Nancy’s workshops in my opinion are the BEST! She is such a wealth of information and inspiration and is incredibly supportive. I am a workshop junkie and Nancy is in a class of her own!
—Sandra Johnson (Introduction to Encaustics, Inspired by Calligraphy)

Bramante Travel is pleased to launch an exciting new program for 2016 –  Photography and Encaustic Adventures in Tuscany with photographer Oliviero Olivieri and encaustic painter Nancy Crawford

This introductory course is ideal for anyone new to the exciting and dynamic medium of encaustic painting or those needing a refresher program. Some of the topics that will be explored include:

• Brief history of the medium
• Encaustic essentials including: supports and grounds, tools and materials
• Safety precautions
• Layering and building up your wax surface
• The fine art of fusing
• Wood Glue Techniques under wax
• Assorted Collage Processes
• Working with graphite in all of its forms – regular, water soluble, and powdered
• Scraping Processes – including intaglio, intarsia and sgrafitto techniques in wax
• Applying Metal Leaf, along with a few other surprising techniques
• Setting Up Your Studio
• Where to From Here?

Your program tuition includes encaustic medium along with multiple panels for experimentation and image creation. Your tuition also includes the use of hot plates, grills, heat guns and blowtorches, along with other studio equipment and supplies. Upon registration for this class Nancy will send you an additional supply list of some materials that you will want to bring with you to the program.

Join Nancy for 3 exciting and fun-filled days of learning and working with wax.
3-Day Program Investment
$525.00 + GST =$551.25
(includes most supplies)

Payment Option #1– Pay in full at time of registering

Payment Option #2– Pay a non-refundable deposit at time of registering with the balance to be paid four weeks prior to the start of the class

I have been re-inspired with this wonderful encaustic process, and learned some very helpful and exciting techniques. Thank you so much Nancy! You really know how to encourage and support people as they explore and investigate.
—Susanne Cruickshank (Encaustic Collage)

This intermediate / advanced program is perfect for those who are familiar with encaustic painting and fusing techniques and are interested in learning some new approaches to painting with the medium along with considering ways to build a personal series in encaustics. A focus of this program will be on developing personalized conceptual and compositional strategies to bring your work to the next level.

Some of the topics and materials that will be explored include:

• layering and building up your wax surface using pan pastels and oil paint
• incorporating tar and tar paper
• plaster and dry wall mud
• shellac burn
• drawing media and wax
• strategies for building an idea
• choice and your concept
• approaches for creating visual unity

Your program tuition includes all pigmented wax and encaustic media along with multiple panels for experimentation and image creation. Your tuition also includes the use of hot plates, grills, heat guns and blowtorches, along with other studio equipment and supplies. Upon registration for this class Nancy will send you an additional supply list of some materials that you will want to bring with you to the program along with a questionnaire to complete prior to start of the program.

Join Nancy for 3 exciting and fun-filled days of learning and working with wax.
3-Day Program Investment
$525.00 + GST =$551.25
(includes most supplies)

Payment Option #1– Pay in full at time of registering

Payment Option #2– Pay a non-refundable deposit at time of registering with the balance to be paid four weeks prior to the start of the class

This is the most fun art course I have taken! So full of ideas and possibilities that get your creative juices flowing and you get to take home results that are ready to hang on the wall. Best of all – I’m so excited to continue having fun at home.
—Zanne Landie (Inspired by Calligraphy)

Join master calligrapher Massimo Polello and artist Nancy Crawford for an exciting week of calligraphy and encaustic painting, exploring the dualities of Order and Chaos, Fire and Ice.

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.

Payment Option #1– Pay in full at time of registering

Payment Option #2– Pay a non-refundable deposit at time of registering with the balance to be paid four weeks prior to the start of the class

During your 9 days in Spain you will create several encaustic panels that document and celebrate your experiences in Spain along with other imagery. In addition to the techniques that will be introduced and explored that deal with encaustics, we will also delve into creating powerful compositions, creating an exciting focal point in your collages and how to develop a series of works exploring one central idea or concept.

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!