painting with fire

2024 - 2025 | Online Workshop offered through Essence of Mulranny

I am one of 28 faculty teaching in this year’s Painting With Fire online year-round workshop. I will be offering my Mark Making + Meaning virtual workshop 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.

Contemporary Encaustic in Greece: An Artist retreat

4/22 - 5/2/24 | Villa Koukouvayia Farms, Crete FULL - WAITLIST ONLY

Join instructors Kelly Milukas and Dietlind Vander Schaaf for an opulent painting retreat - 11 days in Crete at Villa Koukouvayia Farms, a small olive farm just above the Aegean shore. This retreat was designed to renew your artistic practice by immersing you in beauty and vitality. Using the landscape as inspiration for sketching, we will improve our ability to see - both the space around us and our artwork itself. Your retreat package includes lodging; meals; morning yoga and meditation; daily excursions for drawing and sketching; supplies; afternoon painting sessions; self-directed open studio in the evening; one all day group outing; and a day off mid session to do as you wish.

After a healthy breakfast, morning yoga, and private time, lectures will focus on different aspects of painting including value, color relationships, and tackling issues related to composition. Our sketching excursions will draw focus from a variety of inspirational settings nearby and take advantage of Crete’s dramatic geographical and cultural landscapes.  From mountaintop to seaside, from small village life and pastoral vistas, we’ll also include historical old towns still vibrant with residential neighborhoods and color.  After harvesting imagery and sketches during the golden hours, we’ll return to Villa Koukouvayia for a combination of social time, private practice, and studio work. Appropriate for both representational and abstract artists. 

Encaustic: Layers + Translucency

6/29 - 6/30/24 | Woodstock School of Art, Woodstock, NY FULL - WAITLIST ONLY

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. Participants should have a basic mastery of encaustic technique.

Light, Color + Composition: An ARtist retreat

7/8 - 7/12/24 | Kelly Milukas Studio, Tiverton, RI FULL - WAITLIST ONLY

In this five day artist retreat, Kelly Milukas and Dietlind Vander Schaaf will take you on a deep dive into color and composition. Appropriate for both representational and abstract artists, this workshop will focus on different aspects of painting, including value, selecting a palette, color mixing, color relationships, working with opaque and transparent colors, and how to improve your paintings by tackling issues related to composition. Students will learn to see light as shape and color that informs composition. Students will have 1:1 time with each instructor, as well as access to both a meditation garden and outdoor swimming pool in the charming farm-coastal community of Tiverton and Little Compton, Rhode Island. A continental breakfast and yoga/movement sessions will be offered each morning. Open Studio hours will be held each evening.

Encaustic, Mindfulness + The natural world: An ARtist retreat

7/28 - 8/2/24 | Wild Rice Retreat, Bayfield, WI FULL - WAITLIST ONLY

In this special five-day retreat at Wild Rice Retreat center in Bayfield, Wisconsin, students will focus on their connection to the natural world through practices that cultivate a deeper sense of mindfulness. The purpose of this workshop is to leave participants feeling deeply relaxed and renewed. Activities will include yoga, proprioceptive writing, a boat ride to the Apostle Islands, meditative walks in nature, drawing and mark making exercises, and painting. We will take inspiration from the natural world - incorporating dried plant material, using fresh leaves as stencils, transferring drawings, and interpreting the landscape abstractly with encaustic paint. Materials used will include encaustic paint and medium, Pigment Sticks, Blending Medium, Pan Pastel, charcoal, graphite, oil pastel, Deco Foil, and India ink. Begin your day with a light breakfast, practice yoga, enjoy brunch, take walks in nature, paint for hours, and then slip into the sauna. Each student will have 1:1 time with the instructor. Participants should have a basic mastery of encaustic technique.

maine coast Encaustic retreat

9/8 – 9/14/24 | The Colony Hotel, Kennebunkport, ME FULL - WAITLIST ONLY

9/15 – 9/21/24 | The Colony Hotel, Kennebunkport, ME 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 13 years ago and continues to sell out quickly.

To learn more, visit Maine Coast Encaustic Retreat where you can apply online.

scaling up: Working large with encaustic

11/9 - 11/10/24 | Woodstock School of Art, Woodstock, NY JOIN MY EMAIL LIST TO BE NOTIFIED WITH REGISTRATION OPENS

In this class students will focus on developing scale and composition while mastering the technical challenges of working large. I will discuss my experience growing my practice and demonstrate ways of achieving smooth even surfaces across large panels. Facilitated writing exercises will enhance your understanding of what your work is about. Discussions will include balance, tension, value, and contrast, as well as opaque and transparent colors, and discovering what tools you need to work larger.

light + color: A primer

2/21 - 2/23/25 | Kelly Milukas Studio, Tiverton, RI JOIN MY EMAIL LIST TO BE NOTIFIED WITH REGISTRATION OPENS

Join instructors Kelly Milukas and Dietlind Vander Schaaf for a fun and informative exploration of color and value. Appropriate for both representational and abstract artists, this workshop will focus on different aspects of painting, including selecting a palette, color mixing, color relationships, working with opaque and transparent colors, and how to improve your paintings by tackling issues related to value. Students will have 1:1 time with each instructor. A continental breakfast and movement sessions will be offered each morning. Open Studio hours will be offered each evening.

Light, Color + Composition: An ARtist retreat

6/22 - 6/28/25 | Kelly Milukas Studio, Tiverton, RI JOIN MY EMAIL LIST TO BE NOTIFIED WITH REGISTRATION OPENS

In this five day artist retreat, Kelly Milukas and Dietlind Vander Schaaf will take you on a deep dive into color and composition. Appropriate for both representational and abstract artists, this workshop will focus on different aspects of painting, including value, selecting a palette, color mixing, color relationships, working with opaque and transparent colors, and how to improve your paintings by tackling issues related to composition. Students will learn to see light as shape and color that informs composition. Students will have 1:1 time with each instructor, as well as access to both a meditation garden and outdoor swimming pool in the charming farm-coastal community of Tiverton and Little Compton, Rhode Island. A continental breakfast and yoga/movement sessions will be offered each morning. Open Studio hours will be held each evening.

ENCAUSTIC, MINDFULNESS + THE NATURAL WORLD: AN ARTIST RETREAT

7/13 - 7/18/25 | Wild Rice Retreat, Bayfield, WI JOIN MY EMAIL LIST TO BE NOTIFIED WITH REGISTRATION OPENS

In this special five-day retreat at Wild Rice Retreat center in Bayfield, Wisconsin, students will focus on their connection to the natural world through practices that cultivate a deeper sense of mindfulness. The purpose of this workshop is to leave participants feeling deeply relaxed and renewed. Activities will include yoga, proprioceptive writing, a boat ride to the Apostle Islands, meditative walks in nature, drawing and mark making exercises, and painting.

We will take inspiration from the natural world - incorporating dried plant material, using fresh leaves as stencils, transferring drawings, and interpreting the landscape abstractly with encaustic paint. Materials used will include encaustic paint and medium, Pigment Sticks, Blending Medium, Pan Pastel, charcoal, graphite, oil pastel, Deco Foil, and India ink. Begin your day with a light breakfast, practice yoga, enjoy brunch, take walks in nature, paint for hours, and then slip into the sauna. Each student will have 1:1 time with the instructor. Participants should have a basic mastery of encaustic technique.

Encaustic, Mindfulness + The natural world: An ARtist retreat

8/13 - 8/20/25 | Essence of Mulranny, Mulranny, Ireland 3 Spots Left

In this special retreat at Essence of Mulranny in Mulranny, Ireland, students will focus on their connection to the natural world through practices that cultivate a deeper sense of mindfulness. The purpose of this workshop is to leave participants feeling deeply relaxed and renewed. Activities will include yoga, proprioceptive writing, visits to local sites, meditative walks in nature, drawing and mark making exercises, and painting. We will take inspiration from the natural world - incorporating dried plant material, using fresh leaves as stencils, transferring drawings, and interpreting the landscape abstractly with encaustic paint. Materials used will include encaustic paint and medium, Pigment Sticks, Blending Medium, Pan Pastel, charcoal, graphite, oil pastel, Deco Foil, and India ink. Begin your day with a light breakfast, practice yoga, take walks in nature, and paint for hours. Each student will have 1:1 time with the instructor. Participants should have a basic mastery of encaustic technique.

Contemporary Encaustic in Greece: An Artist retreat

10/10 - 10/20/25 | Villa Koukouvayia Farms, Crete JOIN MY EMAIL LIST TO BE NOTIFIED WITH REGISTRATION OPENS

Join instructors Kelly Milukas and Dietlind Vander Schaaf for an opulent painting retreat - 11 days in Crete at Villa Koukouvayia Farms, a small olive farm just above the Aegean shore. This retreat was designed to renew your artistic practice by immersing you in beauty and vitality. Using the landscape as inspiration for sketching, we will improve our ability to see - both the space around us and our artwork itself. Your retreat package includes lodging; meals; morning yoga and meditation; daily excursions for drawing and sketching; supplies; afternoon painting sessions; self-directed open studio in the evening; one all day group outing; and a day off mid session to do as you wish.

After a healthy breakfast, morning yoga, and private time, lectures will focus on different aspects of painting including value, color relationships, and tackling issues related to composition. Our sketching excursions will draw focus from a variety of inspirational settings nearby and take advantage of Crete’s dramatic geographical and cultural landscapes.  From mountaintop to seaside, from small village life and pastoral vistas, we’ll also include historical old towns still vibrant with residential neighborhoods and color.  After harvesting imagery and sketches during the golden hours, we’ll return to Villa Koukouvayia for a combination of social time, private practice, and studio work. Appropriate for both representational and abstract artists. 

maine coast Encaustic retreat

9/7 – 9/13/25 | The Colony Hotel, Kennebunkport, ME 5 Spots Left!

9/14 – 9/20/25 | The Colony Hotel, Kennebunkport, ME 1 Spot Left!

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 13 years ago and continues to sell out quickly.

To learn more, visit Maine Coast Encaustic Retreat where you can apply online.