I discovered coldwax, a medium that is used with oil paint, about 10 years ago but it is only in the last three years that I've developed an insatiable passion for it.
I use it in landscape painting, abstract, mixed media and even in portraits. It lends itself to many styles.
Here's the technical bit ; Cold wax itself is a thick lard like substance used at room temperature . It's made from bees wax, solvents and resins. When it's mixed with oil paint it forms a new compound which is stable and drys much quicker than oil paint alone.
Why do I love it? I have warm memories, from way back when I was a little kid, of sitting on the earth on dusty summer days digging holes in the soil. Always completely absorbed in the moment I'd have a big jug of water, some bowls, sticks , leaves, grass and flowers and I'd concoct: mud pies, swamps , soups, cemented structures, perfumes and Islands. Absolute bliss! Cold wax takes me to that same state of being. ( although I hope my creations now are a rather more salable) There are so many things you can do with it. You can use it to create thin translucent layers that have a luminous character. It can be applied thickly for a sumptious matt effect. Texture can be pushed into it then glazed over ( Picture 1)
Stencils and masks can be used to create clean forms (picture 2). It's often used with powedered pigment which gives it an exciting organic feel and it can be carved back to excavate hidden layers. Pours and washes can be acheived by mixing it with thinners (picture 3)
The 2 day workshop is an introduction to cold wax medium and we will cover some of the techniques described above as well as looking closely at useful tools and different paints. There will be useful tips on how to activate a blank canvas i.e where do I start ? and a look at composition and dynamics. Students will work on mulitiple pieces, some on paper and some on board and jump between them throughout the weekend.It's best to work loosley with maybe a vague idea of the atmosphere or energy you want to create in a painting. That way you you can enjoy the unprompted suprises that your experimenting will deliver and if you are lucky be transported to a carefree and totally in the moment state of enjoyment
I hope you've enjoyed my first blog and I'm looking forward to seeing those of you that are coming to the workshops
lots of Love
Jane x