Foosaner Art Museum Features Encaustic Painting Workshop Jan. 20-21

MELBOURNE, FLA. – The Foosaner Art Museum presents Judy Edwards who will offer a workshop in encaustic painting Jan. 20-21. It will be held at the Renee Foosaner Education Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The class is limited to 10 students.

Encaustic (hot wax) painting is a medium introduced by the ancient Greeks and often used by contemporary masters. A permanent medium, the technique can result in luminous painting effects. Hands-on studio practice will follow demonstrations; students will learn about safety, suitable ground supports, encaustic materials, tools for surface incising, stencils, stains, masking tapes, transfers, waxy buildup, scraping and more.

The course is suitable for beginning and intermediate students. Participants should bring a notebook, apron and six empty, clean, small pineapple juice cans as well as any tools for incising and imprinting.

Tuition covers encaustic materials and supports. The cost for the two-day, hands-on workshop is $215 for non-members and $200 for members and Florida Tech students.

Edwards began her art career at the Honolulu Art Academy Studio Program and moved to Rhode Island in 1983, working in oils in Newport. She was also involved for six years with Don Stone’s painting group on Monhegan Island, Maine. An around-the-world painting adventure, 1997-1998, resulted in an exhibit at the Tihansky Gallery in Newport and a book chronicling her adventure, Journeys: A Grand Adventure, published in 2010.

Her encaustics studies began with Leslie Neumann at the Ringling College of Art in Sarasota, Fla., in 2004. She has been part of the International Encaustics Conference in Massachusetts for the last five years, where she has studied with national leaders in this painting style. She is planning a solo show in encaustics at the Fifth Avenue Art Gallery in Indialantic in April, 2012.

The education center is located at 1520 Highland Ave. in the Eau Gallie Arts District of Melbourne. Call (321) 242-0737 for more information. The museum (formerly Brevard Museum of Art) merged with Florida Institute of Technology in July.

Participants may register online at foosanerartmuseum.org or by phone with a credit card by calling (321) 254-7782.