In Progress: Explorations in Encaustic Painting
Welcome to the wonderful world of hot wax painting! Encaustic painting is one of the oldest forms of painting, in this class you will learn the fundamentals of the encaustic studio with a modern twist incorporating encaustic skins, found objects and ephemera.
Description
Welcome to the wonderful world of hot wax painting! Encaustic painting is one of the oldest forms of painting, in this class you will learn the fundamentals of the encaustic studio with a modern twist incorporating encaustic skins, found objects and ephemera. We will create encaustic “skins” to use as collage elements, incorporate found objects and ephemera to create unique and beautiful art pieces
Weekly class breakdown
Week 1
SAFETY
board prep, first coats of wax
Week 2
Image Transfers
Using photos
Using colored wax
Week 3
Shellac. Burns and lines
Inciscing
Stencils
Week 4
Troubleshooting and work day
Week 5
Finishing
Class critique and party!
This class is open to beginners, continuing students will work on refining skills, focusing on composition and color.
About the Instructor
Chela Noto, Encaustic Artist. She describes her work as abstract or impressionistic botanicals and landscapes that are collages of layers of encaustic skins and other media. She also works with alternative photographic processes which she incorporates into her work.
She has a degree in Theatre History (BA) from Reed College, a Masters degree in Directing from San Francisco State. She studied Art History at SUNY Syracuse in Madrid, Spain, photography and alternative photographic processes at DeAnza College and Santa Monica College.
Her work has been exhibited at the International Encaustic Museum in Cerrillos, NM, Twig Gallery in Los Gatos, CA , and the Pacific Art League in Palo Alto, CA.
Chela teaches traditional and mixed media encaustic painting at the Pacific Art League and offers clinics and workshops at her home studio in Los Gatos. She lives in the Santa Cruz Mountains with her husband, two dogs, and a rotating roster of chickens.
Supply List
All materials will be provided.
Students should expect to provide: encaustic paints beyond what we can provide, background colors if they want to experiment with watercolors, or pastels. Bring in stencils that they want. Their own Hake brushes if they want to make their own colors. Cradled boards beyond what we provide for the class if they want to create other works. Students should dress in clothing appropriate to painting, or wear an apron. Gloves are recommended, but not provided. Ventilation at PAL is good, and we don’t heat our wax to dangerous levels, but if students are concerned they should provide their own PPE masks.