"Hidden"40x30 ColdWax/Oil

About ColdWax/Oil

ColdWax/Oil painting medium has

been around for some time.   In the last few years it has been experiencing a  comeback.   Today, there are several new books written about the technique.  ColdWax/Oil is not Encaustic.  Maybe that is how it got the name of ColdWax.  Big difference, no heat and melting applications and totally different supplies.  

 My technique is different from the current artists I have observed.  Painting on canvas or panel upright on an easel, I start by applying a layer of a mixture of 1/3 cold wax (I use Borlands) 1/3 oil paint (after colors have been decided) and 1/3 medium.  I use a variety of  drying mediums and sometimes turpentine or thinner depending on how soon I want the first layer to dry. The texture is like butter and I apply it with a putty knife, smoothing and carving and drawing where I chose creating three dimensional effects.  This is really fun and it reminds me of carving in clay.    It takes a few days for the first layer to dry enough to work with  but that gives me a lot of time to study the first results.  Sometimes two or three more very  thin layers of the same mixture and also I use a brush with my oil paints.   Usually at least  two weeks of drying time are required before I try to finish anything.  AND, it takes several months for the finished painting to dry completely.    Time consuming, yes....but so interesting I doesn't matter.   I am going to take some work in progress pictures for this blog when I start the next one.   If interested, their is information via Google, (like everything else )  

More coming