Nancy is a wonderful instructor who lays out the right balance of studio knowledge and “hands-on” work, and she does it all in a wonderful, calm and friendly manner.
—Gloria Jorgensen (Introduction to Encaustics)

According to classical science, the definition of Chaos was an “absence of order”. Today Chaos is considered a form of complexity. If we look back to Greek mythology, the Cosmos or Universe was a beautiful, well-ordered whole that arose out of Chaos. Order and Disorder, Cosmos and Chaos are in fact etymologically related. Is it not natural then for us as artists to want to participate in this dance, this exploration of Order and Chaos?
The Lettera Capitalis Monumentalis are perfect examples of precision and equilibrium; ORDER in the classic and purest sense of the word. Peace and security are conveyed as in the upright columns of a Roman temple. The aim of the first part of the course is to present the Roman letters in their purest forms, their construction, ductus, proportions and spacing, written initially with an ordinary pencil and then with a flat brush, horizontally and then vertically as the first letters were. Even at this early stage of the workshop we might discover that the Lettera Romana is perhaps not as “in order” as it seems, and that its basic shape always depends on fortune, timing and the moment of writing.
The second part of our calligraphic focus will be on exploring different ways of executing a freer form of writing, freer in the sense of inviting the unexpected, random and fantastic. In essence, a form of writing that is driven by instinct and comes from the “gut” – the place that many oriental traditions believe houses true knowledge. The aim is to encourage every student to develop his/her own technique.

Finally, we will combine lettere capitalis and free writing, Order and Chaos, through a process of layering our calligraphy with encaustic medium, a luscious surface of beeswax and damar resin. This ancient technique that originated with the Greeks will provide an exciting process for us to continue our exploration of our dynamic dualities adding additional colour, depth, texture and finishes.

5-Day Program Investment
$825.00 + GST = $866.25

Your tuition covers most supplies including papers, wooden panels, adhesives, encaustic medium, oil paint, metal leaf, enamel paints, assorted graphite media, pan pastels, India ink, and more. In addition, your fee includes the use of all studio equipment including grills, heat guns, torches, several brushes, tools and drawing boards. The studio space itself is a large, open space with great ventilation and double doors leading to an outdoor courtyard. Your fee also includes 5 catered lunches.

Upon registration for this program, you will be sent a small supply list of calligraphy materials to bring along (pens, brushes, some inks and gouache) in addition to a questionnaire to fill out that will help you identify a concept or idea to work with and develop over the course of the workshop. At that time we will also check for any dietary constraints or preferences.

Accommodations: There are several options for staying close to the studio venue. Please email us to receive an accommodations list.

This course is now full. If you would like to be put on our waiting list please enter your information here and click on the confirmation link in the email you will receive. It’s not unusual for us to have a cancellation and we have been able to place people from the waiting list in the past 🙂

Join Nancy for a thrilling week in Spain and learn a variety of ways to add luminosity, texture, depth and delight to your work. No prior art experience is necessary and this is a great activity for couples!