Last week, I held a one-on-one tutoring session with Andrea Curley. She is an experienced oil painter but had never applied oil AND cold wax to her canvases before. Knowing that I have focused on this exciting medium in my classes recently, she wanted to give it a shot.

After popping the lid to this creamy beeswax substance, Andrea quickly took to finding shapes and building texture. She remarked at how simple she found this technique. Since it creates translucent and textural effects, the brilliance of this method is really best appreciated in person. But here, in two dimensions, are two of her sample efforts from our session together.

Above, a simple sailboat floats leisurely along a surfy ocean. And below, red salmon swirl in a mesmerizing pattern. In both instances the application of the cold wax texture brings the murky water into perspective.

Teaching allows me to share my love for painting with others, and I think this shared experience helps my students reflect a story of passion in their artwork. This is the way I always strive to teach. And this inspiration also gets reflected in my own art.

More opportunities to learn about oil and cold wax are available in the coming weeks. Check out my 2-Day Workshop in March OR if you are wanting to expand your techniques and use of Cold Wax added to oils, look into the 2-Day Advanced Workshop in Oil and Cold Wax in Northfield.

Sign up for Beginning Oil and Cold Wax – Friday and Saturday, March 20 & 21.

Sign up for Intermediate Oil and Cold Wax – Friday and Saturday April 19-20, 2024 @ 10:30am – 3:30pm