An Expressively Abstract Weekend Teaching in Seattle!

I didn't paint the piece above--the credit goes to Terry Smith who organized and hosted the two-day oil/cold wax workshop that I had the good fortune to teach last weekend at The Miller School of Art in Seattle.. I had a great group of students and had so much fun. Our participants ranged from experienced painters, intermediate painters, and beginners. All produced vibrant and stunning work! 

We worked on panels, Arches Oil Paper, and Stone Paper. I brought a lot of texture tools and students were inventive in finding additional ones. Students used plaster and Ceracolors in priming some of their boards, as well as acrylic gesso.

Participants experimented with adding gold transfer leaf for accents.

The piece above was the first picture this student ever painted!

Above: Applying oil and cold wax with a palette knife

Adding oil pastel, above

A touch of stamping above, on the right

Complex Simplicity can be seen above

Scraping off excess transfer leaf, above

Using a squeegee to move paint around, above

Above, a student's rusted paper collaged with cold wax

Above, another strong piece from a beginning painter

Incising, above

Above, spreading oil and cold wax over oil pastel marks on Arches Oil Paper

By the second day, everyone got bold and adventurous. It shows beautifully in their work.

New Name, Same Location

For the Boys     Oil/Cold Wax/Collage on Paper, Mounted on Panel

As some of you know, I started a separate blog in 2013 when my book, Wabi-Sabi Art Workshop, came out. This has been a place for readers of the book to ask questions, post comments, and share inspiration with me and each other. Now that my second book is out, I have re-named this blog to "Wabi Sabi Inspiration: Cold Wax and More." I encourage readers of both books to post and share, question, and comment. The blog url is still the same, but it has a new name and look.

Featuring the work of Martha Rea Baker

Martha Rea Baker is one of my talented guest artists in the book and the first of these I'll feature on this blog. I feel that Martha evokes in her paintings everything I love about Northern New Mexico.

Martha lives in Santa Fe, NM. Here's what she has to say about how living in this inspiring area has enriched her work:

"My move to Santa Fe has influenced my work through texture and light. I am intrigued by the rich history and culture of the area and enjoy developing my paintings and collages with multiple layers. My personal vision is revealed through subtle textures inviting discovery. The process becomes a metaphor for “life”. All of our past experiences, one building upon the other like the layers on the canvas, weave a rich tapestry. My wish is to engage and challenge you, the viewer, to uncover the veiled mysteries."

I'm fortunate to have one of Martha's Chronos series featured in my new book, Wabi-Sabi Painting with Cold Wax. Here are a few more of her work evoking the passing of time and layers of life. I hope someday to see some of her work in person. I also hope someday to work in this large a format and with something approaching Martha's vision.

Slate     Oil/Cold Wax on Panel         24' x 24'

Chronos VI       Oil/Cold Wax on Panel      30' x 30'

You can see more of Martha's work on her site. Thank you again, Martha, for being willing to contribute to the book!

More Art from the Oregon Coast

Here's the second installment of photos from my recent oil and cold wax class at Bloom! an artscape in Yachats, OR. The coast was certainly an inspiration for the above piece done on stone paper. Nice!