Friday August 7th, Saturday August 8th, and Sunday August 9th - 10 AM to 4 PM- $445 - All materials for class are included, but see below for suggestions!

This beginner-friendly workshop is 3-day collage-forward exploration of working with natural materials and botanical impressions in encaustic. Set during the height of summer, students will be able to incorporate Western North Carolina's natural bounty in their art! 

We'll cover creating and embedding nature prints, embedding and collaging plant materials in wax, and even making direct plant impressions in the encaustic surface. Made of filtered beeswax and natural tree resin, encaustic has a soft glow and an organic feel which works well with nature themes.

During the workshop, students will…

• Make plant prints using gel plates and encaustic-friendly inks on a variety of papers 

• Learn the basics of working with encaustic including safety, tools, materials, and applying and fusing layers of encaustic wax

• Develop their own encaustic collages using a combination of nature prints, pressed natural materials, and found collage materials

• Incorporate dry, dimensional botanical elements to their pieces using a variety of attachment methods

• Create direct impressions in the wax using fresh plant material, encaustic paint, and oil paints

• Use mixed media like oil paints and pan pastels to enhance their encaustic collage and wax impressions

Students will have the opportunity to complete several pieces, working both on wood and heavy paper. The three day format allows students plenty of time to practice and absorb the techniques!

This class seats 8 students. For any questions regarding our cancellation or transfer policy, please refer to the link in our navigation bar.

Bridget Benton is  the lead instructor in Encaustic Methods,  Nature Print, ecoprint and collage methods at 310 ART. In addition to local teaching, Bridget is a faculty member  of the international encaustic online encaustic masterclass, Painting with Fire, as well as the author of the award-winning “The Creative Conversation: ArtMaking as Playful Prayer”. Teaching credentials include the Creative Problem Solving Institute in Buffalo, NY; the Newport Visual Arts Center in Newport, OR; Art Unraveled in Phoenix, AZ; and Collage in Portland, OR. as well as the Nature Printing Society’s Annual Workshop where she served for several years as the event’s Educational Coordinator.