painting with fire

2025 - 2026 | Online Workshop offered through Essence of Mulranny

I am one of 27 faculty teaching in this year’s Painting With Fire online year-round workshop. I will be offering my Encaustic: Beyond The Basics and Creating Optical Depth virtual workshops as part of this year’s roster. Classes delivered each Wednesday approximately 12 noon EST as prerecorded video and once they are available you can watch whenever you wish. Lifetime access to all classes. Weekly classes are approximately 60 mins or longer. Work along, at your leisure or just watch, and jump in when you are ready. There will also be basic instruction videos as a bonus, if you need to review the basics.

Encaustic: color Intensive

1/21 - 1/25/26 | Kelly Milukas Studio, Tiverton, RI Full - WAITLIST ONLY

In this five day immersive workshop in the charming farm-coastal community of Tiverton and Little Compton, Rhode Island, Kelly Milukas and Dietlind Vander Schaaf will take you on a deep dive into color and the role it plays in composition. Appropriate for both representational and abstract artists, this intensive workshop will focus on value, selecting a palette, color mixing, chromatic and achromatic color, color relationships, how to improve your paintings by tackling color issues related to composition, as well as working with opaque and transparent colors. Students will learn to see light as shape and color that informs composition. Continental breakfast and gourmet lunch are included. Open Studio hours will be held each evening. Students must have a basic familiarity with encaustic. Please note: in the event of a snowstorm, this course will be rescheduled to 3/11 - 3/15/26.

Encaustic: Next Level

3/3 - 3/5/26 | Woodstock School of Art, Woodstock, NY Register here.

Encaustic: Next Level takes students beyond the basics in working with wax. Topics covered include: color mixing, creating smooth surfaces, working with texture, collage, elements of composition, the use of Pigment Sticks and other mixed media in relationship to encaustic, inlay, image transfer, and monoprinting. This two day workshop offers students an opportunity to deepen their skills as they begin to explore the wide range of possibilities encaustic has to offer. 

Encaustic: Layers + translucency

3/7 - 3/8/26 | Woodstock School of Art, Woodstock, NY Register here.

Layers + Translucency focuses on building encaustic paintings from the ground up addressing what can be done directly onto a substrate, between layers of medium, and on the surface, as well as how to create a smooth even surface. Demonstrations will include working with various materials such as ink, charcoal, Pan Pastel, oil pastel, pencil, graphite, small metal objects, and R&F Pigment Sticks. Emphasis will be placed on creating a sense of radiant light, on the balance and weight of composition, and on expressing meaning through an exploration of accumulating marks, drawings, and image transfers at varying levels. Materials used include encaustic paint and medium, Pigment Sticks, Blending Medium, Pan Pastel, charcoal, graphite, oil pastel, Deco Foil, and India ink. Participants should have a basic mastery of encaustic technique.

Encaustic: Layers + translucency

5/6 – 5/13/26 | BeArtz, Sauveterre de Béarn in the Pyrenees Atlantique region of South West France Download PDF to learn more here. Full - WAITLIST ONLY

Join me for an immersive retreat focused on building encaustic paintings from the ground up— exploring techniques on the substrate, between layers, and on the surface. You’ll learn how to create smooth, luminous surfaces using a variety of materials, including: encaustic paint and medium, Pigment Sticks, Blending Medium, Pan Pastel, charcoal, graphite, oil pastel, Deco Foil, and India ink. You’ll stay in a 1,000-year-old castle—the old guardhouse of a medieval village—complete with a stone spiral staircase and tower. The village itself is perched on a cliff with breathtaking views, and you’ll enjoy walks along the river, towering trees and stunning natural surroundings, and opportunities for wild water swimming. Accomodations include options for a private room with shower or full bathroom, most meals (3-course meals, often enjoyed on a terrace overlooking the river), daily yoga classes, two destination excursions, village exploration, and ample studio time.

Wax Resist: Encaustic + collage

5/26 - 5/27/26 | Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill, Truro, MA Register here.

Join me for a fun two day exploration of paper and encaustic. In this workshop you will learn to work with Aqaba paper. We will make marks using brushes and tools, fold it, and dip it in encaustic, then into a dye bath. Once dry, these unique papers can be cut or torn and incorporated into encaustic paintings. Additional techniques highlighted include ways to collage a variety of papers and working with mixed media such as R&F Drawing Oils™ and Pigment Sticks®, graphite, ink, and drawing materials.

Encaustic Alchemy: shrines + totems

6/22 - 6/27/26 | Kelly Milukas Studio, Tiverton, RI Full - WAITLIST ONLY

This six day artist retreat is for those who are looking to deepen their practice through an exploration of art making, design thinking, and mindfulness. In this workshop you will build both a unique shrine and a totem with a focus on surface treatments including collage; casting and embedding objects in wax; image transfer; creating texture; color mixing; mark making; and working with other compatible painting and drawing mediums. We will explore the way art can honor loss, mark change/transition, ignite transformation, and serve as an extension of mindfulness practice. The retreat includes 1:1 time with two instructors, a sound bath, daily yoga sessions, access to a meditation garden; a heated salt water pool; and delicious, healthy meals (continental breakfast, gourmet lunches, and two group dinners). A basic understanding of encaustic is required, including application and experience fusing with a torch.

Advanced Teaching: Encaustic for Educators in canada

8/9 - 8/13/26 | McTavish Academy of Art, North Saanich, British Columbia Register here.

R&F’s Advanced Teaching Intensive includes lectures, group discussions, demonstrations, and hands-on work time. The goal of this workshop is to help participants develop the skills they need to design and implement masterful, well-organized, and fun encaustic workshops. I will review fundamental techniques and introduce a variety of additional options in layered imagery, mark making, and mixed media. There will be an emphasis on clear explanations of the properties of wax-based paint such as opacity, building layers, and the relationship of wax and oil. Studio time focuses on creating project templates and sample panels as a record of your experiences, and to share with your future students as visual aids. Assignments include creating two workshop proposals with complete syllabi and a 30 minute group practice teach.

Encaustic: Layers + translucency

8/15 - 8/16/26 | McTavish Academy of Art, North Saanich, British Columbia Register here.

Layers + Translucency focuses on building encaustic paintings from the ground up addressing what can be done directly onto a substrate, between layers of medium, and on the surface, as well as how to create a smooth even surface. Demonstrations will include working with various materials such as ink, charcoal, Pan Pastel, oil pastel, pencil, graphite, small metal objects, and R&F Pigment Sticks. Emphasis will be placed on creating a sense of radiant light, on the balance and weight of composition, and on expressing meaning through an exploration of accumulating marks, drawings, and image transfers at varying levels. Materials used include encaustic paint and medium, Pigment Sticks, Blending Medium, Pan Pastel, charcoal, graphite, oil pastel, Deco Foil, and India ink. Participants should have a basic mastery of encaustic technique.

maine coast Encaustic REsidency

9/13 – 9/20/26 | The Colony Hotel, Kennebunkport, ME Register here. Full - WAITLIST ONLY

12 students will join me for an intensive, self-directed immersion. The goal of our time together will be to deepen both the direction of your work and your confidence in yourself as an artist. You will have reading, writing, drawing, and photography assignments. You will give an artist talk in front of a room full of peers. You will have 1:1 time with me to discuss your greatest challenges (and gifts) in the studio. You will paint for hours to build a new body of work. And, of course, there will be delicious eats and a heated saltwater pool overlooking the Atlantic. Come ready to grow, learn, and have fun.

maine coast Encaustic retreat

9/20 – 9/26/26 | The Colony Hotel, Kennebunkport, ME Register here. Full - WAITLIST ONLY

A unique week-long retreat experience in beautiful Kennebunkport, Maine - the Maine Coast Encaustic Retreat is not to be missed. Choose from a range of mini workshops to create your own unique experience. Opt for yoga in the morning. Enjoy meals with new friends. Sip a cocktail by the pool. Explore during open studio hours. The Maine Coast Encaustic Retreat was founded 14 years ago and continues to sell out quickly.

Encaustic: Layers + translucency

10/7 - 10/8/26 | Woodstock School of Art, Woodstock, NY Registration opens this fall

Layers + Translucency focuses on building encaustic paintings from the ground up addressing what can be done directly onto a substrate, between layers of medium, and on the surface, as well as how to create a smooth even surface. Demonstrations will include working with various materials such as ink, charcoal, Pan Pastel, oil pastel, pencil, graphite, small metal objects, and R&F Pigment Sticks. Emphasis will be placed on creating a sense of radiant light, on the balance and weight of composition, and on expressing meaning through an exploration of accumulating marks, drawings, and image transfers at varying levels. Materials used include encaustic paint and medium, Pigment Sticks, Blending Medium, Pan Pastel, charcoal, graphite, oil pastel, Deco Foil, and India ink. Participants should have a basic mastery of encaustic technique.

Advanced Teaching: Encaustic for Educators

10/24 (virtual)*, 11/1 - 11/5/26 (in person) | Woodstock School of Art, Woodstock, NY Registration opens this fall

R&F’s Advanced Teaching Intensive includes lectures, group discussions, demonstrations, and hands-on work time. The goal of this workshop is to help participants develop the skills they need to design and implement masterful, well-organized, and fun encaustic workshops. I will review fundamental techniques and introduce a variety of additional options in layered imagery, mark making, and mixed media. There will be an emphasis on clear explanations of the properties of wax-based paint such as opacity, building layers, and the relationship of wax and oil. Studio time focuses on creating project templates and sample panels as a record of your experiences, and to share with your future students as visual aids. Assignments include creating two workshop proposals with complete syllabi and a 30 minute group practice teach.

* Please note that the virtual component of this workshop is not a separate module, but must be completed in conjunction with the in-person course.

Encaustic: Layers + translucency

6/13 – 6/20/27 | BeArtz, Sauveterre de Béarn in the Pyrenees Atlantique region of South West France Learn more here.

Join me for an immersive retreat focused on building encaustic paintings from the ground up— exploring techniques on the substrate, between layers, and on the surface. You’ll learn how to create smooth, luminous surfaces using a variety of materials, including: encaustic paint and medium, Pigment Sticks, Blending Medium, Pan Pastel, charcoal, graphite, oil pastel, Deco Foil, and India ink. You’ll stay in a 1,000-year-old castle—the old guardhouse of a medieval village—complete with a stone spiral staircase and tower. The village itself is perched on a cliff with breathtaking views, and you’ll enjoy walks along the river, towering trees and stunning natural surroundings, and opportunities for wild water swimming. Accomodations include options for a private room with shower or full bathroom, most meals (3-course meals, often enjoyed on a terrace overlooking the river), daily yoga classes, two destination excursions, village exploration, and ample studio time.

The art of presence: encaustic painting + meditative drawing

7/13 – 7/16/27 | Wild Rice Retreats, Bayfield, WI Registration opens this winter.

Join me for a truly restful and exquisite five day painting workshop at Wild Rice Retreats. Open to all levels, this workshop will combine mindful mark making, meditative drawing, collage, monoprinting, building luminous layers, and working with a variety of mixed media to create unique works of art. Your stay will include delicious, nourishing meals featuring local ingredients; walks in nature; daily yoga classes; and a beautiful sauna and rain room experience.

Creating Your Rhythm: Painting, Knitting + The Natural World

8/6 - 8/14/27 | Essence of Mulranny Studios, Mulranny, Ireland Registration opens this winter.

Join Dietlind Vander Schaaf and Paula Jeffers for a retreat that will help you develop your natural rhythm through various modes of creative expression. Dietlind will offer encaustic painting instruction, specifically building layers to create optical depth. Students will develop skill and control as they paint representationally or abstractly. We will discover a range of mixed media compatible with encaustic and learn how and when to best incorporate it. In addition to painting, Paula will lead sessions that explore knitting as meditation. Join us for a true conscious traveling experience that includes wild swimming, drawing outdoors, labyrinth walking, morning hikes, yoga, and delicious nourishing meals. No experience necessary.