February 2020 – Barbara Nilsson

Join us on Tuesday, February 18, for Barbara Nilsson’s artist demo – Cold Wax.

Barbara will be discussing cold wax medium and oil, the tools used, and the papers or substrates to use. Cold wax medium (CWM) is a medium composed mainly of beeswax with a small amount of solvent and other ingredients to aid in drying time, for use with oil paint. It has a soft, paste-like consistency.

What is the difference between cold wax and encaustic? Both CWM and encaustic medium contain beeswax, but CWM is used at room temperature, while encaustic involves heated wax.

CWM extends and adds body, aids in drying time, increases transparency and work-ability, does not require the special ventilation and set up of encaustic, and allows the artist to build up textural effects and layers. Using CWM also allows the oil painter to dispense with concerns about traditional lean-to-fat rules for building up paint layers.

Barbara is an abstract artist. She was born in Moline, Illinois and has spent her adult life in Northern California. Barbara is a multi-disciplined artist practicing art since 1976. She started her artist career as a printmaker. In 2000, she had an opportunity to learn encaustic. Since then her work consists of primarily of encaustic, encaustic monotypes and cold wax. Barbara is a published artist who has exhibited extensively both nationally and internationally.

Barbara is the recipient of many grants and awards including grants from the Philanthropic Ventures Foundation, Oakland, CA to reintroduce printmaking back into the curriculum at a local high school and she has received many grant from the Peninsula Community Foundation, San Mateo, CA for various projects.