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Painting Abstractly with Oil and Cold Wax


  • Hershey Area Art Association PO Box 654 Hershey, PA 17033-654 USA (map)

CLASS CANCELLED DUE TO LACK OF STUDENTS.

Painting Abstractly With Oil and Cold Wax

With Linda Benton McCloskey

This is a 2 day workshop

Tuesday, Aug. 20 - Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024

9:00 am - 3:30 pm

$200 HAAA members, $215 non-members

This will be held at the Hershey History Center

(40 Northeast Drive, Hershey, PA 17033)

Dive into the deep end of color and wild marks, using multiple layers of oil paint mixed with cold wax. Cold wax is a versatile medium that creates rich luminosity, interesting surfaces, and speeds up drying time. It is applied with squeegees, putty, brushes, fingers, bracers and palette knives, and it feels like painting with whipped butter. Our emphasis will be on painting vibrant and colorful abstracts.  We will experiment with laying down swaths of paint, building texture, scraping away, and then doing it all again. We will work intuitively and energetically on multiple pieces, exploring texture, layers, composition and design, and the use of color. The layers dry quickly, and clean-up is done with odorless solvent. You will complete several pieces and have starts for future paintings. You can work on oil paper, canvas or panels. There will be many demonstrations and personal help included.  

Website www.LindaBentonMcCloskey.com

Email: mccloskeyart@gmail.com

Mobile: 717-623-2333

Please make checks payable to Hershey Area Art Association (HAAA) and mail to:

PO Box 654, Hershey, PA 17033

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MATERIALS NEEDED (most items, you probably already have)

1 pint of cold wax (Gamblin or Dorlands). 

Oil paint - Gamblin 1980 student grade (Michael’s carries this brand) is a good choice.  You should have a green, red, blue, yellow, orange and purple.  Plus 1 large tube of white and 1 large tube of black.  Any other colors you enjoy would be fine. We will be using lots of white. You can also use water-soluble oil paint. You cannot use both, one or the other.

A bowl scraper - Zole + Chloe Multi=Purpose Silicone Scraper from Amazon is a great choice c can be purchased from Amazon.  I will also have them to purchase at cost. Princeton makes one that can be found at Michael’s.

Gamblin odorless solvent - put in a spray bottle. Solvent must be odorless. 

Palette knife. I will have the ones I use available for purchase. 

Supports - All the following work with oil paint - Arches OIL paper / Multimedia Artboard / cradled wooden panels / canvas /panels made for oil. All panels and cradled panels need to be gesso’d prior to class!  If using cradled panel, also tape the sides. You will need a minimum of 4 for the 2 days. We will be working on several at a time.  Supports should be no larger than 14”. You can also use watercolor paper, BUT MUST BE GESSO’D…let dry.

Roll of paper towels

Roll of Reynolds FREEZER paper - can be found at the grocery store (this will be our palette paper)

Roll of wax paper 

Roll of plastic wrap

Masking tape

A couple of cheap or old brushes

A SOFT brayer - I will have some for sale at cost

Cheap dollar store tissue paper

Newsprint or newspapers

Paper and pen for notes

Old apron or clothes - this can get very messy

Also a tablecloth to cover the floor at your working station 

Another plastic covering for your work station

NOT NECESSARY, but nice to have. Don’t buy if you do not have. I will have a variety of these for you to use as well. 

  • You are also welcome to bring - marking tools such as pencils, markers, etc

  • Collage items

  • Dry pigment

  • Oil sticks

  • Things to push into the paint for texture

  • Color shaper

  • Plastic Gloves

  • Stamps

All items can be purchased from Dick Blick, Cheap Joes, Jerry’s Artarama  or Amazon

Earlier Event: August 6
Watercolor Summer Fun with Deb Watson
Later Event: September 5
Water Media with Marie Gamon