Layers of Discovery: A Beginner's Journey in Oil and Cold Wax with Karen Sako

Concept

Step into the luminous, tactile world of oil and cold wax in this welcoming beginner workshop. This versatile medium transforms color, texture, and mark-making into a rich visual language that invites curiosity and creative play. Explore new tools and materials as you build dynamic layers that reveal depth, movement, and unexpected beauty.

Experience

Through engaging demonstrations, presentations, and hands-on practice, learn the foundations of design, composition, mark-making, and color. Experiment with a variety of application techniques and substrates as you uncover how layers interact, conceal, and reveal. Throughout the week, create a series of paintings that combine structure with intuition, allowing you to explore personal expression while developing confident technical skills.

Skill Level

Perfect for beginners - no previous experience with oil or cold wax required. Just bring your curiosity, and let the layers lead the way.

Instructor

Fusing traditional art principles with exploratory techniques and materials, Karen Sako's abstract work examines the elusive quality of light and the complexity of nature. She brings enthusiasm and optimism to the classroom, where she continually invests her time and shares her trade secrets and findings with her students. Her goal is to ignite the next generation of pioneering creative visionaries and thinkers. Karen holds a BFA in Visual Communications from the Illinois Institute of Art and is an accomplished abstract artist, graphic designer, and instructor.