I’ve made plans to travel to San Miguel de Allende in October for a 5 day workshop with Jerry McLaughln, master of cold wax media painting. (https://www.jerryscoldwaxworkshops.com/) Yes, I’m looking forward to getting up at the crack of dawn, stumbling out to the breakfast room for coffee and breakfast made by cheerful Senoritas and hurrying to catch the bus to the studio. In the evening. I’ll ramble around this artsy town full of galleries, artisan shops and restaurants. Maybe I can meet up with my friend Genevieve for a hike at dusk. Such bliss!
Ex Pats are all over the place. Even Jerry, who several years ago organized his first class there, decided to move to this small town three weeks later. He’s renovated a studio for his classes and opening a work residency for artists this fall.
I’m taking the beginning class because I have been going my own way with cold wax since 2019. There is a lot more technique to learn and I hope to be able to apply that to larger boards when I return. For more on what cold wax is, see my previous post here.
A number of newer paintings on Perugi Studio are described as Cold Wax & Oil. What is this new (or not so new) painting method? It is a product by Gamblin (and others) made with mostly beeswax and some solvent. When the artist adds oil paint in a ratio of 1 part paint to 3 parts wax, it becomes a spreadable mixture that is easy to use and less expensive than oil alone. Other advantages are its’ luminosity, butter consistancy, and short drying time. It can be textured with tools and layered which is useful for making abstract paintings. Because it is primarily made of wax, it can only be applied to cradle board or other hard surfaces. (Arches oil paper can also be used if it is adhered to a board later.) The mixture can be collaged with paper and other materials. Other innovations include adding marble dust, sand, pastel powders, etc.
Cold was was introduced in the 30’s as an alternative to hot wax or encaustics. Encaustics involve heating pots that can be dangerous. Cold wax has become more popular in the last few years because of its ease of use, versatiliy and accessibility. And it was reintroduced by the cold wax Bible “Cold Wax Medium: Techniques, Concepts & Conversations” by Rebecca Crowell & Jerry McLaughlin, now in its third printing. It can be purchased at the website ColdWaxAcademy.com.
Nicholas Wilton recently spoke with artist Nadine Renazile, and she shared something about painting with scale that confirmed his creative experience, but never thought through to put into words.
“Small, tiny paintings need to feel powerful and large paintings need to feel intimate.”
See the video interview here: https://www.art2life.com/2020/07/26/the-intimacy-of-scale/
I’m sharing three small paintings I did in a series before the Black Lives Matter interrupted into a national crisis. I was thinking about slavery and maybe it was Black Lives month, and reports of police abuse were beginning to be being aired. So I did this. Only when the first two were made did I recognize what I had made. The third one was begun and I saw a skull. The series came into being. Serendipity but also an artist will to communicate a thought. So I think this is a good example of tiny paintings that feel powerful.
The paintings below describe the experience of an African Slave in America. From left to right: A Way In as a slave via a ship, The Hiding Place while fleeing slavery, and finally Death of a Slave.
I had a lot planned this Spring. This weekend I would have been in Newton Centre at the Newton Open Studios weekend show. I was also scheduled to teach Cold Wax Medium classes for Newton Community Education in April. Then, in June, I was to hang a month long show of my paintings at United Parish of Auburndale. Suddenly, that very busy Spring and Summer has turned into other sorts of work because of the Covid 19 Virus.
I subscribed to a three part online Cold Wax class by the authors of the Cold Wax bible, Cold Wax Medium: Techniques, Concepts and Conversations by Jerry McLaughlin, Rebecca A. Crowell. I’m looking forward to spending seven hours learning about new techniques and practicing in my home studio. But, this will have to wait a week or two while I help a Globe colleague layout a 160 page book about a South Boston Village and its history. This has been a nice distraction and it feels good to be employed.
A hello to everyone and hope that you are all well and you and your loved ones are safe. Hopefully, this summer will bring a safer environment.
I will be teaching Cold Wax on board (or paper) in the upcoming Spring session at Newton South High School. Classes start April 2 and end April 30. Thursday each week for four classes total. (No class April 23) The time is in the evenings, 6:30 to 9:30 pm. I taught this class the first time in Marlborough for three session at the Post Road Art Center and for five sessions last Fall with Newton Community Ed. This class is designed for beginners in cold wax or art in general. I review the basics of color theory, design and mark making. Beginners to cold Wax can purchase a kit from me that includes cold wax medium, paper, rubber spatula and several paint sticks. Oil paint and acrylic paint is also recommended. Find out more at newtoncommunityed.org.
This Monday we started a five week class on Cold Wax Painting at Newton South High School through the Newton Community Education Program. Class starts at 6:30 pm and runs until 9 pm. Come join us! Cold Wax medium is provided by the instructor (me) and there is a list of other materials to bring. Check it out at the Newton Community Education website. It’s not too late to join us!
In this class we are learning about what Cold Wax Medium is and how to use it. There are a lot of materials and tools involved in the stages of the cold wax drying process. We are also covering Value, Design and Color so that artists can improve their art skills as well as learning the medium.
