18th International Encaustic Conference

This demonstration will delve into additive and subtractive techniques used in encaustic painting, focusing on how the layering of pigmented encaustic medium can create richly textured and tactile surfaces. Attendees will be guided through each step of the process, from applying heated encaustic medium and pigments to manipulating the surface through scraping, carving, and scoring. The demonstration will draw connections between the artistic process and geological transformations, showing how layers are constructed, eroded, and reshaped over time. Participants will experience how the physicality of encaustic painting mimics natural forces like erosion and decay, while also revealing textures and patterns inspired by the landscape. The goal of this demonstration is for attendees to gain a deeper understanding of encaustic painting’s unique characteristics, learning how to use its layering potential to create dynamic, multidimensional works. This session will appeal to artists seeking to explore encaustic's tactile qualities and its ability to evoke a sense of time, place, and transformation.

In a structured conference with slide talks and demos, sometimes you just want a nice easy session when you can talk about whatever interests you without committing to an entire hour of one topic. This will be an informal 90 minutes of questions, answers, and conversation—whether it’s about encaustic specifically or art in general, or whether you’re curious about changes in the gallery world over the past few years, how much to promote yourself, how to find a mentor, or you just want to sit back and listen in. No charts, graphs, slides. Just talk. I’ve done a lot in the past 50 years of making, showing, curating, and writing about art, and I’m happy to share what I’ve learned. But your questions will drive the hour.

Fine Art Paper Expert, Educator & Founder at Paper Connection International and the Art Annex, Lauren Pearlman teams up with nationally known artist, Milisa Galazzi to create this new conference format - a Visual Q&A. Lauren will physically show participants the basics of how paper is made IRL (in real life!). She will show how plant fibers are added to water and share the magic of pulling a sheet of paper from natural materials. Milisa will share how she uses Lauren's Japanese papers in some of her artwork. Together these inspiring teachers will answer the question, Why Paper and Encaustic by showing and telling conferees some of the behind-the-scenes joys and challenges of combining paper and wax. This format is different from a traditional demonstration because Milisa and Lauren will be sharing information about the materials and answering conferees' questions - they will not be making art in a how-to format. After attending this session early in the conference line-up, attendees can then visit Lauren's Japanese paper booth in the Vendor Room and possess a basic understanding of paper and how it supports working with encaustic.

There are many ways to apply encaustic materials beyond the conventional cradled birch panel. This demo will include layering hot to cold applications on paper, creating alternative surfaces on wood with prepared boards (plaster, fresco, encaustic), and also demonstrate techniques in applying paint to three-dimensional surfaces.

In this session, I will focus on how artists can effectively use tools like artificial intelligence, design software, video and music editing apps, as well as social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook to enhance their online presence. These are tools I use in my own practice, and I’ll share practical tips on how to integrate them into a successful digital strategy.

What does it mean to make art in a time of turmoil? Can objects resonate beyond an artist’s private experience? Where and how can notions of the ecstatic be located in the studio and the work?  In light of social, political, and ecological change, tools are needed to envision art that can meet this moment, from intimate to global. If art is the expression of an individual experience of being in a body- and an act of empathy, can the studio become a space of transformation for artists and for the world? This talk/discussion will explore examples and strategies to strip away the unessential, and find ways to make work that is as urgent, honest, and close to the heart as possible.