Upcoming
Workshops
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Upcoming Workshops ~
Get Layering With Cold Wax
Feb 26–28, 2027
Palm Desert, CA
Learn techniques used by cold wax artists to create abstract or figurative work.
The beauty and rich quality of a cold wax painting is created with multiple layers that build a history of color, value and texture. In this three-day workshop, Melinda will demonstrate how to create those layers and marks with multiple tools and techniques. Many cold wax artists work with pure abstraction, however this medium can be used to create realist images as well. Whether you are an abstract painter or a representational painter, you will learn the various techniques that can applied to enhance both approaches.
See why a cold wax painting is not the same as a “traditional” oil painting. Learn to embrace the surprises and unpredictable results that can happen with this medium while, additionally, learning methods to help you control it. Surprises with cold wax are part of what make this medium so exciting and fun! Come explore painting with cold wax and see what all the buzz is about.
NOTE: No experience with cold wax is necessary. Students should have some experience with oil paint. Medium: Oil and cold wax. Water-based oils may be used. Melinda does not teach cold wax with acrylic paint.
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Get Layering With Cold Wax
Mar 29– Apr 1, 2027
Scottsdale, AZ
Learn techniques used by cold wax artists to create abstract or figurative work.
Cold wax paintings carry a secret: they’re created with layers of color, value, and texture that tell a visual story no single brushstroke ever could. In this immersive four-day workshop, Melinda will guide you through the tools, marks, and techniques that bring those layers to life. Whether you paint in pure abstraction or lean toward realism, cold wax will expand what’s possible in your work. But be warned: this is not your traditional oil painting. Cold wax plays by its own rules, and the surprises it delivers are exactly what make it so addictive. Come ready to experiment, embrace the unexpected, and discover why so many oil painters are buzzing about this extraordinary medium.
NOTE: No experience with cold wax is necessary. Students should have some experience with oil paint. Medium: Oil and cold wax. Water-based oils may be used. Melinda does not teach cold wax with acrylic paint.
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The Figure and Abstraction in Cold Wax
April 27–May 1, 2027
10am–4pm
La Quinta, CA
Melinda Cootsona & Jerry McLaughlin are bringing their celebrated collaboration back to California
Join them for a five-day intensive workshop exploring the figure and abstraction using cold wax and oils. Together they'll guide you through the essentials that transform good paintings into great ones including deliberate color interactions that create harmony, compositional strategies that build tension, balance, and unity, and the human figure as a powerful design element. Expect to tackle the compositional problems most painters never even recognize, and explore how pattern, movement, and rhythm can electrify your work.
Two expert teachers, one irresistible medium, five days of breakthroughs.
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Color relationships that create harmony, depth, and visual impact
Compositional strategies that build tension, balance, and unity
Using the human figure as a powerful design element within abstract compositions
Pattern, movement, rhythm, and mark-making to create dynamic surfaces
Recognizing and solving the compositional challenges that often limit a painting's success
Refining your work through thoughtful critique and individualized guidance
With two accomplished instructors offering complementary perspectives, participants receive an exceptional learning experience that combines technical instruction with creative exploration.
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This workshop is designed for intermediate to advanced artists with prior experience using cold wax and oil and some working knowledge of the human figure. It is ideal for painters ready to deepen their practice, refine their compositions, and push their work to the next level.
Ages 18+
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Emotional Figures
Sept 17-19, 2027
9:30am—4pm
Tustin, CA
Step Out Of Realism & Into Your Imagination
NOT A COLD WAX SPECIFIC PROGRAM
Join Melinda for this immersive three-day workshop where you’ll build specific skills for creating abstracted, emotionally resonant figures. Discover the power of the “unfinished figure,” explore color techniques that amplify emotional impact, and see how exaggeration can instantly transform the mood of a painting. Leave with new skills in color theory and composition along with inspiration and an expanded figurative vocabulary.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:
▸ New approaches to color which will give you skills to consciously select palettes to create harmony and emotional connection
▸ Compositional skills to create tension, balance and unity
▸ How to create an imperfect, more emotionally charge figure
▸ Melinda’s process for creating her work
Oil and acrylics are acceptable. This is not a cold wax course. You may use cold wax but Melinda will not be teaching CW techniques. This workshop is designed for artists with prior experience using oils or acrylics and some working knowledge of the human figure.
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