wax/torches/heat guns/paint/boards/etc. added to the excitement! The required detour added about 2 hours to our trip- but once we started our decent to HWY 1, the beauty of the ocean was quite consuming.
Bill was getting the tables set-up for us in the Art Barn when we arrived, and we unloaded the car to start out set-up. I was so grateful the the breeze of our setting up! Yeah!- power supplies held as we ran tests to fully load the electrical system (always such a relief!).
Our studio was ready for the coming week, filled with light and boasting a stunning ocean view.

Then there was a bit of time to settle-in, enjoy dinner and get ready to meet the workshop participants.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Making Medium & Preparing for our Workshop

I am busy making more then 60 pounds of medium in preparation for our upcoming workshop!
We are going to have such a wonderful time, and I'm so excited to meet and work with each of you.
Please take a moment to read the side bar of what materials you'll need to bring, as well as additional supplies that you may find useful during our workshop.
I've also included a side-bar Resource list, with active links to suppliers that you might find helpful.
You will also see a listing of our scheduled meeting times (I'll announce additional studio work hours during our first meeting) as well as tips on what to wear during the workshop.
See you soon!
-Cari