Serena Barton’s 

Bold and Uninhibited: Oil and Cold Wax Painting

October 2-11 (departs the 12th), 2019

Watch Serena’s video here.

Paint abstract pieces adventurously and intuitively in this ten-day, all-inclusive* workshop in Bella Italia! Creating abstract art with oil paint and cold wax medium involves taking a journey into yourself and your world -without a map. The process is intuitive, bold and full of discovery. Your pieces will take on lives of their own through the many layers of oil and cold wax you apply, and areas where you choose to incise and scrape back.

We’ll work on oil paper and Multimedia Artboard to create with joy and abandon. I’ll show you all the basics as well as many of my favorite techniques. . We will cultivate a playful atmosphere, using this medium where there are no mistakes!

Cold wax medium is a malleable paste of beeswax, odorless mineral spirits, and resin. It mixes with oil paint to create a luscious surface that can be textured, smoothed, layered, incised, and scraped back. We’ll use a variety of tools to experiment with texture and layers. We’ll explore using lightweight papers to add collage elements that blend in and become part of the painting.

I’ll show you lots of techniques for adding layers, textures, graphic touches and atmosphere to your work. You’ll learn more about your creative process and you’ll leave the workshop as a confident oil and cold wax painter. You’ll also leave with a lot of amazing and beautiful pieces!

• You’ll learn several ways to prepare your wood supports and we’ll also play with Arches oil paper, which needs no preparation before you dive in with paint and wax.
• You’ll learn how to use ordinary household tools to incise and make marks, how to scrape back for a dramatic look, and how to unify your compositions.
• You’ll learn how adding personal marks with oil bars and oil pastels enhances your pieces.
• You’ll learn how to use solvents to add unusual and unexpected effects.
• We’ll explore the creative process and ways to get your creativity flowing.
• We’ll also cover adding collage, pigment, and using solvents on your pieces..

You’ll be able to take inspiration photos on our visits to nearby towns and translate them into abstract works that evoke all that you experience on this Italian adventure.

The watchword for this workshop is, “Experiment!” You’ll build up many layers, incise, scribble, scrape back, and texture work, allowing each piece to tell its own story.

A focus of the workshop will be playing with asemic writing—marks that look like text, though they aren’t real writing. These loops, swirls, and random marks can add pizazz to your pieces.

Whether you’re new to the medium or more experienced, you’ll find something in this workshop to inspire you!

Click here for more details about this workshop.

Click here to register (Space is limited to 8 artists).

Click here to visit Serena’s website