Dates: Saturday, October 24, from 1 pm - 4 pm
Fee: $200/ discount with member code
Ages: 18+
Levels: All
Sessions: 1
Instructor: Sharon Gottula
Location: Schack Art Center, Studio 1

Curious about painting with hot wax?

In this hands-on beginner’s course, you’ll be introduced to the fascinating world of encaustic painting—a luminous, layered art form that combines melted beeswax, pigment, and heat to create richly textured, beautiful works.

You'll begin by learning how to safely set up a basic encaustic workspace at home and get comfortable with the tools and materials involved, including types of wax, pigments, fusing tools, brushes, and essential safety gear. Through step-by-step demonstrations and guided practice, you’ll explore:

• Fusing techniques and how to avoid over- or under-fusing

• Layering and surface manipulation to create depth and texture

• Mark-making, incising, and scraping for expressive detail

• Finishing and presentation tips to protect and showcase your work

By the end of the course, you’ll have a solid foundation in encaustic techniques—along with one or more ready-to-hang pieces you’ll be proud to take home.

All materials are provided. Just bring your creativity and curiosity! And dress for mess.

Dates: Sunday, October 25, from 1 pm to 5 pm
Fee: $215/ discount with member code
Ages: 18+
Levels: All
Sessions: 1
Instructor: Sharon Gottula
Location: Schack Art Center, Studio 1

Unlock the magic of wax and paper in this hands-on encaustic collage workshop. Discover how to harness transparency, depth, and composition to create layered, dynamic works of art.

Through playful experimentation with encaustic medium, you’ll push beyond traditional collage techniques—melting, embedding, and revealing unexpected textures. Perfect for artists looking to elevate their design skills while having fun with a mix of vintage papers, photographs, and textured elements. Whether you're new to encaustic or a seasoned pro, this class will ignite fresh ideas and inspire you to work more intuitively. Join us and let wax and paper transform your creative process!

All supplies provided.

Dress for mess!

Dates: Saturday, December 12, from 1 pm - 4 pm
Fee: $215/ discount with member code
Ages: 18+
Levels: All
Sessions: 1
Instructor: Sharon Gottula
Location: Schack Art Center, Studio 1

Dive into a world of color, texture, and imagination as you create underwater-inspired artworks using encaustic monoprinting and mixed media techniques. Working with encaustic medium on a heated glass palette and Japanese calligraphy paper, you'll create abstract prints that are enhanced with water-soluble media.

Explore layering, texture, and visual storytelling while discovering hidden imagery through pareidolia—the tendency to see familiar forms in abstract patterns. Fish, coral, sea creatures, and other unexpected shapes may emerge from your compositions.

Perfect for beginners and experienced artists alike, this playful workshop will leave you with a collection of unique mixed media artworks and new techniques to incorporate into your creative practice.

All materials are provided. Just bring your creativity and curiosity! And dress for mess.

Date: Sunday, January 10, from 1 pm to 4 pm
Fee: $145/ discount with member code
Ages: 15+
Levels: All
Sessions: 1
Instructor: Sharon Gottula
Location: Schack Art Center, Studio 1

Welcome the new year by turning your hopes and intentions for 2027 into a luminous, moving work of art. In this cozy winter workshop, you’ll create shimmering encaustic monoprints on Japanese calligraphy paper, layering color and wax to capture your words, drawings, and wishes for the year ahead.

You’ll then transform your prints into a Calder-inspired mobile using wire, learning how to bend, coil, balance, and assemble the individual pieces into a finished kinetic sculpture. Along the way, you’ll learn encaustic monoprinting techniques, safe use of wax and heat tools, and the fundamentals of balance and movement.

No previous experience is required—just a willingness to experiment, get a little wax on your fingers, and dream about the year ahead. You’ll leave with a unique, ready-to-hang encaustic mobile that brings your intentions to life.

All supplies provided.

Dress for mess!

Date: Saturday, February 6, from 1 pm to 5 pm
Fee: $175/ discount with member code
Ages: 18+
Levels: All
Sessions: 1
Instructor: Sharon Gottula
Location: Schack Art Center, Studio 1

Curious about painting with encaustic? This hands-on beginner’s workshop introduces you to the luminous, layered world of encaustic painting, an art form that combines melted beeswax, pigment, and heat.

Through step-by-step demonstrations and guided practice, you’ll learn how to safely set up an encaustic workspace and become familiar with essential tools and materials, including wax, pigments, brushes, fusing tools, and safety equipment. You’ll explore techniques for creating smooth surfaces, layering and blending color, making marks and incised designs, building texture through accretion, and fusing your work with a torch.

The instructor will also cover best practices for safely setting up an encaustic studio at home, giving you the knowledge and confidence to continue exploring the medium independently. By the end of the workshop, you’ll have created 2–3 encaustic paintings while building a strong foundation of techniques to take into your own studio practice.

All supplies provided.

Dress for mess!

Date: Sunday, February 7, from 1 pm to 5 pm
Fee: $185/ discount with member code
Ages: 18+
Levels: Intermediate
Sessions: 1
Instructor: Sharon Gottula
Location: Schack Art Center, Studio 1

Explore the beautiful combination of photography and encaustic painting in this hands-on workshop. You’ll learn how photographic imagery can become both the foundation and focal point of a wax-based artwork, from incorporating photographs directly into the wax to creating image transfers.

Through demonstrations and guided practice, you’ll learn which types of images work best with encaustic, how to prepare high-contrast images for successful transfers, and how to use photographs as background layers or embed them within the wax. You’ll also explore techniques for creating smooth, even surfaces with encaustic pours and adding finishing details with pigment sticks and PanPastels.

Photos will be provided for students to use, or you’re welcome to bring a laser-printed image that fits an 8 × 8-inch substrate if you’d like to work with your own image.

No previous photo encaustic experience is required, but students must have taken beginning encaustic or have equivalent experience. You’ll leave with three finished photo encaustic paintings and a variety of techniques to continue exploring this unique mixed-media process.

Dress for mess!

Date: Sunday, March 14, from 1 pm to 5 pm
Fee: $215/ discount with member code
Ages: 18+
Levels: All
Sessions: 1
Instructor: Sharon Gottula
Location: Schack Art Center, Studio 1

Unlock the magic of wax and paper in this hands-on encaustic collage workshop. Discover how to harness transparency, depth, and composition to create layered, dynamic works of art.

Through playful experimentation with encaustic medium, you’ll push beyond traditional collage techniques—melting, embedding, and revealing unexpected textures. Perfect for artists looking to elevate their design skills while having fun with a mix of vintage papers, photographs, and textured elements. Whether you're new to encaustic or a seasoned pro, this class will ignite fresh ideas and inspire you to work more intuitively. Join us and let wax and paper transform your creative process!

All supplies provided.

Dress for mess!