Encaustic Masterclass: Building Your Skills

Trusting The Process 2:  Intermediate Encaustic Workshop at Parkers Sydney Fine Art Supplies 

Join nationally recognised artist and educator Marieke Dench at Parkers Sydney Fine Art Supplies for an immersive encaustic masterclass that builds on your existing skills, centred on process, intuition, and the slow development of a visual voice.

A brief introduction to encaustic

Encaustic painting is an ancient technique, practiced for more than 2,000 years, that brings colour to life through heat. Using molten pigmented wax, artists build layered surfaces that are fused, reworked, scraped, embedded, and polished. The word encaustic comes from the Greek enkaiein - “to burn in” - a reference to the way each layer is bonded through heat and time. Both tactile and forgiving, encaustic invites play, experimentation, and presence. Process is not just a method, but the guide.

About the workshop

This one-day intermediate masterclass is designed to build upon skills learnt in the 1 Day Intro Workshop or for those that have a solid understanding and existing skillset of encaustic painting and wish to further explore or refresh their familiarity with the medium. Through expert demonstrations, guided prompts and open experimentation, participants are encouraged to further delve into the mediums ample flexibility to encompass a myriad of techniques to build upon their knowledge of this rich medium.

About your teacher

Marieke Dench is a treat to learn from, an accomplished artist with over 25 years of exhibition experience, Fine Arts qualifications from the Victorian College of the Arts and First Class Honours from RMIT - Marieke brings deep technical knowledge married with a kind and generous teaching approach, helping students of all levels build confidence while exploring the rich possibilities of encaustic painting.

What to expect

• OHS Training: Create a safe and functional studio space for working with encaustics.
• Equipment Skills: Brief refresher on the choosing and use of best encaustic equipment, including hotplates and gas blowtorches.
• Encaustic Painting Skills:
  • Use and experiment with the most extensive range of handcrafted R&F Encaustic paints & mediums, including beeswax & pigment mediums and their opacity abilities.
  • Experiment with – pre-primed boards, encaustic gesso boards, watercolour paper etc.
  • Experiment with different brush types, encaustic paints, oil pastels, acrylic markers and acrylic inks etc
  • Learn how to create a wide range of textural surfaces – accretion, linen look, pigment dropping and scraping techniques, etching techniques / stamping techniques.
  • Gain knowledge of how to transfer images from magazines, photographs, colour copies (of your own work) onto your support.
  • Step-by-Step Guidance: From a professional artist
• Community: Connect and bond with fellow artists over a shared creative practice.

WHAT TO BRING

All essential materials are provided by the Chapman & Bailey Art Shop. However, bringing a selection of personal items will allow you to further explore the creative possibilities of encaustic.

• Your sketchbook or journal (if you use one), and any photographs or reference materials you use to create images grey lead pencil
• Scissors (and a cutting blade, if you have one handy)
• A variety of Laser-printed images - the fresher the better (you may like to print images of your own work). Officeworks still has laser copiers. Not inkjet copies.
• A metal soup spoon

ADDITIONAL HELPFUL ITEMS TO BRING (IF YOU HAVE THEM) 

(Not essential, as materials are available in the studio, but the workshop is a great opportunity to experiment, compare, and explore a wide range of materials.)

• Papers and lightweight objects such as patterned serviettes, coloured Japanese papers, cotton, string, tissue paper (plain or coloured), dressmaking patterns, thin buttons, lace or fabric, and your own woodblock prints, etchings, or linocuts
• Magazine images or book pages
• Watercolours
• Oil pastels

WHAT TO WEAR 

• Closed toe shoes
• Apron
• Protective clothing you don't mind getting dirty
• Please tie long hair back
• Water bottle to stay hydrated

You’ll leave with new technical skills, confidence working with encaustic, a collection of your own wax gems to take home and a creative warmth that lingers well beyond the studio.

Details: 

Date: Sunday, October 25, 2026

Time: 10am - 4:00pm 

Location: 

Parkers Sydney Fine Art Supplies 

25 Unwinsbridge Road, Sydenham 

SYDNEY, NSW

Please contact us with any questions: workshops@chapmanbailey.com | +61 3 9415 8666