Cold wax & oil painting

Six weeks since my last post! Sigh….. It’s not that I haven’t been painting, it’s just that deep down I’m still most comfortable being inside of my walls, keeping things to myself. I know it’s contradictory and pathetic. I love hearing people enjoying my work and for that to happen, I must woman-up and share my work and tell people what I’m up to.

So, here is what I’ve been up to. As well as exploring colours further, I attended a 2 day cold wax & oil painting in Norwich. The course run by Sally Hirst was very informative was packed with activities and information. I had already watched her youtube clips on the same subject and experimented a little on my own. But attending a workshop offered the opportunity to physically touch the surface, experience the tactile feel and try out various tools and materials before investing in them.

The initial attraction of this technique to me was the layering potential. Although I cannot layer acrylic on top of a cold wax & oil painting, I can do the opposite. I also thought that some of the effects achieved by this technique, may be able to be replicated with acrylic in conbination with various mediums.

LIke printmaking, there is an element of leaving things to chance in the cold wax & oil painting process. Through adding and subtracting layers, there are always ‘happy accident’ opportunities, and this let you be less goal-oriented and more playful.

I tried layering a cold wax & oil over an old acrylic painting, after coming home. It’s light and whimsical and cheers me up in the general gloominess surrounding us at the moment.