Encaustic Art Workshop, and a Really Wonderful Day at Made Local Marketplace

A little while ago, I sent out a newsletter asking if anyone knew of a local venue that would be interested in hosting an Encaustic Art Workshop.

And you guys came throuuughhhhhhh!

I had been wanting to do another encaustic workshop for a while, simply because, encaustics are just REALLY fun for me. I spend a huge portion of my life in front of the computer. I've been a professional graphic designer for 18 years, so a normal day for me involves a lot of Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, emails, files, emails about files, and staring at a screen by myself. My only company is a sleeping rabbit, a sleeping dog, and a sleeping cat. And sometimes I like to just get whacky with it. Let's get crafty!

I have more than eight years of experience and schooling in traditional art and traditional mediums, and I really, genuinely love art in all of its forms. There is something about switching from digital to tactile that just hits. I want to glue, and paste, and manipulate paper into working with me. I want to pour wax and heat gun things. I want to see where the universe, muse, and whimsy takes me. It's so nourishing for the soul.

That's what I love about the encaustic workshops.

I have a couple of big boxes that I keep all of my workshop supplies in, and they are basically big old treasure chests of weird and wonderful papery things. One is packed with magazines, images, words, letters, vision board imagery, scrapbook papers, and all sorts of little pieces of paper. The other box is full of the FUN stuff: beeswax and resin, a wax warmer, a heat gun, pastels, scissors, glue, gold and silver foils, and all of the little tools and materials that make encaustic art sooooo weird.

When everything gets dumped out onto a table, it looks like vision board, magazine, color explosion.

And then you get to sift through all the crazy until suddenly the muse hits you.

That's the magic. You cannot predict what you will make.

Finding a Place to Make Some Art

So after I asked my audience about possible venues, I started receiving links to locations via you guys (THANK YOU!) And then I think my instagram algorithm picked up on it.

That's when I saw that Made Local Marketplace was looking for people to lead workshops.

If you aren't familiar with Made Local Marketplace, they are a local marketplace for handmade goods and artwork, and I have been a huge fan of what they do for a long time. They give local artists and makers a place to sell their work. I love what they stand for. I love that they support the local arts community. I love that they give artists an actual physical space to put their work in front of people. I love it so much that this last Christmas, I told everyone they NEED to buy a homemade gift. Just so I could spend my money on local makers and it was on "theme." I did almost my entire shopping at Made Local Marketplace.

(And now they have a location in Novato, too, which made me especially excited because Novato is my old hometown. I went to high school there at Marin School of the Arts, so the idea of the local art students having the encouragement and space to see local artists selling is huge. I know I take, and would have definitely been inspired by having a store like Made Local Marketplace in my downtown while growing up.)

So when I saw that they were looking for workshop leaders, I basically went, OH. PERFECT. I WANT TO DO THIS.

I emailed them right away, filled out their form, read through all of the rules and requirements, and crossed my fingers.

It was a little funny because I don't actually already sell with Made Local Marketplace, despite how much I apparently talk about them and how much I love what they do. So there was a special form and a whole little process for becoming a workshop leader. It felt like I was making a cold-call (I guess it was luke-warm). So I was a bit nervous they would just say "who are you?? uhh?? no thanks."

BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT HAPPENED AT ALL. They were so warm and intrigued and welcoming. UGH. I love them.

The Perfect Little Outdoor Art Studio

When I arrived for the workshop, they had me set up in this absolutely adorable little nook right beside the building. There is an overhang built into the side of the building, so it creates this shaded little patio area. They had two wooden picnic tables with separate benches, so we could move everything around and arrange the space however we wanted.

There was also a little garden right next to us.

I thought a workshop in Montgomery Village, on Farmers Lane, on a Saturday morning, was going to feel very chaotic with people walking through, and the traffic noises happening, but it was surprisingly green, calm, and perfect. Literally blue sky, not too hot, not too cold, a lush green garden next to us, and a slight nice cool breeze to keep things refreshed, but not so much that the collage was flying away. Absolute perfection.

Made Local helped me get everything set up, including the hot wax and the extension cord for the heat gun, and pretty quickly the picnic tables went from ordinary outdoor tables to a full-blown encaustic art workshop, crafty fun times.

Four People, Like Old Friends

Four people came to the workshop-- two people who were completely new to me, the owner of Made Local Marketplace and her daughter.

Within probably ten minutes, it felt like we were just a bunch of friends sitting around a table making crafts together. We were talking about our lives. We were laughing. We were digging through the collage materials together and shouting things like "I need flowers" and "I found some flowers!" across the table.

Usually when I am making art, I am alone. Just sitting in the quiet. So having that communal vibe, chit chatting and asking people for assistance was awesome. It gives me a renewed sense of like "ahhhh -- this is community."

Every Piece Was Completely Different

One of the reasons I love teaching encaustic workshops is that it is basically impossible for two people to make the same thing. in style, shape, color, or purpose. I am going to see a little sneak peek into their souls.

We had bugs. We had flowers. We had names and text. We had a garden tea party. We had a west coast tribute to SF bay area. We had a beautiful kitten memorial tribute.

Every person's muse struck them differently. That is the part of teaching encaustic art that I really love. Who are you when there is no expectations, no right or wrong, no grade, no purpose except to experience this moment. Some people ask me for grades. Some people ask me for rules. Some people have never confronted themselves in such a manner... just "being" with no guidelines.

Three and a Half Hours Later...

The whole workshop took about three and a half hours from beginning to end, and every person walked away with their own piece of artwork on a wooden canvas.

About 10 minutes into the workshop, everyone was already talking about what they would do differently next time. People kept saying, "Next time I'll do this..."

Which made me laugh because apparently 10 minutes in, I was already, in-theory, booked to come back! I joked with the owner of Made Local Marketplace, "I guess I will have to check my calendar! There already is a "next time!'"

I Left Feeling Completely Elated

When I packed everything up and left, I was just... happy.

Like, genuinely happy.

I felt energized. I felt peaceful. I felt HAPPY and whole.

I felt like the weekend had started on exactly the right foot.

There was something about sitting outside on a beautiful day, surrounded by greenery and art supplies, talking to people I had just met while watching these completely different little pieces of artwork come together that just made me feel really good about the world.

It was one of those days where you leave and think, Oh. There are good things happening.

So... Will There Be Another One?

I certainly hope so!!!

If Made Local Marketplace invites me back, I will absolutely be there.

The first workshop was such a lovely experience that I would happily do it all over again.

If you want to know when/where the next workshop happens, make sure you're signed up for my newsletter. That's where I'll announce upcoming encaustic workshops, art events, and other Cameron Graphic Design happenings.

Because yes, Cameron Graphic Design is a graphic design business. I work with businesses in California, across the United States, and internationally on branding, logo design, print design, and visual communication.

But I'm also an artist.