Jane Cornish Smith - 2-day Cold Wax Abstract Compositions and Abstract Landscapes Workshop

To Be Announced

Explore the endless possibilities of abstract painting with cold wax! Take a thought-provoking immersion into the use of luminous cold wax with oil paint, mineral spirits, mixed media, mark-making materials, brushes, scrapers and imagination. Composition, color and contrast will be addressed, along with an exploration of visual elements such as line, shape, pattern, texture, mass, and depth. The workshop will include discussion on how to create landscape abstractions, as well as non-representational works. This versatile medium yields rich and emotive surfaces. Develop your own personal expression in this fun and freeing workshop! All experience levels welcome.

This new 2-day format (description below) has proven to be especially valuable in introducing various techniques and layering, bringing work to greater potential! If you've participated in Jane's workshops before, and would like to continue working on a previous piece or pieces, and get feedback, please have them available as you create! See some of the pics from workshops here: Cold Wax Workshops with Jane Cornish Smith

Day One:

Introductions and demo on taping paper, setting up media. Any questions throughout the workshop are welcome!

Participants tape their Arches Oil Paper and organize space.

Brief discussion on the characteristics of cold wax medium and substrates.

Slide show on artists that work with cold wax, looking at individual approaches concerning art elements and principles: shape, color, value, line, texture, pattern, contrast, and composition. Slides will showcase both landscape and non-representational abstractions.

Demo: wet-into-wet warm up paintings, mixing CWM with oil paint using a limited color palette.

Participants create four small works individually; one-on-one instruction and feedback. Students can tune in to feedback throughout workshop if desired as they work.

Break for lunch

Guided exercise on cropping photo references for optimal compositions, thumbnail sketches, discussion on design, and review of black and white value scale.

Demo on mixing a broader color palette with CWM and oil paint, making initial layers on new works.

Participants create first layers; one-on-one instruction and feedback.

Day Two:

Demo on adding layers with CWM and oil paint, mineral spirits, particulates, pigments sticks, alcohol inks, and other media; additive and subtractive techniques.

Participants continue with subsequent layers; one-on-one instruction and feedback. Some students may like to work on unfinished pieces from prior workshops as well.

Break for lunch

Participants continue to work on paintings; one-on-one instruction and feedback.

Sharing of one-of-a-kind abstracted artworks! Group discussion, critique, final questions and answers.

Supplies to have on hand for workshop: (order asap as deliveries are slower these days):

• Arches Oil Paper, one 9 x 12” pad containing 12 sheets, available here
• Newsprint paper, Newsprint 12 sheets 12 x 18”, or you can use pieces of newspaper - Provided for In-person participants - have on hand for home Zoomers
• Bowl scrapers: here's the link: Bowl Scraper - Provided for In-person participants - have on hand for home Zoomers
• You can also substitute 2 x 3” 1 x 2” etc pieces of cardboard or mat board or use a palette knife.
• One Brayer: here's the Inovart link
• or Speedball brayer here - Provided for In-person participants - have on hand for home Zoomers
• Various mark-making tools for Incising, texturizing, stenciling, and scraping: you can use various ceramic tools, or toothpicks, bamboo skewers, palette knife, paper clips, scrunched up wax paper or plastic wrap, bubble wrap— anything goes! Ceramic tools: here - Some provided for In-person participants but bring more of your own - have on hand for home Zoomers
• Wax paper or freezer paper from the grocery store that you can tape to a table to mix paint. - Provided for In-person participants - have on hand for home Zoomers
• Odorless mineral spirits or odorless Turpentine and a jar. Gamsol is a great: here or Mona Lisa here. - Provided for In-person participants - have on hand for home Zoomers
• Cold wax medium: 16 ounces of cold wax medium, Gamblin- here's a link or Dorlands. - Provided for In-person participants - have on hand for home Zoomers
• Charcoal and pencil - any type - bring or have on hand for home Zoomers
• Oil paint - this can be a variety of your favorite colors but be sure to at least have basic yellow, blue, red, and plenty of white. Any color can be mixed from the three primaries! To get a variety of cool, warm, opaque, and transparent colors, I usually use Cadmium Yellow Light, Indian Yellow, Ultramarine Blue, Cobalt Blue, Cadmium Red Medium, Alizarin Crimson, Mars Black, Titanium White. Any brand will do. - Bring or have on hand for home Zoomers
• Palette knife- any medium metal diamond shaped type, here’s a link for mixing color and applying medium. - Provided for In-person participants but bring more and have on hand for home Zoomers
• Sketchbook or paper and pencil, for taking notes and making thumbnail sketches. Paper is also good for cutting out “corners” for finding good compositions. Bring or have on hand for home Zoomers
• Paper towels - one roll - have on hand for home Zoomers
• Reference photos or printouts: Inkjet or Xerox’s of landscape or other images of your favorite places, objects, etc with a good contrast of lights and darks. Bring or have on hand for home Zoomers
• Tape - blue or green, one 1” roll - Bring or have on hand for home Zoomers
• Optional- Alcohol Inks: you can buy here: Jane's favorites: Adirondack rust/stonewash/pitch black. As a substitute, you can use oil paint and mineral spirits mixed together. I have some here but bring or have on hand for home Zoomers - if you like
• Optional- PanPastels your choice of colors, but here’s a link for metallics if you’d like here or dry pastels, other possibilities are charcoal powder, marble powder, ash, fine dirt, paprika, etc. - I have some here but bring or have on hand for home Zoomers - if you like
• Optional- R&F Pigment Sticks, your choice of colors, but here’s a small set that’s in stock. Also The Bonny Studio and Encaustic Center carries R&F pigment sticks at a 20% discount here. - Some provided but bring or have on hand if you like
• Optional- thin papers for collaging, such as newspaper, tissue paper, etc. - Bring or have on hand for home Zoomers - Bring or have on hand for home Zoomers
• Optional- A smock or apron - CWM can get messy - Bring or have on hand for home Zoomers
• Optional- Gloves- nitrile or latex to protect hands from absorbing oil paint and mineral spirits, and for easy clean up. - Provided for In-person participants or have on hand for home Zoomers

Originally from Canada, Texas-based artist Jane Cornish Smith’s nomadic childhood, along with her artist mother, fostered an appreciation for creative expression from a young age. Jane produces paintings and sculptural work with diverse materials and subject matter, but has concentrated in recent years on cold wax and encaustic mediums. She has attended artist residencies at the International School of Painting, Drawing, and Sculpture in Umbria, Italy; Vermont Studio Center; and Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and earned BFA, MLA, and MFA degrees. An award-winning artist, her work hangs at the University of Texas at Tyler, Brookhaven College, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Museum of Encaustic Art in Santa Fe, Tenby Museum and Art Gallery in Wales, the Cancer Support Community of North Texas, and others. She enjoys teaching, and making art from her studio in rural Lone Oak, Texas. www.janecornishsmithart.com  

Date  To Be Announced

Please let me know right away if you would like to join in and I will confirm space availability. Spaces fill up quickly! bonny@theencausticcenter.com